Clara's apartment was quiet. Unusually quiet for a Saturday evening. The Doctor just assumed she was out doing other business. He was growing more patient and well mannered by each passing day. He had to thank her for that. He had a lot to thank her for, most importantly though was her companionship. Last Christmas was his happiest in a long time, plus he got a present that he could never dream of. Clara Oswald, back in the TARDIS, back in his life. He still didn't know what he did to deserve her.
There were a pile of magazines resting on the coffee table, lurking under the shadow of a cold cup of tea. Sighing, the Doctor picked up the mug and proceeded to head into the kitchen to wash it. "Better than just waiting about.", he thought to himself. Something about the night felt a bit too odd, too eerie. Something felt off. He scanned the room but the sonic failed to give him some answers.
It was the absence of Clara that made it odd, but it was stranger than usual. Before he could ponder about that thought, he was distracted by the sound of someone by the front door. The Doctor quickly looked around the kitchen for something to use as a weapon when he spotted the spoon.
"Be warned. I'm armed!" he threatened raising the spoon like a sword.
"What are you going to do? Spoon me to death?" came the sarcastic reply in the voice of Clara.
The Doctor sighed with relief and placed the spoon back into the counter.
"You know better than anyone that I'm deadly with a spoon."
He could hear Clara's footstep approaching the kitchen so he quickly leaned against the country trying to look as relaxed and casual as possible.
"Yes well unless you plan on fighting another historical character in the next few minutes you can disarm soldier." Clara replied entering the kitchen with a wide smile on her face.
The smile either meant two things on a Saturday evening, one she was in the 'hug mood' or two she had been off visiting her Grandmother.
"I missed you." she continued, her smile growing wider.
Definitely the hug mood. He braced himself for the cuddly assault but it never came. Instead she just loitered by the door beaming at him.
"I've only been gone less than a day." He couldn't help but smile back at her, sometimes the way she smiled, the little dimple showing and her flashing her brilliant white teeth just made him happy to be there to see it.
"Oh and what a day it was!" she exclaimed.
"I suppose you're going to tell me all about it." He didn't mind though. He found her simple human life fascinating sometimes.
"Well I went to visit Gran. She says hello by the way, and mainly just spent the day chatting."
"Hmm.. interesting." He walked over and flicked on the kettle for her. "Well I popped over to meet an old friend of mine at a bar in the Satanic Nebula. I'm guessing you just discussed clothes, work and other boring human things with your grandmother."
It was becoming a routine for him by now, making tea in Clara's kitchen. He even had his own mug. Blue of course.
"Nah we just talked about you."
The Doctor almost dropped his mug. "Me? What were you saying?"
"I decided to tell her about you properly, not just as my pretend boyfriend. I told her about our adventures and stories together and.." Her voice trailed.
"And?" he prompted, not annoyed in the slightest.
It was nice that Clara could share their adventures with someone. The Paternoster Gang were a century away so she couldn't just pop by and tell them about her latest trip. Besides he like Clara's grandmother. She was a kind woman who always seemed to be there for her. She even agreed to play twister with him all those years ago.
"And how I love you."
If the Doctor thought the silence before was bad, it was nothing compared to the silence there was now. The kettle was still bubbling away but the heavy weight of her confession drowned out the noise.
"You mean as a friend?" he asked, uncertain.
"No. Not as a friend."
"Oh."
"Yeah."
The Doctor scratched the back of his head, unsure what to say next.
"That's.. good." he managed to say.
Clara laughed, either out of nervousness or just plain old amusement.
"'That's good'? That's the best you got?" she teased, still wearing the smile on her face, though not as big this time. Her eyes seemed to be watering up too.
"What do you want me to say?" he asked.
Clara shrugged. "I don't know. Tell me how you feel."
"Shocked, to be honest."
"Yeah sorry. I just sort of landed that onto yo-"
"I love you too." he interrupted her, realising that was the response she was waiting for.
The kettle dinged behind them, letting them know the water was boiled but neither of them noticed.
"Well that's good." she mocked, her smile turning into a smirk.
The Doctor just chucked at her and lowered his head as he felt a blush creep up. He hated blushing. "So what do you want to do?" he asked, turning his attention to the tea bags.
"Well I'm happy to just stand here and talk while you make tea."
"You could always sit. After all it's your apartment."
"Not really in the sitting mood."
The Doctor however was and quickly filled each mug with boiling water, discarded the tea bags before sitting down at her table.
"So what do you want us to do?" he asked, rephrasing the question.
"Like I said. I'm happy to chat away." Clara said, still not budging from her position in the doorway. She clearly wasn't getting the message.
"What would you like to chat about so?" he asked, giving up trying to approach the whole relationship topic.
"Tell me about your meet up with your friend."
"Well his name is Jack. Remember him? The guy who kept flirting with you in the World War Two jacket?" He dumped just enough sugar and milk into his tea before bringing it to his lips.
"Ah yes. And I remember you getting distinctly jealous over that."
The Doctor sputtered on his drink.
"I did not!"
"Oh please, you were practically green!"
The spent most of the night chatting. Several cups of tea were brewed and drank by the Doctor while Clara moved to sit onto the counter, occasionally nearly falling off it from laughter at some of the Doctor's jokes. He felt immensely proud for every time he made her laugh. It was one of the best nights of his life in a long time, but it was soon drawing to an end as he spotted the sun rising.
"I better let you get some sleep." he groaned, pushing himself up from the table. "I'll pop by later to take you out somewhere nice." That caused Clara to smile, but it failed to lighten up her eyes which had saddened when she spotted the dim rays of sunlight peeping out from the horizon.
The Doctor made his way over to her, confused by mixed feelings her face portrayed. He bent down, and attempted to plant a light kiss onto her forehead when she suddenly back away.
"Hold on there boy." she joked, raising her finger. "Save the kissing for later." She winked. He was surprised by the lack of contact but shrugged it off that she was just tired.
"Well then I better be off. I'll see you soon." he promised, picking up his jacket and heading to the TARDIS.
"I'll see you soon." she repeated, giving him a small wave as he left the room.
He popped by later on in the afternoon to find the apartment again Clara-less, but not empty.
In fact her apartment was full of people, walking about what seemed to be a large wooden box in the centre of her living room. His stomach plummeted to his feet, as he ran towards it, dreading what he would find inside it. There he saw her, pale as a sheet and lying there with what appeared to be makeup trying to conceal a large gash across her left temple and other wounds along her arms.
The Doctor felt his heart turn to stone and he reached out to caress her cheek one last time. She felt colder, colder than him and he hated it. He needed to feel her warmth against his skin again. The mourners took little notice of him, too consumed in their own grief. The odd teacher recognised him as the old caretaker but didn't approach him, deciding it was better to leave him grieve in peace.
"I'm so sorry." he whispered, not caring that her corpse couldn't hear him. "I should of been there."
"There was nothing you could of done." He felt someone's hand, light and gently patting him on the back. Turning around he realised it was Clara's grandmother who was talking to him. "It was a motorbike accident. The paramedics said it was blood loss and head trauma that got her in the end, she didn't have much of a chance anyway."
That meant she could of been lying there for hours and he never knew.
"When-" His voiced choked. "When. Did it happen?"
"She was heading home from my place. She was always so kind, visiting me and such. She said lovely things about you too, you know." The grandmother seemed to be beyond grief, or perhaps helping was the only way she managed. He knew how she felt, no parent or grandparent should bury their child.
He then realised what last night was. After the body dies, the mind could survive a while longer. Maybe he telepathically connected with Clara in her last moments as she died, she spent those last few hours with him. If she had only bloody told him what was wrong then and there, he could of tried and saved her, but her grandmother was right. Judging by the wounds across her body he couldn't of done much to save her. So instead of fretting over her ending life, she focused on enjoying her last time with the man that she turned out to love.
With that thought, he decided it was time to leave. Thanking the grandmother for her kindness he stood over the coffin one last time. Before he left he bent down and planted that promised kiss onto her forehead.
"Goodbye Clara."
My first angst fic. I'm so sorry.