Six

                                    

                                          
"I like your mug," said Alessia. "Can I have a sip?"
                          
Clara stared at her, then glanced up at the Doctor. "I see where she gets it from," she muttered. 
                          
The Doctor peeked up over the console. "What?" 
                          
Clara sighed. "The questions," she groaned. "They don't end. Like father like daughter."
                          
Alessia smiled uneasily. Clara had been a rather pleasant addition to the TARDIS. It had been just short of a week with the three of them together, and Alessia could tell Clara made the Doctor uneasy. Alessia, on the other hand, rather liked future Clara. She was just as funny and sharp as original Clara, and she looked exactly the same. Alessia was forbidden to bring up any of their time in Victorian London. The Doctor had said he wasn't afraid to chuck Alessia out in a pterodactyl nest if she blabbed. An empty threat, of course, but Alessia scared easily, so she was silent. 
                          
She'd also kept the subject of Amy and Rory tucked in the back of her mind. She'd made a list of questions for future reference, such as "How on earth do you not remember them being here?". The list stayed safe in her journal. 
                          
"So," Clara said, looking at Alessia with curious eyes after a moment of silence. "What's it like? Being the daughter of a madman? Does he always dress like that?"
                          
Alessia nodded. "All the time. But it's okay. I learn new things every single day, which is amazing. Except he won't buy me a cat."
                          
Clara opened her mouth in bewilderment. "Doctor?" She called, causing him to peek up at the girls again. "You won't buy your darling little girl a cat?"
                          
"I don't trust them," he said simply, ducking back down. "Never, ever trust a cat, Clara. Never."
                          
"It's silly," Alessia sighed, drawing Clara's attention back to her. "My mum would buy me a cat."
                          
Clara smiled. "Why doesn't she travel with you? Your mum, I mean."
                          
Alessia sent an uneasy glance at the Doctor, but he wasn't listening. She'd just have to skirt around what she wasn't allowed to say. "She died," Alessia whispered. "She fell off of a cloud! Can you believe that?"
                          
Clara's eyes widened. "Fell off a cloud?" she repeated.
                          
Alessia nodded. "I got to say goodbye to her, which was good. But it was a long time ago."
                          
"I'm so sorry," Clara said, smiling sadly. "Are you alright?"
                          
Alessia nodded quickly, sniffling a bit. "I'm fine, thanks." 
                          
"Alright, Clara!" The Doctor yelled, interrupting which could have spiralled into a sweeter moment between the two. "Bedtime!"
                          
"You're putting me to bed?" She repeated. "I'm an adult. I can put myself to bed." She turned to Alessia, sending her one last smile. "Sleep well, sweetheart," she said, and with one last poignant glare at the Doctor, she stormed off down the hall. 
                          
Alessia wasn't going to sleep tonight, and neither was the Doctor, as was tradition for the past few nights. Alessia sat herself down on the metal floor next to a littering of tools. "Can I ask you a question?" She asked. 
                          
The Doctor smiled at her, sitting down to face her and resting his chin in his hands. "You just did."
                          
Alessia stuck her tongue out. "It's a serious question," she countered, her eyes pleading. "What happened to Amy and Rory?"
                          
The Doctor's eyes glazed over a bit, as they flitted around to avoid looking Alessia in the eyes. "What do you mean, what happened?" He said. "You never even met them."
                          
Alessia laughed out loud. "That's stupid. Did they go home?"
                          
"Well, yes, I suppose," the Doctor muttered, looking back to Alessia. "But long before I found you. How do you know about them?"