"So, he's here? This mysterious Doctor of yours is here?" Gwen asked eagerly. "Can we meet him?"

"No," Jack replied firmly.

"Oh, come on, Jack, he's sitting right up there. Why can't we?" Gwen wheedled.

"You know, Jack, I'd kind of like to meet him myself," Ianto added diffidently.

"Look, I promised we'd keep our distance. This Doctor is from slightly in our future. It could be dangerous to interact with him. He came here because he needed a safe place to rest and refuel his ship…and because he trusts me to keep his secrets. Now just let it go."

"What else do you remember?" the Doctor asked.

"The Gamestation, which is odd, since that was the one time you didn't actually need me," Clara answered drowsily.

The Doctor ruffled her hair affectionately. "I will always need you."

"Doctor…of all the things I saw…"

"Yes?" He tightened his hold on her, feeling a chill of apprehension.

"Your friend, Donna…"

The chill became a block of solid ice in his gut. His first urge was to tell her comforting lies. Surely she'd been through enough today. But…she'd been through him today. All the centuries of his life. All his friendships, all his many mistakes. She'd seen it all. And he couldn't lie to her. Not about this.

"I don't think that will happen to you," he said, choosing his words very carefully. "Donna absorbed the entirety of my mind in one go. A human mind was never meant to contain all that. You…viewed my life through the prism of your own, multiple lifetimes. I think…I pray it will be enough to protect you."

Wide brown eyes stared into his. "I'm scared," she said simply.

"I know you are. So am I." He pulled her impossibly close to him, and kissed the top of her head. "I won't lose you, Clara, not without one hell of a fight. I promise you that."

"Because I'm your impossible girl?"

"Not anymore. I know who you are now. Do you remember why you went into my time stream?"

"To save your life," Clara replied confusedly.

"Yes, but what was happening?"

"The stars were going out. Dr. Simeon was erasing all your victories, all the people, all the galaxies you'd ever saved."

"That's right. And you brought them back. You, Clara Oswald…my Clara. You are the girl who put the stars back in the sky."