A/N: I watched a lot of Doctor Who while I was sick, so this little idea came to me, and I thought I'd write it and put it out there. Let me know what you think!
Chapter 1
The Doctor and Clara both lay on the floor of the TARDIS where they'd dropped, both too exhausted to go any further.
"How long were we gone?" Clara asked at last.
"About three days, Earth-time," the Doctor said weakly, not budging from where he lay. "Give or take. You managed to keep up the whole time, Clara. Well done."
"I try," Clara said. "I wish my bedroom were closer."
"Why?"
"I wouldn't have to go so far before I could get some rest."
"Who needs a bedroom?" the Doctor wanted to know. "All you need is a flat surface. And...not running. Yes, you definitely need to not be running in order to rest."
"Three days of running," Clara sighed. "You sure know how to pick planets to visit, don't you?"
"I didn't know we'd be doing that much running," the Doctor admitted. "Otherwise, it's a perfectly pleasant place."
"With intelligent horror-rabbits looking for their next meal, yeah," Clara said. "You're making less sense than usual, you know. You must be tired, too."
The Doctor turned his head and looked at her. "So that's what this feeling is. Tired. Yes, I'd say 'tired' would describe very well how I'm feeling. I think we both need rest."
"A few quiet days aboard the TARDIS?" Clara said hopefully. "You know, you haven't let me explore too much."
"Why would you want to explore the TARDIS? You already know she's fabulous!"
"You just don't want me poking about," Clara pointed out.
"Nonsense," the Doctor said, peeling himself from the floor at last and heading toward the console. "Oooh. I'm too old to feel like this."
Clara laughed. "The day you're too old for anything...I don't know." She stopped and watched the Doctor. "What are you doing?"
"Checking to make sure everything is running all right," the Doctor said. "Hmm. Everything looks good."
"Hooray," Clara said dryly, slowly getting to her feet and shuffling over to join the Doctor. "Ow. I hurt everywhere."
The Doctor turned and grabbed hold of the view screen, watching images flash by. "So do I. It sounds as if we both need...well, a break. What would you say to visiting the best spa in the universe?"
Clara grinned. She could just imagine the Doctor, in a robe and slippers with his hair wrapped up in a towel turban. "A spa? You?"
"Well, think of it more as a retreat center and resort that gives massages and has incredible swimming pools," he said, flipping switches. "You game?"
She grinned again. "As long as the food's good, sure," she said. "Do I need to pack a bag?"
"A small one," the Doctor admitted. "We're going to be travellers. The people on this planet love travellers and giving hospitality."
"All right, give me ten minutes," Clara said, making her way to her room. "Looking forward to it."
She reached her room with no problem, packed the bag, and headed back to the control room. The Doctor was there, slumped in the chair, eyes closed and dead to the world. Clara was so unused to seeing him asleep that she was immediately worried. "Doctor?"
No answer, but he did twitch in his sleep.
"Doctor?"
He turned his head away from her.
"Doctor!"
"What?!" he yelped, jumping to his feet and running for the console. "What's wrong?! Are we crashing?!"
"No!" Clara shouted, trying to get her voice to carry over the Doctor's panic. "We're not crashing!"
The Doctor stopped checking the sensors and turned to stare at her. "Then why were you yelling?"
"You were unconscious," Clara explained. "I've never seen you like that, and I was...worried."
"Oh. I'm fine. I just...took a little nap."
"A nap? You?"
"I sleep on occasion," the Doctor stated, sounding a trifle hurt. "Sleep is not a purely human thing, you know."
"I figured you must," Clara said, dropping her bag by her feet. "You all right, though? You looked...kinda bad."
"I'm just tired," the Doctor admitted. "I think I need a rest as badly as you do."
The engines, going all this while, stopped with a screech and a thump.
"Ah, good! We're here!"
"Where are we?" Clara asked, grabbing up her bag and pulling the strap over her shoulder.
"It's a planet that calls itself Haven," the Doctor said, leading the way out the door. "Fourth world from the sun Gaspar, and the environment is a lot like Earth and Gallifrey combined, so we both ought to be perfectly comfortable here."
"Why is it called Haven?" Clara asked as the Doctor locked the door to the TARDIS.
"That's what the inhabitants call it. They see it as their sacred duty to provide a haven for weary travelers, the lost, the dispossessed, and the endangered of all species and life. They provide hospitality to intelligent species and they work on preserving and protecting endangered plants and animals."
Clara felt a smile start as she followed the Doctor. They were in the middle of what looked like a large rain forest, filled with ferns, vines, flowers, enormous leafy trees...it looked like paradise. "So what you're telling me is that they're some kind of forest rangers that like hosting guests?"
"Put simplistically, yeah," the Doctor said. "I think you'll like them, Clara."
"What are they like?"
"Compared to humans, they're tall. About seven or eight feet or so. Light skin, but really dark hair. Gorgeous eyes; wait until you see them! You can spend hours looking at them and never see the same color twice!"
"And they all live in the forest?" Clara asked, wondering why they hadn't found any of these people yet.
"Nah, most of them live in the cities. Right now, we're headed to their capital. It's not too far."
He was right. Another five minutes of walking brought them to the edge of the trees, and there, across a grassy plain, was the city. She groaned and sank onto a fallen log. "Doctor, that's at least five miles away! You've got a box that can go anywhere in time and space but it couldn't get us any closer than this?"
"We're supposed to be travelers, Clara," the Doctor reminded her. "Ten to one they already know that we're here and they're sending someone to meet us."
"And if they don't, we're going to be hiking!" Clara said, feeling ready to throw something at her friend. "You might have had a nap, but I've been awake this whole time, and right now I'm really, really..."
A hum cut her off. Looking up, she spotted some sort of vehicle speeding towards them over the plain, and she felt relief wash over her. "Oh, thank goodness."
"See, I was right!" the Doctor said. "I wouldn't make you hike when you were this tired!"
Clara smiled and waited for the vehicle to pull up to them. It was sleek, shiny, and would have sent any car enthusiast into fits with how beautiful it was. When the door opened and the driver got out, she had a moment's fear, the way she always did when meeting a new species, but he looked enough like a human that it was gone almost as soon as it arrived. The being smiled and approached them.
"Welcome to Haven!" he called, leaving his vehicle running. "Are you travellers?"
"Yes, yes, we are travellers," the Doctor said. "I'm the Doctor, and this is Clara. We were wondering if there was space available for us for a short rest."
The being beamed at them, his eyes shifting through several rainbows of color. "Of course there is! Come with me and I'll take you right to where you need to go!"
Inside the vehicle, it was posh and roomy and quite comfortable. If there had been time, Clara would have fallen asleep in the soft chair, but in no time at all they were flying over the city. Tall, ethereal-looking white and silver skyscrapers shone in the sunlight and parks could be seen here and there below. The largest, she could see, were some kinds of zoos or nature preserves. The fact that they were in the middle of the city was a bit disquieting. Couldn't wild animals be dangerous? What if they got out?
"Here we are," their driver said, hovering in front of a large round building. "Traveler's Rest. You two should be comfortable here."
"Thank you," the Doctor said, sounding more than ready to get some serious relaxing done.
Their guide led them inside and across the lobby, taking them straight to what Clara supposed was a female of his species. "Liora, look! Travelers!"
"Wonderful!" Liora beamed. "Our last lot of travelers just left! It's so nice to have more!"
"Hello, there," the Doctor said brightly. "It's a pleasure to meet you!"
"A pleasure to meet you," Liora said politely with a little bow. "Thank you for bringing them, Cai."
Their guide bowed and left, possibly to do...something Haven-ish, Clara supposed.
"I'm the Doctor, and this is Clara, and we've both had a long and weary trip," the Doctor continued. "We were wondering if we could rest before we press on."
"Certainly," Liora said. "We welcome travelers. Please follow me."
Four hours later, Clara had to admit that the Doctor had finally chosen a planet that did not have some sort of threat that had to be vanquished, people saving, or anything else that would require more effort than just relaxing and enjoying herself. Oh, she loved her travels with the Doctor, no question about that, but there were times when she wished they could be just a little less...exhausting.
Liora had shown them both to their quarters, a suite with two bedrooms with private attached baths, a sitting and dining area, and doors that opened to an incredible garden with a swimming pool that actually had a waterfall! The decor was a little boring aside from that, but she supposed that was because this whole place was geared toward rest and recuperation.
She'd spent a lovely hour soaking in the tub in her bathroom (it had been large enough to qualify as a small swimming pool) and then once she was out and dressed in the loose pajama-like outfit that the Havens had provided, she'd spent another lovely hour having a massage and having her hair combed and styled.
She fell asleep then, and she only woke up when the Doctor shook her shoulder. He was smiling and he looked a great deal more relaxed than when she'd last seen him.
"Hi," she said, patting her hair back into place. "Oh, boy. I fell asleep, didn't I?"
"They told me you had," the Doctor said. "A two-hour nap. How do you feel?"
"Better," she admitted. "I must have been really exhausted. In fact, I'm still a little sleepy. Why did you wake me up?"
"It's time for dinner," the Doctor informed her. "The people here can set up quite a spread, especially if you're hungry. Are you hungry?"
Clara felt her mouth water. When had she last eaten? "Yes!" In a second she was on her feet and heading toward the door. Then she stopped and took a good look at the Doctor. It was rare that she saw him dressed in anything but his favorite suit and bow tie, but she had to admit that the loose pajamas and the robe and slippers he was wearing actually looked kind of good on him. Then, she stopped and looked down at herself. "Is it okay to go to dinner dressed like this?"
"This is what travelers wear while they're here," the Doctor explained. "They wouldn't understand if we wanted to change back into our regular clothes right away. We are here for a rest."
"All right, then," Clara said happily. "Let's go eat!"
Liora was waiting right outside their quarters for them and chattering to them happily about all the relaxing and recuperative activities they could look forward to, she led them through the corridors and into a room where five other Havens waited for them. Introductions were made and they were soon sitting down, sampling dozens of different foods that Clara had never imagined could exist.
"Do not tell me what I'm eating," Clara whispered to the Doctor a few minutes into the meal. "I'm enjoying this all too much to think about what I might be eating, okay?"
"I wasn't going to say a thing," the Doctor said innocently as another course was brought in. "I'm enjoying this, too, you know."
"You know, we've spent all this time together and I've rarely seen you eat," Clara said after seeing the Doctor tuck into...well, it smelled and tasted like a fruit salad, but it really looked like nothing Clara had ever seen as food. It looked more like an organic rubbish pile.
"I don't need to eat that much," the Doctor admitted. "Mostly, I eat because I want to taste something, or like most people, I eat because I'm hungry."
"I guess that's an explanation."
Their hosts were very kind during the course of the meal, asking polite questions and answering Clara's questions about the planet. They were more than happy to offer more detail or description whenever she asked, and they were deep in a description of the nearest park when another course of fruit was brought in.
"Holy Tardis!" the Doctor gasped as a basket was set down in front of him. "How is this here?!"
"What?" Clara asked, not seeing what was so exciting about a fruit basket.
The Doctor reached into the basket and pulled out a yellow-green fruit. "This is…this is…from Gallifrey."
Clara stared at the unprepossessing fruit and raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"Really," the Doctor said, his eyes still locked on it. "How did it come to be here?"
"From the greenhouses," one of their hosts said. "We've collected species of plants and animals from planets everywhere. Samples of that plant were brought back here before that planet was destroyed."
The Doctor was still staring at the fruit, and then slowly, carefully, he took a bite and chewed slowly. "Mmmmm." The look on his face was blissful.
"Good?" Clara teased.
"Very, very good," the Doctor said. "Do you know how long it's been since I tasted one of these?"
"I could guess," Clara said.
"You'd be wrong." He turned to their hosts. "Is there any possible way I could get cuttings of the plants you have from Gallifrey? It would mean a great deal to me."
"Of course," Liora said brightly. "We'd be happy to do so, Doctor."
Dessert ended the meal, along with a hot drink that tasted heavenly. Clara sighed after the first sip and she and the Doctor spent close to twenty minutes savoring what was in the their cups. Once the last drop of the drink was a fond memory, the Doctor and Clara were offered a tour of the Traveler's Rest.
"I'm game for a little walk," Clara said, feeling a bit full from dinner. If the meal she'd just eaten was the Havens' idea of dinner, she'd hate to have to sit down to a feast.
"Sounds lovely," the Doctor said brightly.
Liora led them out of the dining room and through halls and corridors, pointing out gardens, sitting rooms, exercise pavilions, an entertainment complex, and they finished the tour in the largest library Clara had ever seen.
"Wow," Clara breathed, craning her head to see the top shelves on the third tier. "There must be every book ever printed in here!"
"You'd need a whole planet for that," the Doctor said. "But I have to admit that this is impressive."
"Thank you, Doctor," Liora said warmly. "We pride ourselves on our research facility. Many of our visitors come to us to do research. We are very proud indeed of having the largest archive in the galaxy about the last Time Lord."
Clara glanced at the Doctor and grinned. Did they really not know who they had for a visitor?
The Doctor smiled and nodded. "I see. Any chance we could see the archive?"
"I was hoping you would ask that," Liora said happily. "I love to show it off!"
She led them to a room on the second level, leading them up a staircase and past countless shelves. Clara was still overawed at how large the library was and said as much to the Doctor.
"The one on the TARDIS is bigger," he whispered to her so they would not be overheard by their guide.
"Is it?" Clara whispered back. "I've never seen it."
"Well, I'll show you once we go back to the TARDIS. You'll love it."
The archive itself dedicated to the Doctor was a good size, and aside from the shelves and shelves of books, there were maps and even a few artifacts in a glass case.
"Cool," Clara breathed, ready to dive into the stacks and start reading up on the Doctor. He would talk sometimes, but he never answered all of her questions! "Oh, you could spend a lifetime in here reading!"
"You could spend a lifetime reading anywhere," the Doctor reminded her. He looked at a book lying open on a table and smiled, clearly fighting laughter.
"What is it?" Clara whispered.
"Wrong, that's what it is. I feel sorry for anyone coming here to do research on me."
Liora invited them to look around if they wished, and Clara took the invitation and ran with it. In no time at all she had pulled a few books off the shelves and was flipping through them. Whenever she found something interesting, she would show it to the Doctor.
"Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Oh, that's really wrong. Well, that's not too bad. Wrong. Semi-right." He had been commenting on each passage Clara showed him, enjoying himself immensely. Suddenly, he stopped and re-read a passage. "Who was their source? Was he drunk?"
Clara snorted while fighting down a giggle. "That wrong, huh?"
"Oh, yes. That wrong."
They were studying a book of etchings about the TARDIS with the Doctor chuckling under his breath when Liora found them. "Enjoying yourselves?"
"It's very interesting, the different views and opinions out there," the Doctor said, getting up from his chair.
"Perhaps you would be able to tell us which views and opinions are correct, Doctor." She stopped and appeared to think. "You know, you never did say what you were a doctor of."
"Oh, just the usual kind," the Doctor said lightly.
Liora nodded. "I feel as if I should call you 'Doctor Oncoming Storm'."
The Doctor had been balancing on one heel with his hands in his pockets, slowly revolving and looking around the room. Once Liora had said 'Oncoming Storm,' he swung to a stop and stared at her. "Hmm?"
She smiled at him. "Did you really think we didn't realize who you are? The Doctor? As soon as you introduced yourself, we knew who you were."
"Oh, really?" the Doctor said. "Well, I suppose that with all of this information around, you would notice."
"We are honored to host you, Doctor," Liora said, as the door to the archive opened and their dinner companions joined them. "We are so glad you are come."
"Well, thank you," the Doctor said. He stepped back and stood beside Clara.
"What's wrong?" Clara asked, seeing the Doctor's face. He looked almost...frightened.
"Ah, nothing yet," the Doctor whispered while Liora was speaking to one of her friends. "It just hit me. Why would they devote so much time and effort to researching me?"
Clara thought about it. "You're interesting?"
"I won't argue with you about that, but there are billions of interesting people out there in the universe. Why me?"
"Maybe they think you're a celebrity?" Clara suggested. "You know, the last of the Time Lords and all that?"
"Exactly," the Doctor said. "The last of the Time Lords."
Clara grasped what he was saying. "Ohhh." She fought down the urge to back out of the nearest door. "We're going to end up running, aren't we?"
"Most likely."
"What should we do?"
The Doctor turned to look at her, and the next second he crumpled against her. "Doctor? Doctor!" Carefully, she maneuvered him so he was stretched out on the floor in the recovery pose that she'd learned during First Aid training. "Doctor, what's wrong?"
"Dunno," the Doctor moaned, his words slurring a bit. "I feel funny."
Before Clara could demand that the Havens help him, Liora was at her side. "It's all right, Clara."
"How is it all right? He just collapsed!"
"He was given a little something in his drink at dinner, and it's just now begun to work," Liora explained. "We found a plant from Gallifrey and some information on it. It makes an effective soporific for Time Lords. He's just going to go to sleep; that's all."
"What?!" How could they have just...just drugged someone like that? Who did they think they were?
Clara didn't have any time to start yelling at them. The Doctor grabbed her hand and pulled her down so that her ear was next to his mouth.
"Now that I feel it, I recognize what they've given me," the Doctor said quietly. "They're right; I'm going to go to sleep. I might sleep for a few days. Stay with me while I'm asleep. Don't let them separate us. Don't let them give me anything else. Once I wake up, we are getting out of here."