I'm back! Will leave notes at the bottom tomorrow. :)
Leaving Clara's Home, with a Tangerine on the sill, the Doctor and Clara ducked into the TARDIS.
"Oh, I have missed the old girl so much!" Clara slowly wandered around the central console, while the Doctor approached the console, and prepared to put them into the Time Vortex. Clara stood beside him, to his left, with a grin on her face, which turned into a full-blown smile as the groaning and wheezing of the TARDIS began, as it went into the Time Stream.
As the TARDIS started away from her home, she put her arm around him, giving him a hug from the side, her head leaning against him. While he froze momentarily, he soon relaxed somewhat, and returned the gesture, before turning to her, and saying with a grin "Welcome Back."
She turned to him with a grin, "Thank you," she replied. After standing with him for a minute, she pulled away, and asked him a question "Where should we go now, Doctor?"
He turned to her, and asked "Well, that would be your choice. Just like meeting Robin Hood," the Doctor replied, with a slight smile on his face. At that moment, he cared about just one thing. Clara was back with him.
"Well, I really want to just want to run, and spend time with you. Even though we are together, we don't know how long that will last," Clara replied. The Doctor thought on this with sadness, knowing that eventually, this would be true, his smile disappearing.
Clara continued, "But, right now, I want to focus on right now, and spending time with you again. I would love to visit Paris in the 1920's. I had a good time on the Orient Express, what about the original" Clara replied. The Doctor, seeing her beam at him, started to smile again, replying. "As you wish, Clara." He put in the coordinates, and TARDIS started on its destination.
"I do think you will want to change though. Your nightie would not be considered fashionable in the streets of Paris," he added with a deadpan voice, smiling the whole time.
Clara walked towards her room, smiling to herself, "True, but causing a little stir might be some fun. Don't worry, I will be changed shortly. Though, you might want to change your jumper. "
"I will too. See you in a few minutes"
Clara was back at her bedroom. As she got in, she saw her bed, and on it, a beautiful dress. It looked a lot like the dress she wore on the Orient Express, but different in color. Whereas that dress was Brown, with gold accents, the new dress was TARDIS Blue in Color, with silver accents. It was slightly longer.
"Thank you so much," Clara quietly said to the TARDIS. Quickly, she changed. After doing so, she noticed something on the dresser. A mannequin upper torso and head sat there. On a closer look, she noticed a necklace, with a Red Gemstone pendant, surrounded by small diamonds. Putting the necklace on, she silently thanked the TARDIS again, and started towards the Console Room. There, the Doctor had been finished changing for a few minutes, dressed just like he was on the Orient Express earlier. When he caught sight of Clara, his widened, and looked momentarily stunned, "You look gorgeous," he said.
"Thanks!, though, really you should thank the TARDIS more, she had the clothes and everything ready the moment I walked in. I shouldn't be surprised though, she has liked me for a while."
"The TARDIS is wonderful. Are you ready to land Clara?"
"Yes!"
The TARDIS wheezed and groaned to a landing in an alley in the 8th Arrondissement. Quickly, the Doctor and Clara walked out of the TARDIS, and onto the streets of Paris at about 7 pm.
"Looks like we landed early in the night, what would interest you, Clara?" The Doctor asked.
"I think I would like to go for some music and dancing. We never had a chance to on the Orient Express, with the undead soldier and all. Think you can? I remember the last you was uncoordinated." Clara replied with a tiny bit of tease as they walked down the street towards the Seine.
"Oh, Clara, I think you will find me to be far more graceful than Bowtie ever was. I hope you will be able to keep up." The Doctor retorted.
"And why wouldn't I be able to keep up Doctor?" Clara said, eyebrows rising.
"You are very small, with short little legs." The Doctor taunted playfully, coming to road bordering the River.
"Well, I have been able to keep up with you up to now, so I don't see how there would be an issue. My offer from the North Pole Base is still standing, Doctor." Clara replied, with what she thought was the last word. It would turn out to be correct, because the Doctor noticed a nice Guingette on the riverfront.
"Well, I think I found a good place. Music and dancing was what you said you wanted, and I hear the music part. Shall we?" The Doctor asked, holding his arm out.
"Yes, we shall." Clara replied, taking his arm with a smile, walking into a club.
After entering the club, they took a table towards the outside of the room. The Doctor pulled out Clara's chair to help her down. "Thank You," Clara said to the Doctor with a smile. He quickly took a seat across from her at the small table. A young waiter with sandy brown hair quickly came up to them.
"Welcome, sir and Madam, may I take your order for tonight?"
"We would like to start with drinks. I think a bottle of Muscat blanc à Petits Grains will be satisfying. Two glasses, as well."
"Very well, sir, I will be back in a moment," the waiter replied.
"Hmm, a sweet wine?" Clara asked.
"In this regeneration, I seem to like things that taste sweet. I put amazing amounts of sugar in coffee, and carry Jelly Babies again. Have you taken a look at the menu Clara?"
"Well, let me take a look here" Clara replied, looking at her menu. She knew of the fact that French dinners had three courses usually. But, for her, this could be a problem. At 115 cm and just barely 50kg, she could not eat a large amount. "I think I will only be able to eat the main course, and dessert. I will choose Coq au vin, with an Apple Tart for dessert. Wait, how are you paying for this?"
"Well, I do pick up money here and there. I should have enough. I think I will have Matelote with an Apple Tart as dessert as well. I don't have to eat much either." It was now that the waiter came back, putting down the wine bottle and glasses before asking for their order.
"Here is your wine sir, have you decided what you will be getting today?"
"Ah yes, we have made a decision. Neither of us can eat much, so we will only be having 2 courses. My lady Clara here will be having Coq au vin, while I will have Matelote for our main courses. And we both want Apple Tarts for dessert." The Doctor responded for both of them
"Very well, you should be getting the main course in 30 minutes," the waiter confirmed. "I would invite you to have a dance in the meantime. We have an area set up nearby for that. "
"Thank you, I think we will be taking advantage of that." The Doctor replied as the waiter walked away, before getting up and coming up next to Clara with his hand held out. "Shall we?"
"Yes, I would love to."
The Doctor and Clara headed over to the open area for dancing. "Will you be okay with following me Clara?"
"Yes, I will be"
"Then let's Tango, Clara." The Doctor responded with a wide and mischievous grin. Clara responded in kind. Quickly, they started with the first steps, and the Clara saw that the Doctor was as good as he said he was. Doing the footwork perfectly, as the dance continued, she would be picked up briefly, with her heart giving a tiny flutter. Certainly, though he looked older, he was still quite strong.
"Impressed, Clara?" The Doctor whispered in her ear.
"Yes, very much so" Clara responded, composed for the most part, but a little surprised. She did not expect to be so quick-footed, and have that amount of strength.
"Thank you, I know my last self would have been unable to do this." The Doctor stated, while still keeping on dancing, though this particular song was ending now.
Clara giggled at this, with the dance ending "Oh, you are definitely right on that. You were so uncoordinated back then. You would have tripped in 20 seconds."
"Yes, I would have to agree with you," The Doctor said with a sad smile, "but at the same time, I feel that I was more skilled in dealing with people back then. More charismatic and charming"
"But you are still you, Doctor. If anything, the way you have cared for me with this regeneration has been more intense than the last one." Clara replied, thinking back to numerous times he had done things to protect her, such as the incident on the Orient Express where the Doctor took the risk to see the undead soldier, the time he offered to kill Missy, and most recently, when he decided to put the Dream Crab on during the Dream state they were just in. The dance had just ended for a moment, and she was still holding his hands. She took her hands out of his and walked the single step up to up, and stood on her toes, putting her hands on the Doctor's shoulders for support, as she gave him a soft kiss on his cheek. "And I thank you for that."
"And I thank you for being such a great companion to me, Clara." The Doctor replied, his voice wavering slightly. He was still not used to the affection from others, he thought, but he might be able to for Clara. As much as he may have denied it, he still loved her like his past self did, and possibly even more intensely. He had seen her grow to become even more formidable and capable with dealing with anything the universe could throw at her. Certainly, he was disappointed in how she reacted to Danny's death, but thinking back, his reactions to losses in the past could also be rash. It was at this point he decided to return her affections, giving her a kiss on the forehead.
Clara smiled. She knew now that he felt the same towards her, and she does to him, even if he couldn't quite say it. Fortunately, a new song started, a waltz, which they danced to for a few minutes, not so much, and just enjoying the feeling of being close to each other after so long apart. Slowly, the song ended after about 6 minutes.
"How about one more dance Clara? By the time it has ended, our food should be about ready." The Doctor asked
"That sounds great," Clara replied. As it turned out, the next song and Dance was the Charleston, which had come over from the United States in recently, and was catching on. More energetic than the last dance, the Doctor again showed how nimble he was, and Clara was still able to keep up with him, and she appreciated how careful he was with her, as she followed him. She was also quite proud of herself, as she was quite a quick learner in regards to dancing. They kept doing this for about 5 minutes. When they were finished, they made their way over to the table.
"Mind if I ask you a question, Clara?" The Doctor asked as they sat back down.
"Certainly, what about Doctor?"
"Between when I left you, and tonight, what happened? If it is too hard to answer, don't." the Doctor said.
Clara frowned and closed her eyes, but started "There was a lot of counselling, but to be far that was true of a lot of us at the school. Many kids were badly affected by Danny's death, and more than a few had frightening experiences with what happened with Missy and the Cybermen. A few weeks after the incident, before I met you at the coffee place, Danny sent someone through."
"But not himself evidently." The Doctor interjected.
"He sent through a child that he had killed in Afghanistan, during a raid. It was an accident, but he used his chance to try to right that wrong that was done."
Hearing this, the Doctor sighed. "I misjudged him badly. That is an incredibly noble sacrifice to make. He may have been braver than me."
Clara showed a sad smile. "Yeah, but I think he misjudged you too. You may have been a warrior, an officer, and even nobility at one point, but you gave that up to become what you are now. I think if both of you had given each other a chance, things would have gone better." The Doctor nodded in agreement, and Clara continued. "I also met with Kate a fair amount. She lost Osgood, so we bonded a bit, and supported each other. I did get better, but I still struggled with sadness until you showed up. What happened with you, Doctor?"
"Well, I had a rough time myself. Certainly wasn't happy, so I did my usual, went around helping out across the universe. My last trip before the dream crabs, I was on a planet negotiating between two sides trying to stop a war. I was able to succeed." The Doctor replied with some satisfaction.
"So, how did the Dream Crabs get to you?" Clara questioned.
"The TARDIS landed in a Dormant Volcanic zone in the deserted buffer zone. I suppose there must have been an eruption of some sort, and gases must have caused me to pass out. Dream Crabs must have gotten me when I was unconscious," the Doctor Answered, before continuing. "But enough about the dark past, would you like to open have some wine?"
"Absolutely," Clara said with a smile. Quickly, the Doctor was able to uncork the wine, and poured out two glasses for him and Clara. They soon started drinking, and started talking about the various moments they had shared. It was just five minutes later, and their food arrived.
As the waiter walked away after putting down the food, the Doctor voiced a thought he just had. "You know, I have been thinking of joining up with Psi again, robbing a bank."
Clara laughed before responding "Don't you dare. If you get caught, I would have to bail you out. I wouldn't even know how to bail you out!" through she quickly smirked and continued, "Though I wouldn't mind going with you. I think I could keep us from getting arrested."
"It would be my pleasure to do so with you Clara. But let's eat first" the Doctor replied. They quickly started eating.
"This is the best food in I have had in a long time." Clara stated.
"Same here Clara. Haven't been going out much?"
"No, Doctor. Things were sad and dreary for a good while after Danny died and after you and me separated. Got into a routine, and I just made or got what food was convenient"
"I have been acting the same way. Let's make up for it now, shall we?" The Doctor replied. They had both finished a glass, and he refilled them.
"Absolutely" Clara smiled, while they both continued to eat.
They both were thinking of plans in their minds to bring up for dessert. As they both got closer to the end of their main courses though, Clara noticed the Doctor's face becoming sad. As she finished, she decided to find out what was wrong.
"Doctor, what's the matter? You look incredibly sad."
"I was thinking back to the day with Missy and the Cybermen. Remember the Cyberman that shot Missy, and saved Kate?"
"Yes, I do. You had mentioned that he was an old friend, and Kate mentioned that the Cyberman was her father."
"Yes, that is correct. He was a man named Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart. I usually called him the Brigadier, because that was the position he held at UNIT. Many of my previous selves had adventures with him. Many wonderful experiences. We even traveled through a Black Hole to an Anti-Matter Universe to defeat a founder of Time Lord Society, and he even helped several of me at Gallifrey one time. I consider him to have been one of my best friends." The Doctor said, with a very sad smile on his face.
"If he was a Cyberman, than he must have died. You must miss him greatly, Doctor."
"He died before I met you, and you are correct. I miss him greatly."
"Well, I know where we should go first then Doctor. Let's meet the Brigadier when you knew him best." Clara stated. She wanted to see the Doctor happy, and, if she was honest, meet the Brigadier to.
The Doctor grinned "That would be lovely. I would love to tell you stories of our adventures we had"
"I would love to Doctor." I was now that Clara and the Doctor had finished their main course, and the waiter came back, this time with the Apple Tarts.
"Thank you" the Doctor said. "Could we pay our bill now? We would also like to take the Bottle with us. It is quite good wine, and there is no way me and my tiny companion can finish this in one go."
"Hey! I am not that tiny!" Clara attempted to retort. In her thoughts, though, she knew he was right. Many of her female students were quite a ways taller than her, and she could have trouble in crowds.
"I think this should be enough. And don't mind my companion here; she can have a bit of a Short Person Syndrome." The Doctor said. He knew saying the last part was a risk, and wondered if it would come back to bite him in the future. The waiter left them a bag for their wine bottle, and left them behind
Clara didn't say anything this time, but kept it in the back of her mind, to get back at him in the future. Playfully, of course. They started eating the Apple Tart. The Doctor started telling her the story of how him and Brigadier met, when he was thousands of years younger, in just his second incarnation. As Clara listened, she realized that this incident involved the Great Intelligence. She started to wonder if she might have played a part in this.
As they were finishing their dessert, and his story about Robotic Yetis in the London Underground along with it, she brought herself to ask him. "Doctor, you said you had dealt with the Great Intelligence during that incident. Was I there? I went into your timeline to stop him after all"
The Doctor thought for a moment and replied, "Possibly, but my selves before my last self did not notice you often, sad to say. We will likely find out from the Brigadier. He will mention if he finds something out of the ordinary."
"That would be nice to find out, and at least you notice me now, Doctor."
"Oh, Clara, you are always noticed be me now. You have done so much for me." He replied warmly before picking up the wine, and helping her out of her seat, and started walking to the TARDIS. Clara was more than a little giggly, and was having a balance issue occasionally.
"Hey Doctor, I think the Alcohol is setting in. I think we should meet the Brigadier tomorrow, after I sober up."
"That will be fine Clara." The Doctor replied, putting an arm around her shoulders, as they continued to the TARDIS. Within a few minutes, they had gotten back into the TARDIS.
The Doctor had her sit down in the Console Room. "Sit here for a moment Clara, I will go to store the wine for future use.
"No problem, Doctor" Clara responded. After he walked into the hallway, she quietly asked "TARDIS, can you hear me?"
The TARDIS lights above her changed, becoming a softer and more blue, in confirmation.
"Good. I want to play a little prank on the Doctor, he made the point a few too many times that I am short." Clara said with a smile. The Tardis responded with a the lights becoming a soft yellow color temporarily, in a sign of what Clara thought to be approval. She waited to see what would happen next.
The Doctor quickly found the wine cellar the TARDIS had, and put the bottle in a easy to find place for future use. This, of course, was no ordinary wine cellar, but was able to preserve Wines much longer through various technological means, with the room kept cool, and very dry through a climate control system.
The moment he left the wine cellar though, he quickly started noticing drops of water falling on his head. Looking up, he noticed, with some exasperation, that there was a small cloud forming over him. About 5 feet across, it was still able to create rain. He knew that Clara and the TARDIS had become friendlier since she saved him in the Time Stream, but them conspiring together was unwelcome, at least to him. He sighed, and started walking to the control room. About halfway there, he came to the realization that this was likely a response for his snark about her height.
When he got to the console room, the cloud dissipated. However, he was thoroughly damp, though not completely soaked. As he got to the Console, he heard Clara start to giggle, which quickly evolved into laughing. While initially a bit grumpy, he did start to smile, if only because he was hearing Clara laugh, which sounded absolutely wonderful to him. He hit a button on the console, and music started playing, with the first song being "Shut up and Dance with Me."
He then walked up to Clara and picked her up of the seat, while still dripping, asking "Can we dance some more?" Starting to laugh more, partially from being unexpectedly picked up and a little bit from the Doctor soaking her, Clara said "Of Course!" And they started dancing for a sometime around the console.
After a long time, I am back! Now, on to my thoughts.
First, I do think the TARDIS and Clara are friendly now, as evidenced by her being able to open the TARDIS like the Doctor does, with a snap of her fingers.
As for the wine, I have come to the conclusion that, with the jelly babies and the extra sweet coffee, that the 12th has a major sweet tooth. In addition, I was looking for good French food, and I found it! Coq au Vin is Chicken cooked with wine, and Matelote being fish stewed with Cider. And very special thanks to Tounknowndestinations on Tumblr for giving me information on French culture in the Interwar era.
Ultimately, I do think the Doctor and Clara are in love. The way they act together is incredible, especially this season. And while should eventually finish the other fic, 12/Clara is a bit more believable. There is an incredible intensity between these two that wasn't present between 11/Clara. That was a more sweet, relationship, close to puppy love.
By the way, all future fics, and chapters of fics will be named after songs. I love music, and half of my inspiration comes from them.
Leave a review, but be nice. I think my characterization could use a little work.