In the Forest of the Night

(Jared's POV)

Forest…

A schoolgirl runs through the dappled light of a forest until she finds an incongruous blue Police Box. She knocks on the door and it is opened by me who looks down to see her.

"I'm lost. Please, can you help me?" Maebh asked.

"Hey." I said, looking down at Maebh and staring at the forest. "Are those trees outside?"

"I need Jared. Are you Jared?"

"Yeah. I am. Is there something wrong?"

"Please. Something's chasing me." Maebh said, sadly.

Tardis…

"Come on in, Maebh." I said, letting in Maebh, and the school girl gasped. "Doctor, we have a guest."

"Oh." The Doctor said, while he does the explanation with hand gestures. "When you drink a glass of Coke, it's only this big, but it's actually got this much sugar in it. It works a bit like that."

"What does?" Maebh asked.

"The Tardis. It's bigger on the inside than the outside, or did you not notice?" The Doctor asked.

Maebh and I follow the Doctor up to the gallery, where the Time Lord picks up and unfolds a street map of London.

"I just thought it was supposed to be bigger on the inside, so I didn't say anything." Maebh said, frowning.

"Well, of course it's supposed to be bigger. Most people are confused by that." The Doctor said.

"I find everything confusing, nearly. So, I don't say anything. That's how come I'm in the woods. I thought Miss Oswald told me to find Jared. But it wasn't her. It was just in my head."

"Miss Oswald? My Impossible Girl?" I asked, walking behind the Doctor and Maebh. "Super spontaneous and an amazing round face. Isn't she in love with Danny Pink?"

"She is." Maebh said, giggling. "Everyone says she's in love with Mister Pink."

"The PE teacher." The Doctor said, scoffing.

"Maths. I really like him. I was in his group." Maebh said, sadly.

"Mister Pink was looking after you? Well, that explains why you're lost." The Doctor said, discarding the map and we go back down to the console. "It doesn't surprise you that we know all about your school?"

"Everyone seems to know everything about everything, apart from me." Maebh said, letting out a sigh.

"That's not quite true. I, for instance, have no idea why, when the terrestrial navigation…" The Doctor said, as Maebh is about to touch a control, so he thumps the console. "The terrestrial navigation starts up, it closes down all the other systems."

"You should ask somebody who knows." Maebh said, looking at the Doctor.

"Hmm. That's another of the drawbacks of being the last of your species. No one to ask when your Tardis won't start." The Doctor said, setting the time rotor going.

It stops after a few seconds.

The terrestrial navigation lady says, "You have reached your destination."

"No, we haven't. We're supposed to be in the middle of London." The Doctor said, annoyed.

"You have reached your destination." The terrestrial navigation said.

"Oh, stop saying that!" The Doctor yelled.

"Doctor, your GPS Is telling the truth." I said, happily. "We're in the middle of London."

"We are in the middle of a forest." The Doctor said, looking at me.

"Come and see." Maebh said, taking the Doctor's hand and leads him outside with me following them.

Trafalgar Square…

"Nelson's Column. Do you like it?" Maebh asked.

"I do." I said, smiling.

"Do I. Sorry, what?" The Doctor asked.

"Do you like the forest being in Trafalgar Square? I think it's lovely." Maebh said.

We look up, past one of Landseer's bronze lions to a tall Corinthian column with ivy growing up it, which is topped by a 5 1/2 metre sandstone statue of a famous one-armed Admiral of the Royal Navy, gazing southwards over a lush green forest amongst the buildings of central London.

(Open POV)

London Zoological Museum…

A display of stuffed wolves look down on the children in their sleeping bags. A bright light shines across them then homes in on a dark-skinned boy, who wakes up.

"Bradley! Sir! Tell him, sir! He's blinding me." Samson said.

"Give me that, Bradley." Danny said.

"I'm allowed a torch, sir. I've got a note. I'm darkness phobic." Bradley said.

"Just because he's scared of the dark, sir, is he allowed to blind me?" Samson asked.

"You're allowed a torch, Bradley, not a pocket supernova. Okay, listen up. A few things to run through before we head home. Put your phone away, Bradley. Thank you. First, collect any rubbish you may have generated through midnight feasts or whatever." Danny said.

A little later, dressed in their school uniforms, the children follow their teachers into the main foyer where a stuffed tiger is on display.

"Hello? Hello?" Danny asked.

One chubby girl with pigtails stops at a display of a section cut through a large tree trunk.

"Look at this. Why is this one so fat, miss?" Ruby asked.

"Because it was alive so long." Clara said, looking at the tree trunk.

"This ring, though. All the other rings are thin, but this one's fat and red, see?"

"Must have been a good year to be a tree."

The elderly night watchman turns up.

"I should have been relieved, you know." George said.

"Oh, Coal Hill School. Sleepover." Danny said.

"Shush, shush!" George said, taking the bar off the main entrance then enters numbers on a code pad very slowly and carefully. The boys sigh. It unlocks, but refuses to open. "Hang on. There's a knack to this."

George returns to the code pad.

"No, no, no, no, no. It moved. It moved. It's jammed, it's not locked. Come on, team." Danny said.

"What team?" Bradley asked.

Teachers and pupils all push at the doors until they open.

"Wow! Sir, where are we?" Samson asked.

"What do you mean, where are we?" Danny asked.

Outside the museum…

A red double decker bus is stranded amongst the trees.

"We can't have been asleep for that long, can we?" Ruby asked.

Souvenir photographs of the forest are taken on mobile phones. Danny goes up to the roof to survey the terrain. Only the taller buildings and landmarks are visible above the canopy. Jared knows that today is a view of a very green Earth, with various news reports from around the world.

"Well, you've heard of leaves on the line. This is going to be slightly harder to clear…" Jenny Hill said, part of the BBC, on a railway track.

"In three hours' time, the Ghana Black Stars are due to play Sierra Leone in the African Cup of Nations." An ACCRA reporter said, in front of an overgrown goal.

"Est-ce que c'est bien le Bois de Boulogne? Non, c'est le centre-ville." A Paris reporter said, on TV.

"It does not look like the pitch will be ready."

Clara makes a phone call from a bus stop. The woodpeckers are having a wonderful time in the trees.

"You're always showing me and Jared amazing things. Well, I, Doctor, have finally got something amazing to show you and Jared." Clara said, happily.

Tardis…

"Yes, well, there are some things I've never seen, but that's usually because I've chosen not to see them. Even my incredibly long life is too short for Les Miserables." The Doctor said, scoffing.

"Oh, Doctor, Jared." Clara said, her voice coming out of the TARDIS speakers.

Bus stop…

"You're going to love this." Clara said, smiling.

"Well, you can, after you pick up one of your students." Jared said, his voice coming out of Clara's phone.

"Huh? What student?"

Tardis…

"She's one of yours." Jared said, happily. "Small. Female. Danny was supposed to look after Maebh."

Bus stop…

"What? Maebh?" Clara asked, at a loss for words.

Tardis…

"Where are you and the Doctor?" Clara asked, her voice coming out of the TARDIS speakers.

"We're at Trafalgar…" Jared said, leaning against the TARDIS console.

Bus stop…

"…Square. Maebh was wandering around the city alone." Jared said, his voice coming out of Clara's phone.

Tardis…

"You mean the brand new forest." The Doctor said, looking over at Jared.

Bus stop…

"Brand new forest?" Clara asked.

"Yes. It's like the…" The Doctor said, his voice coming out of Clara's phone.

Tardis…

"New Forest, except even newer." The Doctor said.

Bus stop…

"Is that the forest that's covering London?" Clara asked.

"Was that the amazing thing you were going to show us?'" The Doctor asked, his voice coming out of Clara's phone.

Tardis…

"It is amazing, but we saw it first." The Doctor said, smirking.

Bus stop…

"Look, is she all right? Jared? Will you bring her over?" Clara asked.

"I can't bring Maebh out in a forest." Jared said, his voice coming out of Clara's phone.

Tardis….

"Yeah. I love babysitting. But only if it's in a comfortable environment." Jared said, rolling his eyes.

"The Doctor's got a spaceship." Clara said, her voice coming out of the TARDIS console.

Bus stop…

"All we've got are Oyster cards." Clara said, sadly.

"And…" The Doctor said, his voice coming out of Clara's phone.

Tardis…

"Jared and I have got a global rapid afforestation crisis to deal with." The Doctor said.

London Zoological Museum…

Clara goes back inside.

"What did they say?" Danny asked.

"Who?" Clara asked.

"The school. Parents. You were just on the phone."

"Oh, yeah. Rang school and parents. Yes, of course. Thought that was the priority."

"And?"

"And I couldn't get through. Left messages. I'll try again." Clara said, frowning

"You didn't call the school. You called the Doctor and Jared." Danny said, looking at Clara.

"No, they called me, actually. I can't stop them calling me, can I?"

"I thought you weren't in contact."

"London has just been taken over by a gigantic forest. Who do you want to talk to, Monty Don?"

"I want to do my job, which is looking after these kids." Danny said, letting out a sigh.

"Oh, really? How many kids?" Clara asked.

"What?"

"Where's Maebh Arden?" Clara asked, while Danny looks around. "She's with the Doctor and Jared."

"What? No, no, no, no, no. Maebh is a vulnerable kid. She's on medication. She's had an emotional trauma. They. Have they even been CRB checked?" Danny asked.

"They didn't abduct her. She was lost. Jared found her."

"I thought you said they were in love. Why are they shouting at each other?" Bradley asked.

"That's what people do when they're in love. Don't you know anything?" Ruby asked.

Cromwell Road…

A tree has grown up through a bicycle, lifting it high into the air. More buses and taxis are stranded.

"Where are we actually going? Where is he taking us?" Samson asked.

They stop by an Underground station sign.

"Who wants to be a navigator?" Danny asked.

Lots of hands go up.

"Me, me, me!" The children cheered.

Danny selects Bradley by handing him something, "Good lad. Let's do this."

"What's an avigator?" Bradley asked, looking over at Samson.

"We'll follow the lamp posts. That will keep us on Cromwell Road. We'll be able to orientate ourselves." Danny said.

"I thought we were getting a coach. Where's the coach?" Ruby asked.

"Well, Ruby, it seems there are a lot of trees in the way."

"Why can't we just wait here until they've gone?"

"Because trees don't just disappear, Ruby."

"They just came. Why wouldn't they just go?" Ruby asked.

The trees are outside the Natural History Museum, according to the sign.

"The question is, how did they get here? Can a forest grow overnight, or have we been asleep for years, like Sleeping Beauty?" Clara asked.

"No, the question is, how are we going to get these kids home?" Danny asked.

"Oh, absolutely. Yeah. That is the big question."

"Okay, team. It's crucial we stick together. If you start to fall behind, don't. Bradley, we're going to head north east first to collect Maebh from Trafalgar Square, then we're going south to the river. Come on, keep up!" Danny said, angrily.

The kids groan.

"What's he talking about? Where are we going?" Ruby asked.

"You are enjoying this just a little bit too much. Come on. Are you not even a little bit curious about how? Who? Why? When?" Clara asked.

"I am curious. I am bewildered. I am, in fact, enchanted. But I'm not the priority. The kids are. Is Jared taking care of Maebh?" Danny asked.

"He said he is. Yeah. Jared's probably giving Maebh sweets right now." Clara said, blushing. "You see, now, that attitude is…" She is fixated on Danny. "…actually very attractive."

"The Government emergency committee, COBRA, has formulated an action plan. We will create pathways through the trees using carefully controlled fires. This will facilitate the movement of essential services." The minister said, on TV.

(Jared's POV)

Trafalgar Square…

The Doctor is standing on the lion's plinth scanning the trees while Maebh and I watch the broadcast on her phone.

"Do you want a jelly baby?" I asked, taking out a bag of jelly babies out of my sling bag.

"We are therefore asking you to stay in your homes. Fill your baths, sinks, and any buckets with fresh water." The minister said, on Maebh's phone.

"Sure." Maebh said, walking over to me to snack on some jelly babies. "How many sweets do you have in there?"

"A lot." I said, eating the jelly babies with Maebh. "Doctor. Got anything?"

"None." The Doctor said, holding his sonic screwdriver. "Why would there be no reading? Because they are actually made of wood. No circuits. No mechanism. Wood."

The Doctor jumps down to the ground. The National Gallery is nearby.

"What's this for?" Maebh asked, looking at the sonic screwdriver.

"This is a sonic screwdriver. It interacts with any form of communication you care to mention. Sadly, trees have no moving parts and don't communicate." The Doctor said.

"They communicate a bit, though." Maebh said, tossing a jelly baby into her mouth.

"What?"

"Otherwise they wouldn't all grow at the same time, would they?"

"So, what, do you think that's how spring begins? With a group message on Tree Facebook? Do you think they send texts to each other?" The Doctor asked.

"You don't need a phone to communicate, do you. I haven't phoned home, and I know my mum is worried about me." Maebh said, sadly.

(Open POV)

Arden home…

"You said you'd collect Maebh." Maebh's mom said, on her phone. "It's all right, I'm collecting her. Soon as I find my car keys. I can't see a thing. Next door have planted bloody Hydrangeas and they've gone mental! I've had words with her about it before. She's…" She opens the front door. "Oh. I'll call you back."

Brompton Road…

Passing shop windows.

"Miss, in the museum, right, I was reading about reproduction…" Ruby said.

"Oh, Ruby, this really isn't the right moment…" Clara said, annoyed.

"And that said that trees have blossom, and then that turns into fruit or seeds or nuts. Right?" Ruby asked.

"Right, Ruby."

"These trees have got blossom and nuts."

"Oh, yeah. That is strange."

They reach Knightsbridge Underground Station.

"Nuts. That's unfortunate for you, isn't it, Bradley? You have an allergy, don't you? What if one of them falls on your head? Do you die, or swell up like a massive melon?" Samson asked.

"Shut it!" Bradley said, angrily.

Outside the Arden home…

Their neighbour, a black woman, is also not pleased with all the extra greenery in their street.

"I think we should have been consulted. What's it in aid of, even?" The neighbor asked.

"How far does this go? I need to collect Maebh." Maebh's mom said, sadly.

Trafalgar Square…

The school outing arrives at the lion.

"Trafalgar Square. Well done, Bradley. Excellent navigation skills." Danny said, happily.

Clara sees the Tardis, "Ah ha! There it is. All sorted now. Come on."

"Can we take a picture with the lion, sir? Please?" Bradley asked.

"Er, stay together, but okay." Danny said.

The selfies don't show much of the lion.

"I cannot believe Bradley just said please." Clara said.

"Really?" Danny asked.

"Yeah. He usually prefers other means of persuasion."

Memory - English classroom…

"Give it! Give it! Miss! He won't lend me his dictionary." Danny said.

Clara doesn't look up from her marking, "You could try saying please, Bradley."

"Ow!" A boy said, worried.

The crash makes Clara look up from her marking. A desk has been overturned. Bradley is sent out of the classroom.

Trafalgar Square…

"And Ruby…" Clara said, looking over at Ruby. "She isn't Jared's Ruby at all. She's more like his friend Weiss."

Memory - Maths classroom…

Danny draws a right angled triangle then marks the topmost angle with an X, "And how do we find X? Ruby?"

"It's there, sir. At the top." Ruby said, happily.

"No, how do we find…" Danny said.

"t's not lost. It's there at the top, Look!" Ruby said, excitedly.

"No, how do we find the value of X?"

"Why are you asking me all the questions? Give someone else a go."

(Jared's POV)

Trafalgar Square…

"You bring out the best in them." Clara said, smiling.

There is a rumble, and Nelson's column sways a little.

Ruby slides down from the pedestal holding a piece of broken branch., "Ow! Look, sir. No rings. Trees usually have rings to tell you how old they are. This one's got no rings. Why's that then, sir?"

"The rings mark the years of growth. One ring for each year. This grew up overnight. That whole tree is the result of just one night's growth, and they're still growing." The Doctor said.

"Everyone, this is the Doctor and Jared, and they're going to sort everything out. Isn't that right, Doctor, Jared? It's what they do." Clara said, looking between the Doctor and I.

"Well, having looked at things, I think, probably, the answer to that is no." The Doctor said.

"More like the answer is yes." I said, sipping on some bubble tea. "The Doctor always says that. He's actually pretty smart, you know. Don't worry. Maebh is in the TARDIS. She's perfectly safe."

"Thank you, Jared." Clara said, walking over to me. "Bubble tea? What flavor?"

"Matcha. Doctor, I still can't believe how clever you are."

"Oh, yes, I am. Very clever. But what use is clever against trees? They don't listen to reason. You can't plead with them. You can't lie to them. They have no moving parts, no circuits. This is a natural event." The Doctor said.

"How can it be natural for a tree to grow in one night?" Danny asked.

"Exactly what they said about the Ice Age. How can whole glaciers just pop up out of nowhere? Well, they just did. That's how this planet grows - a series of catastrophes. Farewell to the Ice Age. Welcome to the Tree Age. Possibly. When the Ice Age was here, you lot managed to cook mammoth. Now there's a forest, you'll just have to eat nuts." The Doctor said.

"I can't eat nuts. I've got an allergy." Bradley said, annoyed.

"You really don't have to worry, Bradley." I said, sipping away on my bubble tea. "The Doctor does this. He says he's not interested. And then he gets an idea. He's buying us time."

"Time. Interesting." The Doctor said.

"See? Clever kicking in." Clara said, grabbing my hand.

"A tree is a time machine. You plant a little acorn in 1795, and in the year 2016, there's an oak tree, there, in the same spot, with a tiny little bit of 1795 still alive inside of it. You can't create an overnight forest with extra special fertiliser. You have to mess with the fabric of time. And communicate with trees." The Doctor said, running into the Tardis, and Clara and I followed.

Tardis…

Then Danny and the children.

"So you're saying it's an act of aggression?" Clara asked.

"By trees?" The Doctor asked.

"Er, trees clean the air." Ruby said, frowning.

"Exactly. Well done, Ruby. Someone or something who's trying to scrub the atmosphere before colonising or invading. Ah, yes, Doctor, Jared. Ahem. This is Coal Hill Year Eight Gifted and Talented Group." Clara said.

"What are the round bits for?" Samson asked.

"Ask your teacher. Come on! Down from there! Hey! Away from the console. Come on. That's an antique. Get away from there! Don't touch that!" The Doctor said, and the children are playing with the controls. "Haven't any of you been struck by the fact that it's, look, it's bigger on the inside?"

"There wasn't a forest. Then there was a forest. Nothing surprises us any more." Ruby said, letting out a sigh.

"These trees all appeared at once. That wasn't a coincidence. There's no such thing as an arboreal coincidence. Something, someone has coordinated this. To coordinate, you need to communicate. Every communication channel on the Tardis is open, and nothing." The Doctor said, while Danny sees a pile of school exercise books and picks the top ones up. He looks at someone's drawings of an angry sun sending zig zags towards tree tops. "Except. Let me see that."

"Homework books. Why are these here?" Danny asked.

"They are Maebh's." I said, as we looked at the name on the front of the books. "She was showing me the drawing as we snacked on jelly babies."

"You were feeding her sweets?"

"They help reduce stress."

"Maebh Arden. Maebh Arden. Which one is Maebh Arden? Which one's Maebh? Maebh? Maebh? Maebh? Maebh? Maebh? Maebh? Maebh? Maebh?" The Doctor asked, looking at each child in turn whilst saying the name.

"Oh, my God. Maebh's gone. Maebh's lost in the forest. Maebh's going to die!" Ruby said, worried.

"Argh!" The Doctor said, terrified.

"Ruby, that's enough! Doctor?" Clara asked.

"We've got to find her!"

"Yes, I know that we have to find her. Doctor, Jared, listen to me. Her sister went missing last year. She's on medication. The child is barely functioning. She hears voices. She's very vulnerable." Clara said, looking between the Doctor and I.

"So, what do the voices say?" I asked, sipping on my bubble tea.

"I don't know. She takes tablets and they stop." Clara said, sadly.

"You people. You never learn. If a child is speaking, listen to it." The Doctor said, scoffing.

"Oh, like you listened to her?" Danny asked.

The Doctor turns on the scanner, and it shows a large solar prominence flaring off, "He's right. She was trying to tell me something and I ignored her. She told Jared because she trusts him and he fed her sweets. Maebh Arden is tuned to a different channel."

"Yup. Maebh can lead us to the source of it all." I said, happily. "You guys have to listen to her like I have. We have to find her since she can lead us to the heart of the forest."

"Not everything can be fixed with a screwdriver. It's not a magic wand." Clara said. "And Jared, you're planning on going to Hogwarts after this, aren't you?"

"Maybe after going to Vacuo to spend time with Team RWBY. I haven't done 'Chamber of Secrets' yet." I said, sipping on my bubble tea. "I was so busy talking to Maebh that I forgot to ask for her number."

"Not the time for your planning, Jared." The Doctor said, sadly. "Does she have a phone?"

"Well, yes, she does." Clara said, frowning.

"Have you got the number?"

"Er, yep."

The Doctor sonicks Clara's phone, "Maebh Arden. Five hundred yards south east of here. I'll go get her."

"I'll go with him." Danny said.

"Oh, Jared and I can go. Danny, you can…" Clara said, grabbing my hand.

"You haven't seen the Doctor and Jared for months?" Danny asked.

The Doctor leaves.

"Something like that." Clara said, happily.

"You didn't even say hello. You just sprung straight into action. Special unit." Danny said, letting out a sigh.

"This is so cool." Ruby said, in awe.

The Doctor rushes back in. The children are taking photographs.

"Hey! Do not. Touch. Anything. Anything. H-h-okay?" The Doctor asked.

"Okay." Ruby said, smiling.

"See? Someone needs to go. Child protection." Clara said, dragging me away from the TARDIS.

Northumberland Avenue…

"Gifted and talented? Really?" The Doctor asked.

"Well, it's better than saying 'special needs'." I said, sipping on my bubble tea. "Okay. 32 ounces was a good idea."

We pass a stranded taxi.

"Furious, fearful, tongue-tied. They're all superpowers if you use them properly. Are they going to be all right?" Clara asked.

The nearby traffic lights go out. Presumably the growing tree roots are disrupting the cables.

"They're in the TARDIS. It's the safest place in the universe." I said, clutching the strap of my sling bag.

Another rumble, and we look up to see Horatio falling towards us. We throw ourselves forward and the statue just misses.

"If this is an invasion…" The Doctor said.

"What?" Clara asked.

"It's over. They're here, they've won. What do they want?"

(Open POV)

Trafalgar Square…

The children come out of the Tardis, coughing in the stone dust.

"I'm not just going to stand here and let her die." Ruby said, sadly.

"Who?" Danny asked.

"Miss. You let her go off with some randoms into the forest. You're supposed to be madly in love with her."

"I'm? Who said that?"

"Everyone." Ruby said.

"She's probably dead now anyway. Crushed by Nelson." Samson said.

"What if the trees collapse on her, and kill her?"

"You're worrying too much." Danny said, looking at Ruby.

"Yeah, but what if the wild animals come out and eat her?" Ruby asked.

"Ruby, you're letting your imagination run away with you."

"I'm not, though, am I, because I haven't got an imagination. You can ask Miss Oswald."

"Okay, then. Come on, team, let's do this." Danny said, smiling.

"We will, if you stop calling us a team." Samson said, annoyed.

Forest…

Riding a bicycle along a track.

"Maebh!" Maebh's mom yelled.

(Jared's POV)

Northumberland Avenue…

"Doctor? Jared? Look behind us. The path we just walked down. It's overgrown already." Clara said.

The Doctor picks up a pink phone, "Clara! Jared!"

"Why would she put her phone down? And why are there a lot of jelly babies on the ground?" Clara asked.

"That was me." I said, clutching the strap of my sling bag. "I gave her a dozen bags of it."

"So, she wants to be followed. Going off of the trail of jelly babies that started near the TARDIS. Left her phone as a clue and used jelly babies, so we would know where she was going? Trail of breadcrumbs. Jared, you gave her sweets. She used them as breadcrumbs. Hansel and Gretel." The Doctor said, his eyes widening.

"I'm actually frightened. I never get frightened. Why am I frightened?" Clara asked.

"Clara, you just lost Maebh." I said, looking down at the ground.

"Yes, that is a worry, but I know you and the Doctor will find her. No, no, no. This is not a worry, this is a dread. Maebh!" Clara yelled.

"You're pursuing a little lost girl through a mysterious forest. The path has disappeared. You find yourself with a strangely compelling masculine figure. Maebh!" The Doctor said, angrily.

"Any minute now, we're going to find a gingerbread cottage with a cannibal witch inside. Maebh!"

"Exactly. The forest. It's in all the stories that kept you awake at night. The forest is mankind's nightmare."

Forest…

Maebh is running, waving her hands to waft away the invisible midges, and has been dropping jelly babies on the ground. She stops running to put her bright red school pencil case on the ground with jelly babies behind it then runs on, laying a trail of jelly babies on the ground, until she sees a group of people in hazmat suits at an Underground station. She runs away, laying a trail of more jelly babies on the ground, waving her hands in the air again, pausing only to put down her pink lunch box with a trail of jelly babies leading towards it and away from it.

"Clara. Jared. Is it hers?" The Doctor asked, looking down at the pencil case.

"Yes. Clever girl." Clara said, striding past a bus stop, pushes aside a branch and is confronted by a hazmat suit worn by one of several men.

These must be the Emergency Service Officers on the cast list.

"Get back! We're burning here. Stay back." An ESO officer said.

"Hey. We're looking for a little girl." I said, looking down at the floor.

"Stay back. We're about to burn."

The flame thrower is set to work on a small tree.

"Good job!" The ESO officer said, but without the flame thrower feeding them, the flames slowly go out. "What's going on? Trees aren't responding to flamethrower. I mean, they don't catch fire. They just don't catch. It's like they're flame proof or something."

The Doctor, Clara, and I walk on.

"Trees control the oxygen on this planet. They withhold it, they smother the fire. What sort of forest is clever? What sort of forest has its own in-built fire extinguisher?" The Doctor asked.

"What do they want?" Clara asked.

"Why now?"

"What do you mean, why now?"

"The whole natural order is turning against this planet. But why? Why now?"

"Well, what else?" Clara asked.

The Doctor takes Maebh's homework book from his pocket and shows Clara and I the drawings, "How did she know this?"

"What is it?" Clara asked.

"This is a massive solar flare headed for Earth, like the one that destroyed the Bank of Karabraxos. I've got an entire Tardis and I didn't notice this. But she knew. How?" The Doctor asked.

"This is Maebh's. Where did you get this?"

"Clara, you left the notebooks that needed to be graded by you in the TARDIS." I said, sadly.

"Oh, great, right, well, that's just brilliant, isn't it. You and the Doctor don't think Danny saw this, do you?" Clara asked.

"Danny definitely did. I mean, he was in there with the kids."

"I've just informed you that a solar flare is going to wipe out your planet. You're worried about a row with your boyfriend. How did she know this? She even put the date on it!" The Doctor yelled.

"I always make them date their homework." Clara said, smiling.

"Clara, it's today's date." I said, clutching the strap of my sling bag.

"Well, there must be a way?"

"They want something. They're saying something. If there is a way, the way is Maebh Arden." The Doctor said, smirking.

"Okay, you know they're not really gifted and talented, don't you? I just tell them that to make them feel good." Clara said, happily.

"She's lost someone. People who've lost someone, they're always listening, always looking, always hoping. So, they notice more. They hear more."

"Shit." I said, when a wolf howls. "I forgot about that."

"Forgot about what? Was that a howl?" Clara asked, while a second animal replied. "Was that a wolf? No. That is impossible. We're in London."

"London has a zoo at Regent's Park. The one with a pack of wolves. And said zoo had its barriers and gates damaged by the trees." I said, looking down at the floor. "Wolves getting out isn't impossible. We have to stick to the path, Little Red. God, it's so weird using Ruby Rose's nickname for you, Clara."

"There is no path." Clara said, grabbing my hand.

The pack howls.

"Then we're lunch." The Doctor said.

Maebh is still running, laying a trail of jelly babies on the ground, and waving her hands. She stops as something growls nearby. A pair of eyes glitter in the foliage behind her. She turns, sees the wolf and screams. The Doctor, Clara, and I hear her.

"Maebh?" Clara asked.

Maebh runs. The wolf gives chase. The Doctor, Clara, and I run. Maebh arrives at a wrought iron fence. The pack is behind her. Suddenly, Clara is on the other side of the fence.

"Maebh! Doctor, give me a boost so I can pull her over. Maebh? Maebh!" Clara yelled.

Maebh runs to the nearby gate and goes through.

"Maebh. You came looking for Jared. You didn't…" The Doctor said, and Maebh starts waving her hands around again, trying to swat away midges. "Maebh, Maebh, you didn't just stumble into the Tardis. Tell me what you know."

"Doctor…" Clara said, frowning.

"This is important." The Doctor said.

"Doctor. For God's sake! We need to deal with the wolves first!" I said, angrily.

"These are zoo wolves. They're not even used to hunting."

"Doctor!"

The three wolves show their teeth.

"All right, okay. We've just got to look as if we're too much bother to eat, right? So, stay still. Stay together. Look big. Look big like a big four-headed, eight-legged scary thing!" The Doctor said, while the wolves jump over the fence and run away, whining. "Ha ha! Told you they were rubbish. Those wolves are terrified."

"What are wolves frightened of?" Clara asked.

"A tiger." I said, letting a sigh, hearing a deep throaty growl nearby.

It is a large cat with the sort of stripes that make it almost invisible in dense woodland. It walks up to the fence and roars, showing off its magnificent canine teeth.

"There are very good solid scientific reasons for being really quite frightened just now." The Doctor said.

A bright light is shone in the tiger's face. It doesn't like it, and retreats. It is Danny with Bradley's torch, and the rest of the children are behind him. They all cheer.

"Mister Pink! Why, thank you very much." Clara said, happily.

"Ah, no problem. Just decided it was best not to leave you alone with them. They've worked well together. Noticeable increase in confidence and energy levels." Danny said.

Maebh is waving her arms again, and the Doctor is looking at her curiously.

"Well done. And for saving us from a tiger, too." Clara said, smiling.

"Er, has she had her medication yet?" Danny asked.

"Oh. No, I…"

"No! We can't give Maebh her medication!" I cried, clutching the strap of my sling bag. "We can't shut her up!"

"Jared's right. We want to know what she knows. Maebh, what's the. Maebh, what is this? What is this?" The Doctor asked, imitating Maebh's hand waving.

"Apart from being almost savaged by a tiger and abducted by a Scotsman and an American, she's allowed any nervous tics she likes, okay?" Danny asked.

"This is not a nervous tic. This is react…" The Doctor said, scoffing.

"Please! Just give her her tablets. She's been in a state since her sister went missing." Ruby said.

Maebh runs off.

"Maebh! Maebh! Maebh!" Danny said, worried.

Danny and the other children go through the gate and run after her.

"You won't find your sister out there." Ruby said, sadly.

Clearing…

Maebh arrives at cobweb festooned small trees surrounding a circular open area, with two deckchairs and a Union Flag in the background. The low sun through the trees is beautiful. We catch up to her.

"Miss? What is it, miss?" Ruby asked.

"It's coming. It's coming for everyone, and I can't unthink it." Maebh said, sadly.

"Maebh. Maebh, this forest is communicating. With you. Nobody else. No technology can hear what it's saying, but you can. Tell us what it wants. Where it came from. Just tell me who did this." The Doctor said, looking at Maebh.

"It was me. I did this. I did these trees."

"No, Maebh. You didn't make a global forest appear overnight. That's a bit impossible." I said, happily. "Unless you're Fauna Ceres. She's Mother Nature. How could you do that?"

"Thoughts come to me. Ever since Annabel went missing, I look for her everywhere. I don't find her, but I find thoughts. The big forest was one. I thought everyone would love it. The thoughts! The thoughts! They go so fast." Maebh said, frowning.

"This is stressing me now. When I get stressed, I forget my anger management." Bradley said.

"Maebh, can you see something that we can't see?" Clara asked.

"Nearly. Too fast. Everywhere." Maebh said.

"Everything's subject to gravity. If I can create a little local increase…" The Doctor said, brandishing his sonic screwdriver.

"No. You're not experimenting on…" Danny said, annoyed.

"Okay. That's awesome." I said, looking at the golden dancing points of light appear around Maebh's head. These are the invisible midges Maebh was trying to bat away with her hands. "Really awesome."

"They're lovely! They don't like it when you're holding them. They want you to let them go." Maebh said, looking at the Doctor.

"Who are they?" The Doctor asked.

"We are Here. Here, always, since the beginning and until the end." Maebh and the Here said, at the same time.

"Here? That's it?"

The Here have a very deep voice that drowns out Maebh's higher pitched one, "We are the green shoots that grow between the cracks, the grass that grows over the mass graves. After your wars are over, we will still be Here. We are the life that prevails."

"Why now? Why are you here now?" The Doctor asked.

"We hear the call and we come, as we came before to the great North Forest, where we lie still in a great circle. As we came to the vast Southern Forest." The Here said.

"Who is calling you now?"

"The sun that creates. The sun that destroys. You are hurting us. Let us go."

"You sent for Jared. The girl came looking for Jared. Why? Why Jared?"

"We did not send. Pain. Did not send for him. We don't know you. We were here before you and will be here after you." The Here said, and the Doctor turns off the screwdriver.

"That was actually quite cool." Samson said, happily.

Maebh falls to her knees. Danny and I go to her.

"Maebh. Think. You came looking for me. Why did you look for me?" I asked, looking down at Maebh.

"It was just a thought. It was just a thought that came. I think it came from Miss." Maebh said, while Danny looks at Clara. "They've gone. Why does everything have to go?"

The Doctor walks to the edge of the circle, and Clara and I go to him.

"This really is going to happen, isn't it?" Clara asked.

"Stars implode. Planets grow cold. Catastrophe is the metabolism of the universe. I can fight monsters. I can't fight physics." The Doctor said, letting out a sigh.

"Why would trees want to kill us? We love trees."

"You've been chopping them down for furniture for centuries. If that's love, no wonder they're calling down fire from the heavens."

"But we saw the future. Lots of futures. Earth's futures."

"They're about to be erased."

"If you can't save them all, save who you can. The Tardis. It's a lifeboat, isn't it? Not everybody has to die." Clara said, grabbing my hand.

The big solar flare forms.

"Clara, I spent a few years with the Guardians of the Galaxy." I said, squeezing Clara's hand. "I want to spend my time on Earth again."

Meanwhile, Danny leads his team back to Trafalgar Square, singing like American GIs.

"I know." Clara said, happily.

"Everywhere we go-o-o!" Danny yelled.

"Everywhere we go-o-o!" The children said, excitedly.

"People wanna kno-o-ow!"

"People wanna kno-o-ow!"

"Who we a-a-re."

"Who we a-a-re."

"We are the Coal Hill Gifted and Talented…" Danny said.

Maebh's mother hears the voices and stops pedalling for a moment.

"We are the Coal Hill Gifted and Talented." The children said, at the same time.

Trafalgar Square…

The Tardis is disappearing underneath ivy.

"Right, come on, team." Danny said, smiling.

They pull at the greenery.

"Doctor, when they're done cleaning up the TARDIS. Doctor, you need to make like a tree and get outta here." I said, looking down at the ground.

"We're all going. We're taking the kids." The Doctor said, looking between Clara and I.

"Taking them where? What are you going do with them? Leave them on an asteroid? Find a space academy for the gifted and talented? They just want their mums and dads, and they're never going to stop wanting them." Clara said.

"I can save the both of you and Danny." The Doctor said.

"Danny Pink will never leave those kids so long as he is breathing." Clara said.

"The only reason why I chose to stay on Earth is because of people like Danny Pink." I said, clutching the strap of my sling bag. "It's why I hang out with Danny Phantom and the Powerpuff Girls. It's why I hang out around Team RWBY. For me to not forget the little things, to not forget what makes me human, and to not take things for granted."

The door is uncovered. The children cheer.

"Come on, team." Danny said, happily.

"Can we take another selfie, sir?" Bradley asked.

"Of course. Come on, then."

"Yes!" The children cheered.

"I can save the both of you." The Doctor said, looking between Clara and I.

"I don't want you to." Clara said, grabbing my hand.

"Same. I don't want you to save me either, Spaceman." I said, as Clara squeezed my hand. "I spent almost a thousand years with you. It's time I finally stopped."

"Jared. I get that." The Doctor said. "What, you two don't want to live?"

"Of course I want to live. I just…" Clara said, sadly.

"What?"

"Don't make me say it."

"Say what?"

"I don't want to be the last of my kind."

"I'm with Clara. I've been traveling and having adventures off-world for so long. It's why I had more grounded ones lately." I salad, letting out a sigh.

"Then why did you and Clara bring us all here?" The Doctor asked.

"It's the only way to get you back to the TARDIS, you great, big, outer space, dunce." I said, laughing a lot. "We had to make you think you're saving someone."

"Jared's right. Well, you know what, Doctor? This time, the human race is saving you." Clara said, unlocking the Tardis door. "Make it worthwhile."

"This is my world, too. I walk your earth, I breathe your air." The Doctor said, looking between Clara and I.

"And on behalf of this world, you're very welcome. Now, go. Save the next one." Clara said, letting go of my hand.

"Maebh! I'm sorry that I couldn't help you." The Doctor said, walking over to Maebh.

"You helped me loads. I thought it was all my fault. I feel much better now. Jared feld me sweets. Are you going to get rid of the forest?" Maebh asked.

"Hard to get rid of a flame-proof forest, Maebh, eh? Come on." Clara said, smiling.

"Fauna doesn't even have to do any work." I said, happily. "Come on. It's time to bring you all home."

Clara, Maebh, and I join Danny and the boys at the lion. The Doctor goes into the Tardis while Samson tries to read the news headlines on his phone.

"Government crews have been deployed with the latest defo, deefoo…" Samson said.

Danny takes Samson's phone and reads, "Defoliant agents, Samson. They're used to take the leaves off the trees so they're easier to burn."

"That's harsh." Bradley said, and the Tardis engines start. "Where's he going?"

"Home. He's going home. Which is exactly where we're going." Clara said.

(Open POV)

Tardis…

The Doctor looks at the growing solar flare on the scanner, "Flame-proof forest. Flame-proof forest. A thousand atom bombs and no one hurt. That explains why Jared was so relaxed for this adventure. And why he gave Maebh sweets to make her feel better. I am Doctor Idiot!"

(Jared's POV)

Forest…

Not many trees in this part.

"Clara! Jared! Come back here! Come back!" The Doctor yelled, nearby.

"He's calling you and Jared." Danny said.

"Yes. Let him call. This is more important." Clara said, sadly.

"We do need to bring the kids home." I said, frowning. "This can't wait, Danny."

The Doctor comes running.

"Clara! Jared! Mister Pink! Maebh! All of you! Quick, quick! Come back. Come back. Come on." The Doctor said, and the children turn and run back to him. "Maebh, quick. Good girl, good girl. Come on."

Tardis…

Teachers, pupils, and I are sitting on the steps to the gallery while the Doctor gives his lesson on the solar flare.

"It's there on the screen, look. Big solar flare headed this way. A thousand kilometres a second. Coronal mass ejection. Geomagnetic storm. It's huge. It's brewing up a solar wind big enough to blow this whole planet away." The Doctor said, getting blank faces. "I assumed your teachers and Jared have mentioned this?"

"We thought it would spoil an otherwise enjoyable walk." Clara said.

"Yeah. We didn't want to ruin their walk back home." I said, sipping on some Mountain Dew.

"Okay. Okay. Well, this is the bad news. The good news is, it's happened before. And you're still here. The Tunguska Blast, 1908. That should have blown the whole planet off its axis, but it didn't. It knocked a few trees over. Well, a few tens of thousands of trees over. Curu in Brazil. Same story. Earth should have been smashed, but it wasn't. What do these things have in common?" The Doctor asked.

"They're really, really scaring us?" Ruby asked.

"Trees. Whenever there's a planet-threatening, extra-terrestrial impact, trees. Massive forest, filling the atmosphere with oxygen. Pumping it up like a massive, highly inflammable airbag, so that when trouble hits…" The Doctor said.

"Everyone dies." Samson said.

"No. The impact burns off the excess oxygen. You have some fairly hectic weather for a few days and some fairly trippy looking sunsets, but apart from that, you will be all right. I was wrong. The trees are not your enemy. They're your shield. They've been saving you since for ever. Protecting you from everything that space can throw at you."

"The wide ring." Clara said, her eyes widening. "The red ring. In the museum, Ruby saw a cross-section of a tree. One of the rings was wider than the others, and red."

"Atmospheric dust, captured by the trees. The fingerprint of an asteroid. Happy Red Ring Day." The Doctor said.

"I don't get it. If they're good, then why are we chopping them down?" Ruby asked.

"The Government are sending out defoliating teams. They're dropping chemicals on them right now." Danny said.

"What is it with you people? You hear voices, you want to shut them up. The trees come to save you, you want to chop them down." The Doctor said, annoyed.

"Or you think you need to save the world when it's already saving itself." Clara said.

"I did admit that I was wrong. Excellent. Mobile networks are still operative. Right. We are going to call everyone on Earth and tell them to leave the trees alone." The Doctor said.

"Can I do it? I started it. I should finish it." Maebh said, happily.

"Okay. Time for the best class project ever. Save the Earth." I said, smiling.

So the children sprawl on the floor by the console, making suggestions while Maebh writes her script.

"Okay. And I think that's it." Maebh said, smiling.

"That's good." I said, flicking a switch, and everyone's mobile phone, including my iPhone 15 Pro Max rings inside the Tardis and around the good green world. "It's online."

(Open POV)

Trafalgar Square…

Including that of Maebh's mother, who has just arrived. She answers it.

"Essential services have been disrupted due to an unexpected forest." Maebh said, her voice coming out of the phone.

"Maebh? Where are you?" Maebh's mom asked.

(Jared's POV)

Tardis…

"We'd like to reassure you that the situation will be rectified very soon. Please don't be scared. And please don't chop, spray or harm the trees. They're here to help. Be less scared. Be more trusting. Oh, and Annabel Arden, please come home." Maebh said.

"And it's down." I said, ending the transmission.

"Okay, who would like to witness a once in a billion years solar event at close quarters?" The Doctor asked.

Maebh looks at the scanner, "Mum! There's my mum!"

Trafalgar Square…

"Aww." I said, watching the joyful reunion between Maebh and her mother. "That's sweet."

"I thought I'd lost you too." Maebh's mom said, sadly.

"Never. Not ever." Maebh said, hugging her mom.

"So, trip to space, anyone?" Clara asked.

"I want my mum." Ruby said.

"I slightly want my mum, too." Samson said.

"Tell them, Mister Pink, what an educational opportunity…" Clara said, looking at Danny.

"You, you go. This. This is enough for me." Danny said.

"What? Coronal ejections, geomagnetic storms. How often do you get a playlist like that?"

"I was a soldier. I put myself at risk. I didn't try too hard to survive, but somehow, here I am. And now I can see what I nearly lost. And it's enough. I don't want to see more things. I want to see the things in front of me more clearly. There are wonders here, Clara Oswald. Bradley saying please, that's a wonder. One person is more amazing, harder to understand, but more amazing than universes."

"Really? What person is that, then?"

Danny and Clara kiss. The children cheer and applaud.

"I told you. I said so, didn't I?" Ruby asked.

(Open POV)

Brompton Road…

Heading back to Cromwell Road, passing Knightsbridge tube.

"We could have a picnic." Clara said, happily.

"You can't. You've got marking." Danny said, sadly.

"Oh. Well, no, no, no. That was, er, from ages ago. You see, what happened was…"

"They always write the date neatly at the top of the page."

"Yeah, they do, don't they?"

"Last Friday. You were on the Tardis last Friday. Today, you thought the world was going to end. You still didn't tell me the truth."

"I tried. The Doctor interrupted. Jared didn't since he playing video games in the TARDIS.

"I just want to know the truth. I don't care what it is. I just want to know it. Like Maebh said. Like the forest. Fear a little bit less, trust a bit more."

"Okay. Well…" Clara said, frowning.

"No, not now. Go home and do your marking. Think about it, then tell me. I saved you from a tiger today. I deserve at least that." Danny said, smiling.

"Yes, you did. And yes, you do."

(Jared's POV)

Space…

Clara, the Doctor, and I are looking out of the Tardis doorway.

"I hope I'm right. It would be slightly awkward if the world was destroyed at this point." The Doctor said.

"What?" Clara asked.

"Wow." I said, watching the solar flare reach Earth's atmosphere, igniting the surplus oxygen as it flows around. "That was more beautiful to see in person."

"There goes the planet-sized airbag. That's the trees, harvesting the solar fire." The Doctor said.

(Open POV)

Room…

Someone else is watching it on their computer screen.

"Now, that was surprising. And I love surprises." Missy said.

But she doesn't look as if she means it.

(Jared's POV)

Clara's balcony…

The Tardis is parked in the living room. As the Doctor, Clara, and I watch, the forest disappears in a succession of golden sparkles, revealing the hidden buildings and roads.

"That is amazing. How will they explain this tomorrow?" Clara asked.

"Clara, we're going to forget it ever happened." I said, drinking a cup of earl gray tea.

"Jared, we are not going to forget an overnight forest."

"You forgot the last time. You remembered the fear and you put it into fairy stories. It's a human superpower, forgetting. If you remembered how things felt, you'd have stopped having wars. And stopped having babies." The Doctor said.

The golden glow spreads over the planet and vanishes, leaving behind the familiar blue oceans and brown dry land.

(Open POV)

Outside the Arden home…

Mother and daughter walk home, and Maebh spots a pair of eyes looking out from an overgrown Hydrangea in their neighbour's front garden. The bush disappears in a mass of golden sparkles and a girl stands up.

"Annabel! My Annabel!" Maebh's mom said, excitedly.

"I knew you'd be here. The thought of you came to me." Maebh said, happily.