AN:
This a fic I wrote last year, and have already published on ao3 :)
1. Bill is amazing
2. After seeing her necklace, I needed a scene like this.
3. Bill and the Doctor are BROTP
4. Hope you like this short story :)
She'd heard him play on that first day she had come to his office. The Doctor had played Beethoven on his electric guitar. Now, quite often she noticed him playing other tunes as well. Bill loved playing the electric guitar and was actually quite good herself.
Now, they'd just come back from saving some random civilisation with a very complicated name. When they'd been back in the TARDIS, the Doctor asked her where she would like to go next. "Well," she said, "I've heard you play electric guitar multiple times now, and I love playing electric guitar too, so I wondered if we could play something together?" "What song do you suggest?" " I dunno, you must know something with you being over 2000 years old." "Well, I know this one song. It's called Clara. The only problem is that I don't have any sheet music." "Oh, but I can play it once I've heard it. Could you play it first?" "Yes, yes that sounds like a good idea. Let's go to the music room. Have you been there before?" "YOU HAVE A MUSIC ROOM!? Awesome!"
The Doctor walks down the stairs, and Bill follows him excitedly. The room was quite far away from the console room, but it was certainly worth the walk. There were a lot of sections in the room, all devoted to one musical instrument. The one for the electric guitar was by far the biggest. On the wall, there hung at least 50 guitars, in all kinds of colours. Bill was in awe. "Wow Doctor! Why didn't you tell me about this room before?" "I didn't think it would interest you, with all of time and space being outside of the doors and all." "I LOVE THIS ROOM! Thanks for bringing me here Doctor!"
"This is my guitar" the Doctor said, walking towards a guitar that was already plugged in. It was black with a white centre. "Wasn't it just in the console room?" "The TARDIS can transport stuff for you internally if you want her too." "That's amazing!" Bill looked at the wall of guitars. "By the way, can I take this guitar?" She said, holding up one of the guitars on the bottom row. It was a red with black one. "Yes of course!", the Doctor said, "you can plug it in here." He pointed to the speaker next to his. Bill quickly plugged it in. "Can you play that song now Doctor? The name was Clara, wasn't it?" "Yeah it was." He replied, and he started playing. He played the song quietly and gently, and it sounded beautiful. "It sounds sad, doesn't it?" The Doctor asked Bill after he'd finished. She replied: "You play it sadly Doctor. It doesn't have to be sad. Here, listen." Bill tried to play the tune she'd just heard. "Wait, I have to get the notes right first." she said. The Doctor watched her patiently, as she tried to play the notes that he had just played. He helped her along and after two times, she could play it amazingly well. "You can play well!" the Doctor said. "I've been playing for years.", Bill said, "You thought it sounded sad. It did sound sad when you played it, but I think it sounds happier like this." Bill started playing the same tune, but this time, she played it a bit louder and faster than the Doctor had. Also she added something I can only describe as playfulness, bouncing from one note to the other, making it sound like a cheerful tune. She was almost going to stop, when the Doctor quietly urged her to continue. She wanted to ask why, but he seemed so intrigued by the song, that she just kept playing. After she'd played the melody another time, the Doctor started playing too, a different melody, that fit perfectly together with what she was playing. He started quietly, but after a little while, he started playing a bit louder. They kept playing. Once they both felt they'd mastered the tune, they started to make variations. At some time, they had even switched parts, but Bill couldn't even remember when they'd done that. After about a half an hour, Bill slowly stopped, making sure the Doctor knew she was stopping. The Doctor ended it beautifully, by once again returning to the original music.
After he had stopped playing they both sat there in silence, until Bill decided to break that silence. "That was beautiful Doctor." She had intended it to be loud, but it came out as a whisper. "You play well." He replied. "We could play again later? I rather enjoyed it." Bill said, and the Doctor nodded. "So did I." he replied.
The Doctor laid down his guitar, and started walking towards the console room. "Doctor?," he turned around, "did you compose this melody?" Bill asked. "No, no, I could never compose something this beautiful." "Who made it then?" "I don't know. It was a melody I got in my head after… umm.. something happened. When I returned to my TARDIS, I just played it, like you just played what I played first." "So why is it so sad for you? What happened?" Bill was concerned about the Doctor now. What could have happened to him to make him so sad? "I lost someone." , he replied, "But it's not like she died, she just… I just forgot her." "That's why you couldn't erase my memory…" she replied to him, with compassion in her eyes. The Doctor turned around again, and started to walk towards the console room. Bill quietly picked up 'her' guitar, and followed him. "I'm sorry Doctor," she said quietly once she behind him again. "I hope you find her again, somehow." "I hope so too." He replied.