"You are dying!" now the whole landing is lined with blackboards with the word 'DYING!' written on them.
                          
"Dying! Dying! Clara! Clara! Clara!" she closes her eyes and everything returns to normal.
                          
"Well, come on then. You don't know what I'm wearing underneath this Santa outfit" Danny says.
                          
"Your pyjamas. You're too shy to wear less than two layers" Clara replies.
                          
"You could have used your imagination."
                          
"Yeah, I don't really have to" there is now a blackboard at the top of the stairs behind her, saying 'CLARA!!'
                          
"Clara!"
                          
---
                          
I am holding Clara's hand. Clara is lying on the floor with a Crab over her face.
                          
"Clara, you're dreaming. You're dying. Can you hear me? Clara?" I ask.
                          
"We did try to waken the others. No stimulus worked" Ashely says.
                          
"Ok, we kill it. We find a way to kill it and we get it off of her. How do we kill it?" the Doctor asks.
                          
"There's no way to kill it without killing your friend, too. And as a scientist, may I just say, I don't like the way you're talking."
                          
"Santa. In the infirmary, you told the Sleepers to go to bed, and they obeyed you" I say.
                          
"Sorry, doesn't mean I can get that creature off her."
                          
"No, but you can get back in there unharmed."
                          
"What? You're asking Santa for help? He doesn't exist" Shona says.
                          
"And how would you know that? How did you become an expert on what does and doesn't exist?" I reply.
                          
"I can commit several million housebreaks in one night dressed in a red suit with jingle bells, so of course I can get back into the infirmary," Santa says.
                          
"Good. Because there is only one way that I can communicate with Clara" the Doctor looks at me with wide eyes.
                          
"Trust me" I whisper, I kiss his cheek.
                          
---
Fairy lights are trailed all over the place, and Danny and Clara are curled up on the corner sofa by firelight. There is a knock on the front door which interrupts a kiss.
                          
"Your dad?" Danny asks.
                          
"Going by the timing, I'd say so."
                          
"Mmm."
                          
"If you let him anywhere near the subject of golf, I will do a thing, and it will not be a good thing."
                          
"Um, aren't we giving him golf clubs?"
                          
"And I'm prepared to use them" they both chuckle as she gets up and goes to the door.
                          
"Hi."
                          
"Hi. Seer?"
                          
"It's not real, Clara. You know it's not real. It's a dream, and it's killing you" I say.
                          
"Merry Christmas" I close the door behind me and follow Clara into the living room "you remember Danny, of course."
                          
"Not as well as you, clearly. You've made him a fraction taller. Merry Christmas, PE" I say with a nod.
                          
"Compliments of the season, ma'am" Danny replies.
                          
"Dialogue's pretty good, too. Nice work. It's all in the detail."
                          
"Just stop it" Clara replies.