Golden light filled the room. It was blinding, and yet Clara couldn't look away. She didn't want to see. She didn't want it to end. She knew once it was over, the Doctor, her best friend, the most amazing man she had ever met - would be gone forever. She would never see those eyes, that stupid chin, ever again. Yes, she needed to see this. She would never forgive herself if she didn't.

And then it was over. The light was gone. Clara held her breath.

There was someone stood in his place. Someone blonde. Their hair was shorter than his. They were shorter in height, too - and yet, still taller than Clara.

Not that she paid attention to any of that; there was something more pressing on her mind.

'Oh.' The Doctor said.

Clara stared, incredulous. 'What?'

A hand shot to the Doctor's throat. 'Oh?'

Clara continued to stare. 'What?'

The Doctor peered down the bow-tie-less, unbuttoned collar. 'Ohhh.' She said.

Clara's eyes were perfectly round. 'What?!'

The Tardis doors opened and the Doctor stumbled out, brandishing his - her - sonic screwdriver. 'Come along, Pond!' She spun on the spot, tripping over her own feet and managing to right herself again.

Clara stepped out behind her. She was quiet, her expression somewhere between worried and exasperated.

'Allons-y. Geronimo. Lay on, Macduff - wait, that wasn't me, was it? Or was it? Our Will, he was a bit of a handful, eh? Remember that? Good old JK.'

Clara watched as the Doctor babbled, half-dazed and all heart broken. She doesn't remember me, she thought. She barely even knows I'm here.

'Clara?'

Clara turned to see Vastra, Jenny and Strax heading toward her. They didn't pay any attention to the woman in the Doctor's clothes.

'Is that you?' Vastra called.

'Yeah, it's me.' Clara replied, glad to see people who actually recognised her.

'No,' Jenny said, pointing. 'Is that you?'

Clara turned to see what she meant and gasped, her eyes widening. 'Is that... Is that a dinosaur?'

It was huge, taller than Big Ben. The ground beneath Clara's feet trembled when it roared.

'Yes.' Vastra replied. 'We think she followed you here. The Tardis was in her mouth.'

'How is that possible?'

'We were hoping the Doctor would explain. Where is he?'

Clara could have burst into tears. She pointed. 'That's him. I mean, her.'

Vastra, Jenny and Strax peered at the Doctor, noticing her presence for the first time. The Doctor, on her part, was completely indifferent; she had made pretend binoculars with her hands and was inspecting her surroundings through them.

'He's a woman?'

'She's a woman, dear.'

'Is that supposed to happen?'

'I suppose there's no rule against it.'

'Wasn't he a woman before?'

'No, Strax. She wasn't.'

'Well, I can't tell the difference. Sontarans are Sontarans. We don't complicate things the way humans do.'

'Neither do Time Lords, apparently.'

Clara either didn't hear or didn't listen; she was too busy watching the Doctor. She knew this would come eventually. He had told her about regenerating. He said he would die, change, but he would still be the same. Well, he had been wrong. She wasn't the same. She had forgotten her.

The Doctor strode toward them. 'Turn off your sonic lanterns. You're giving the big lizard a headache. Big lizard #1, I mean. No offence, big lizard #2.'

Vastra hissed.

Clara finally found her voice. 'Doctor?'

'What's that, my boy?'

'I'm a girl.'

The Doctor frowned, inspecting Clara's face. 'Are you sure? We can't both be girls. It would ruin the dynamic.'

'Doctor,' Clara pleaded. 'You're confused. You need to rest.'

The Doctor straightened her back, lifting her chin as if she was posing. 'On the contrary, I feel completely fine. It's you who's going all wobbly. You should really see a doctor about that.' And then, without warning, she fell to the ground.

Vastra sighed. 'Here we go again.'