Blocked
Rating: K+
Word Count: 2,661
Prompt: While trying to cure her writer's block Clara Oswald decides to read her favorite author, Amelia Williams. Skimming through her collection, she notices a pattern; all the Afterwords are directed to one friend. Jumping from book to book, Clara feels as though this friend is someone close to Amelia. A lover perhaps? An unrequited love? As she continued, Clara felt as though she's starting to fall in love with this mysterious friend that Amelia wrote so passionately about.
Notes: Hey all! This prompt comes from isynopsis on tumblr! Thanks for reading, and I'd love a review if you liked it!
Clara Oswald had done a lot of growing up in six years.
She had become unbelievably lucky and found success in something she never considered herself good at… writing. In her travels with her friend the Doctor, she had started keeping a journal. One night in her flat, her childhood friend found her journal and was astonished with the stories she told.
She was pushed to send it off to a publisher, and they loved it. Six years later, Clara Oswald was a household name as a New York Times best selling author, and unbeknownst to anyone, was slated to write a sequel.
With all the writing Clara had been doing, she took a break from teaching high school, and instead taught creative writing classes at a local university two days a week. She had more time for her own work this way, and more time for the Doctor.
The Doctor materialized the TARDIS in her front room, expecting her to be waiting for him like usual. He poked his head out the door, only to find the room empty.
"Clara?" He called, confused. The Doctor moved through the small flat, seeing traces of his companion's presence, but not finding her. Finally, he found her in her room, huddled in a blanket on her bed with a laptop. "Clara?"
She looked up at him, then back to her laptop, and groaned when she saw the time. "Completely sidetracked."
"What are you doing? Why aren't you ready?"
"Sorry Doctor, I was just… writing. Or attempting to anyway." She freed her hair from the messy bun that sat on the top of her head.
"Oh gosh, I've come too early again, haven't I?" Clara snorted. "Clara!" He gasped, wide eyed. "Shut up, you know what I meant."
"No, you haven't. I just met with my publisher again yesterday, and he wants me to write a sequel."
His face broke into a wide smile, and he jumped on her bed to hug her. "That's amazing, Clara, congratulations!"
"Thanks, Doctor! Only problem is I don't know what to write about. I mean the first one was basically just our adventures together up until this point. But where do I go from there?"
"Well where do you want to go from there?"
Clara took a moment to think about her time with the Doctor. Sure, she had some stories to write from after her novel was published… but should she bring in someone new? Should something happen to completely change their dynamic? "I don't really know." She said truthfully.
The Doctor held up a finger ordering her to wait where she was as he disappeared through her door. He returned minutes later holding a stack of books. Clara grabbed the one off the top. "Summer Falls by Amelia Williams? I've read it. I've read almost all of these." She noticed the entire stack was by Amelia Williams.
"Well you should read them again."
"But I'm supposed to be writing a book, not reading them."
"Yes, but maybe you'll find some inspiration with these! It's the same genre, they can help you find the right path." The Doctor did have a point. Amelia was a brilliant author with some very modern ideas for a woman writing in 1954.
"Alright, I'll give them a try. Thanks." She smiled. "Give me a few minutes and we can go for our adventure?"
His eyes widened excitedly, and he left her to get ready.
Later that evening, Clara dove straight into the series of books given to her. Even though she had already read most of them, she still found herself biting her nails in anticipation at what would happen.
She was never one to skip any part of a book when she was doing her "research". Clara always enjoyed the way an afterword revealed an author as a person, and not just someone behind a computer, or typewriter in this situation. Sometimes she was moved to tears by the stories the authors told. Amelia Williams never failed to do this.
The afterword of Summer Falls really got to her. It was clearly a message meant for someone Amelia really loved. It was hopeful, but fearful, as if there was a possibility this person wouldn't find it.
Amelia spoke of her life to her "Raggedy Man". There was an assurance that she was safe with Rory, Clara presumed he was her husband. The heartfelt message was beautiful, and almost didn't end. Clara wondered what the next afterword would bring her.
A second Amelia Williams book was put down only days later, and Clara was emotionally drained. She heard the sounds of the TARDIS outside her door, and waited for the Doctor to find her.
"Clara! What's wrong?" He rushed to her, brushing tears away from her face tenderly.
"It's this book. The afterword was just so heartbreaking." She said tearfully.
"Oh yes, that one gets me every time."
This afterword spoke again of Amelia's "Raggedy Man". It spoke to him, as if she were writing a letter, but she spoke of how much she missed him. Clara could feel the pain behind the words, and the longing Amelia felt to see this man again. He must have been a close friend, and if it weren't for her mentions of Rory, Clara would have presumed him a lover.
The way Amelia spoke of this man made Clara feel as if he is one of her close friends. Amelia had a way of working her words into making him feel very familiar. Clara found herself missing this man even though she had no idea who he was. She was intrigued to read on and find out what Amelia would write about him next.
Clara was thoroughly enjoying rereading the series. The stories of adventure Amelia told felt so authentic; she knew exactly what words to put down on paper to make her audience feel as if they were a part of the action. She particularly enjoyed the third book of the series that spoke about the future.
This science fiction novel had to be Clara's favourite of the series. Amelia's version of the future was frighteningly accurate. Clara found herself getting lost in the adventures. She lost all concept of time, and read straight through the night until she found the afterword.
This one spoke of Amelia's son. Her and her husband had adopted a son and told him all about their "Raggedy Man". Clara found herself giggling at Amelia's prediction of how he would act around the small boy. She found it endearing how Amelia described her Raggedy Man as a child himself. Bounding and playful, treating every child as if they were the most important being in the universe.
Throughout the week, Clara couldn't stop thinking about this man. She had no idea who he was, but the way Amelia wrote about him with such high regard made her feel as if he was someone to live up to. Clara had always admired fictional characters, but this one sounded very real, and she wished she could find someone like him.
This Raggedy Man sounded compassionate and loving, clearly someone who was loved and missed by Amelia and her husband. She felt as if he was taken away from them too soon, and wished that she could see him again.
The Doctor's advice helped Clara immensely. She understood where she needed to go in the sequel.
The mystery behind who this Raggedy Man was fuelled her to question the mysteries in her own travels, the biggest mystery being who the Doctor was. Clara's moment of realization excited her, and she was off writing her novel minutes later.
The Doctor popped his head into Clara's sitting room the next morning to see her furiously typing away at her laptop.
"You okay?" Clara continued to type. "Clara?" He touched her shoulder. She jumped and turned to face him, hand coming up to her chest as she heaved in a ragged breath.
"Oh my god you scared me! Don't do that." She said with wide eyes.
"Sorry, I called your name and you didn't answer. What are you up to?"
"Inspiration hit last night. I've written almost two full chapters."
"Wow, that's amazing!"
Clara smiled. "I know! I've never written so quickly."
"I'll just leave you to it then, wouldn't want to disturb the creative process."
"Wait Doctor, where did you get these books?" Clara asked.
"I bought them for my library, why?"
"Oh, nothing. I was just wondering. I thought maybe… I dunno." She thought maybe the Doctor knew this "Raggedy Man".
He saw the disappointment on her face. "Are you okay?"
She nodded. "It's just… the afterwords, it's almost tragic. Like Amelia's personal letters to a lost friend." That's exactly what they are. The Doctor thought. He nodded. "Do you mind if I keep them a bit longer? I want to finish the series."
"Sure you can, take your time with them." He smiled, and kissed her on the head, then left her to write.
The novel was coming along faster than Clara thought it would. She took breaks in-between her writing to continue reading Amelia's books. Her favourite parts by far were the afterwords.
She enjoyed learning more about this "Raggedy Man". Since finishing a few more of the books, she learned that this man would travel with Amelia and Rory. He was their best friend, and they trusted him with their lives. She learned that Amelia had kissed him at one point in time, before she knew Rory was the one for her. She laughed at the man's reaction, and laughed again at the fact that he had kissed her husband a few years later.
Clara learned that the Raggedy Man could be gentle and sweet one moment, and downright dangerous the next. She learned that he was protective of his friends and would do anything to save them.
She couldn't shake the fact that he sounded so familiar. This oddball of a man had Clara spellbound, and she felt something she had never felt before.
"Doctor, do you think someone could fall in love with a character in a book?" She asked him one day.
"Why, are you gonna make a bunch of teenage girls fall in love with me?"
She snorted. "Not a chance."
"Why do you ask?"
"Just wanted to make sure I wasn't crazy."
"You're not crazy. I've fallen for characters from books."
She smiled and hid her face. Love, I'm apparently in love with Raggedy Man.
Clara had done it. She finished all of Amelia Williams' novels, and learned all she could about "Raggedy Man". She even went online and did a little research… perhaps a historian knew a little bit more about him.
She felt as if Amelia was a friend of hers. The way she wrote her afterwords were so casual and conversational. It was so easy read, and even easier to relate to. Clara treated Amelia's afterwords as a friendly conversation over tea, her Raggedy Man felt like a man she would be introduced to in person in the near future.
Clara just had to know. Who was this man?
"Doctor, I have a crazy request."
"I like crazy, go for it. What is your request?"
"I want to meet Amelia Williams." She said smiling.
The Doctor's face fell. "I'm sorry Clara, that can't happen."
She looked at him, confused. She had never thought that there were places the Doctor couldn't bring her. "Why not? I'd love to learn more about her, pick her brain… maybe find out more about this "Raggedy Man" of hers." She trailed off.
"The TARDIS can't reach Amy's—Amelia's location."
"Amy? Doctor… did Amelia Williams travel with you?" She could see the pained look on his face and knew the answer before he even opened his mouth. He was silent for a moment. "Oh my god she did."
"She was Amy Pond back then. Her and Rory, my Ponds, they travelled with me for years. She was the first face this face saw. When your echo found me in a cloud… she was who I was mourning." Clara hugged him tightly; he dropped his face to the crook of her neck.
"I'm so sorry, Doctor. I didn't mean to bring anything up."
"It's okay, it's okay Clara. I know."
As they hugged, the wheels in Clara's head started turning. The Doctor and Raggedy Man share a lot of traits… it couldn't be him… could it?
Clara finished her book. It was published, printed, and tonight, it was the night of the launch party.
She was about to go get ready when he approached her.
"So, will I fall in love with any characters in your book?"
She remembered the conversation they had months ago, and gasped. "No, at least I don't think so… why?"
"Oh no reason, but I know I, like you, fall in love with book characters easily." She giggled. "You never told me why you asked. Did you fall in love with someone from Amy's book?"
Her heart stopped. Do I risk telling him only to find out it is him? Will he think it's weird?
"Well… don't leave me guessing, did you fall in love, are you gonna tell me?"
"Um, yeah. I guess I kind of did."
"Who is it?"
She took a deep breath. "Raggedy Man."
"Raggedy Man?" He smirked as he wracked his brain, trying to remember if there was a character called Raggedy Man in any of Amy's novels, then stopped. The afterword he thought, smile sliding down his face. "Raggedy Man?" He asked, his voice reaching the higher octaves of his range.
Clara looked at her feet. "Yes, Raggedy Man. Amy spoke very fondly of him in her afterword of each book, and I really got to know him, got to love his traits. He reminded me of someone."
"Did he?" The Doctor was intrigued.
"Yes."
The Doctor paused, weighing his words in his head before speaking. "Clara you do understand exactly… who he is, right?"
"I—I wasn't sure at first. It wasn't until you opened up to me about who Amy was that I really started to understand."
"So you know who he is? For sure?"
"Yes Doctor, I know you're Raggedy Man." Clara said, finally looking into his eyes.
"And… you still feel the same way, about Raggedy Man?"
"Honestly… I feel it more. I've always had a dumb little crush on you, but Amy really opened my eyes to who you were, and it's okay that you don't feel the same, I don't even know why I told you—"
"Hey, why would you say that?" The Doctor cut her off.
"Um, I don't know, I'm just Clara, nobody special. Besides we're friends, I don't want to make it… weird."
"Who says it would be weird? Would being with me be weird?" He asked quizzically.
"Well you are an alien." She said matter-of-factly.
"So that makes it weird? Okay, I guess that sounds a little weird." He looked at her standing there. She was so beautiful with her wide eyes and timid smile. "So you love me Oswald?"
"Since the cat's out of the bag, yeah. I guess I do."
His smile was wide and eyes soft, full of love. "Well then, Miss Oswald, I would very much love it if we could try this whole romance thing… could I be your date tonight?"
Clara was shocked. That was the last thing she expected him to say. Her smile went from ear to ear, she was over the moon. "Of course Doctor." She leaned up to kiss his cheek, but he caught her chin, and gently pressed his lips to hers for a moment, pulling away all too soon.
"Fantastic, off you pop, go get ready. Wouldn't want the star to be late on her big day."
She could really care less if she was late or not.