Loopholes

Clara could always tell something was bothering him. She could tell instantly by the look of his face, the way his posture slumped in small defeat and his silence was one hardly ever met in any other times. His eyebrows were creased, eyes looking out to the sky. Ashildr disrupted them, before she could say anything else. She observed the way she was looking at the Doctor, like he was someone she already trusted. Clara smiled at him when she left, apologising for her interruption. Clara found it slightly bemusing. Ashildr probably thought they were having a deep and private conversation. But then, by that look on his face, perhaps they were.

'You've made an impact there.' She tried, smiling even though he didn't take notice.

'Stop it.' He replied, quick to make his dismissals. She didn't understand why, but knew there was something he recognised, something he was hiding from her. She had realised all too well from the first time they saw her.

'She's nice,' she defended, looking over to the retreating figure, 'fight you for her.'

Clara knew she was a little jealous, but the Doctor once again didn't respond to her antics.

Finally looking over at her, his words were a little more than sharp. 'The human race, you're obsessed! You all need to get a hobby.'

Clara sighed inaudibly. It was all she could do not to slap him every time he brought up the subject.

'I've got a hobby,' she said, her tone inflicted with annoyance but her mind still wondering how much he really did care. 'It's you, by the way.'

She raised her head to look at him again, her words small but impacting him greatly. He already knew she was always going to give him that answer, that he was her hobby and nothing else. But for the life of him he couldn't understand and for someone so clever Clara couldn't believe how ignorant he could be sometimes.

'Well, get a new one.' He answered stiffly, his tone telling her everything she needed to know. He wasn't good enough, he was too dangerous. But Clara never cared.

'Not this.' She complained, her voice becoming slightly angrier.

'Tomorrow, it's going to be a bloodbath.' He explained, only half making eye contact, like he was ashamed and afraid. Ashamed and afraid for only one human.

'Don't even ask.' She said firmly.

'These people all died hundreds of years before you were born.'

Now he was trying to scare her. She felt outraged at his attempts to keep trying to protect her when she didn't need protecting. She knew the risks as well as he did, and nothing was going to stop her from doing anything she damn well wanted, even if it was too reckless.

'I'm not running.'

'I have a duty of care.'

Looking into his eyes she could tell he meant it, he meant it every time. That phrase had started to irritate her a long time ago and the Doctor kept repeating it at all the times she didn't want to hear it. He cared too much about her, which was why it made her sad, and angry.

'No, you don't, because I never asked for that!'

'Every time we do something like this, I keep thinking, what if something happens to you?' He said, his face already traced with hurt like he'd already lost her. Clara could hardly bear to see him like that, so concerned over her well-being it was stopping him from saving an entire village.

'Well, stop thinking about me and start thinking about them, because you're missing something.' She accused.

He looked confused at the idea of even abandoning thoughts of her safety from his mind.

'What?'

'How you're going to win,' she emphasised, delighting in the spark that reignited on his face at her words, 'you always miss it, right up to the last minute. So put down your sword, stop playing soldier and look for it. Start winning, Doctor. It's what you're good at.'

She left him reflecting on it, knowing that at some point it would click. She was still mildly flattered by his unadulterated fear of her death and the lengths of which he was looking out for her but she couldn't fathom how the Doctor could really think only of her when the whole town was at stake. She knew she was special to him, a lot more than everyone else but being that naive was something she didn't want to see in the Doctor anymore. Unfortunately, something was telling her it certainly wouldn't be the last time he said it.

His voice suddenly interrupted her and she turned round to look back at him. He had followed her back inside after a few moments of deliberation and it looked like he had even ran to her.

'Clara,' he said again, 'don't always take it as such a bad thing.'

'What?'

'Being my first priority. I do have a duty of care for you, Clara.'

'I know that. But you need to start being the Doctor around here. We all need it.'

'I will,' he stepped forward, 'I'm not going to abandon this village. But it's hard to come up with another way.' He said, slipping his arms round her waist and moving closer to her.

'I understand.' She said softly. The whole hall was empty now and the food devoured, and the sudden quietness of the place made it feel like they were alone in the whole town. His eyes gazed into hers, studying her face.

'You just have to find it.' Clara continued.

He nodded. 'You know that fighting will lead to our deaths. It won't work. I'm just...' His eyes flicked around, trying to find the right words, 'concerned that if I don't come up with something else I'll lose everyone. Including you.'

She smiled, her hands reaching up to rifle through his hair, tucking curls behind his ears and ruffling it lightly at the nape of his neck.

'Don't worry about me,' she repeated, 'worry about losing. Find a solution. I always have faith that you will.'

'And that can be dangerous,' he chided her, 'we can't always fix things-'

'I know,' she interjected, holding a finger to his lips, 'but we will.'

He gave her one of his sad smirks, his hands placing themselves over the top of her own, that were snaked round his own waist.

'Whatever problems I face, I always have you to keep me right, Clara Oswald.'

She smiled. 'I'll never stop keeping you right.'

'I hope so.'

'Go find Ashildr, go get some inspiration. Time is ticking, Doctor.'

He nodded. 'Alright.'

She gave him an encouraging smile as he slipped away from her embrace and walked out through the open doors. She watched his figure recede and hoped he would come to his senses.