She knows him well, so well, enough that you'd almost believe they've known each other for centuries. They haven't, but they have. In all his long years, it's certainly not the first time he's ever had to grapple with converging timelines and false memories, but it's absolutely the first on such a grand scale like this, with reality twisted, memories stolen, trapped in a world so far from his beautiful blue box.

When they wake up fully, he'll still be in the Free Cities and just as helpless to fix all of this as he's ever been, but he's also more determined than ever.

For now, he just wants this quiet moment with Claire — the one who's made him proud, made him smile, made him miss it so desperately all over again, that feeling of being a father.

He smiles gently, kissing her forehead tenderly. "You can ask anything of me. And you absolutely may stay a little while longer. I'll be here."