Chapter 1

Every time is just as unique as the body I inhabited before…

Each golden rebirth is mingled with sorrow and excitement, wistfulness and longing…

I am the phoenix of fable; I am rising from the ashes of my own mistakes and grief and sorrow…

My last and most painful thought is- I never got to tell her goodbye.

"Doctor!" Clara's voice struggled, hoarse. Her breathing was cracked and jagged like the rocky clay terrain of the foreign planet she was aimlessly running over, freezing to the bone with the chill an overcast night after a blistering day in the desert.

"Doctor! Please!" Desperation was evident in her voice. She didn't know how to live without her best friend, damn the fact she had no clue how to find the TARDIS without him if the blasted ship was cloaked. Would the temperamental old gal even try to guide her back to the familiar harbor of safety that was the police box? Would she really be trapped here, Doctor-less, friend-less, alone on a planet where she was positive that she was seen as a hostile human? Why did trouble always find them, most days it was thrilling- because she knew in her gut they'd be okay, even in the worst of scrapes he always pulled through but not this time, not here, not today.

A blast of brilliant gold light startles her off in the far distance and almost obscured behind juts of rock faces but its bright and beautiful and terrifying, and without knowing if its danger or salvation she takes off towards it at a run, her second wind perhaps maybe her seventh of the day kicking in and urging her tired muscles on to work hard, to pump faster. The frigid air hurts with every needy lung full, but the Doctor's companion presses on drawing closer and closer to the light as it dies out and begins to leave her in a darker world than what she'd just found herself in. Slowing she gasped and wheezed for breath trying to get her eyes to adjust to the dark again, blinking as if in this situation it would make a difference. Her heart hammers both from the exertion and the terror of what may lay just beyond the obscuring jut of rocks in this narrow valley. Whatever it was, is, or could be he'd come to find out, he'd come find her here. Tears would threaten if only she wasn't so dehydrated.

"Doctor?" Clara whispered not sure if it was fear that had taken her voice or the day itself or the hush of the world around her free from the chaos of a war they'd found themselves dangerously in the middle of. Either way she hadn't expected to hear anything back since no replies had yet come to her calls, but in a voice unknown to her came the sweet simple two syllable sound of her name; "Clara?"

It was him, but wasn't- it wasn't his voice, wasn't a voice she knew but oh it had to be him. Her bones must have known better than she because they carried her warily around the bend to see a man that she all at once didn't and did recognize.

"Clara!" He exclaimed moving with agile ability and stride to her to close the space and envelope her in a hug. His bow tie askew and smelling of damp earth tickled her nose as she trembled and held to him listening to the faint sound of two galloping heart beats. She couldn't talk, couldn't find words for the immense relief and confusion and mourning that was this moment.

As if he could read her mind he chuckled and dropped a kiss to her dark head of hair.
"Clara speechless? I would have regenerated ages ago if I knew this was the secret to shutting you up."

The automatic urge then follow through to swat him in the arm made him give a chuckling 'ow' as she pulled a fraction away to look up at him.

"You're not dead?"

"Nope" He said popping his 'p' then making a face "Hm haven't said that in a while, don't think I'll say it again either, tad bit childish."

"You are childish." She muttered still searching the dark to drink in his new features as he pulled away to straighten as best he could the sandy and tattered attire that once was wore on a younger brunette version of himself only today and now looked ill out of place on the slightly taller older silver fox of a gentleman.

"Ta! I have my moments but I can also be very clever thank you very much." He chastised back, still the same big ego as ever.

"You're old." She said still assessing, still in shock from too much emotional overload mixed with complete exhaustion.

"I've always been old Clara, now I just look it. Or I suppose I look it, haven't been up on m'feet for long so haven't been able to get a once over, that and the very apparent lack of mirrors around here, or really anything reflective for that instance."

"And Scottish?" She asked quirking an eye brow, how had that happened, or was that always a natural circumstance of his regener-whatcha-whosits?

The Doctor stopped in his futile search of something reflect to look at his companion "Right I am, the accents new, it's generally british bit of a different regional accent from time to time, but never Scottish- Oh! Please tell me does that mean I'm a ginger this time? This has to be it, why the accent if not ginger." He asked fingers actively trying to pull at the less flopish hair to view a piece.

"Sorry to say but no, still not ginger." She replied. He made a 'go on' rolling hand motion and she examined his hair before shrugging lightly "I don't know, grey?"

"Grey?! Are you speaking in terms of almost white grandfather grey or salt and pepper grey?" He asked though she couldn't tell if he was upset of excited.

"I don't know just- Grey- grey like um, like smoke lounge grey- more like silver."

"Oh-ho, okay yes," he clapped his hands together once and rubbed them "yes, that I can work with. And how about my chin, still handsomely large?" The Doctor said one hand going to rub his chin thoughtfully.

"Is now really the best time to be thinking about your looks- you almost died, did die, kind of died and I've been trying to find you for hours- the Ladora Druids may still be trying to find your body-" She rambled feeling anxiety of everything well in her and the need to cry or just curl up with a fluffy dessert soufflé and tea and not leave bed for days, before he interrupted her.

"Clara, clara, clara- of course right now is the perfect time to discuss my new look. What better time could there be? New face means less likely to be spotted on the way back into the city."

"Why on Earth, or better yet why on Ladora, would we want to go back into the city we just escaped from?"

"Because, that my dear Clara is where the TARDIS is at," He said with a cheeky grin as he stretched his arms with fingers linked above his head towards the inky sky then dropping them with a smile and rolling his shoulders as if to limber up, "and unless you have a better option…"
The Doctor held out his hand to her with the same familiar glint of mischief and adventure that was always ever present in him, a common denominator to who he was a person that couldn't be changed with the shedding of one body and acceptance of a new. Clara let her gaze leave the new face with familiar eyes to the hand that was waiting for hers, her fingers tingled as if being called to be laced with his and unable to resist she slid her hand into his, a new hold and new shape but the same warm rush of comfort.

Then, they ran.

Okay so rough first start, but I've got the new doctor bug and really need an outlet for all the ideas floating around in my head for the new dynamic. Please Read and Review and hopefully I'll have the next installment up in the next day or so :) Thanks again for the support!