The bell rang to announce classes were over for the day.
Clara sighed with deep relief, eager to go home and pour a much-needed glass of wine that beckoned to her. Today was special, for today was Halloween, and in every one of her classes she had to break up conversations of the children's plans for the night.
No one was interested in discussing Lord of the Flies on the day they were parading around in costume while collecting free candy and attend parties. She didn't really blame their disinterest on the literature.
It had been a long time since she had any plans for Halloween. It was like a looming testament of her age- she had used to attend dancing parties with her college friends dressed in scandalous outfits, but for the past four years she found her interest in costumes had waned; her evenings consisted of handing out candy while dressed as a witch as she chided the greedy, masked mongrels who shamelessly grabbed a handful of candies instead of taking the directed three.
She would be lying if she wasn't a tad bit jealous over-hearing the children's plans full of fun, trickery and good old fashioned mischief.
She sighed once more, stuffing today's literature test in her bag and contemplating calling Danny. Danny had come down with a nasty bout of flu which further depressed her. She had told herself that this Halloween would be different. It would harken back to older times where the night meant something to her because it held fun and mystery. That hope had shattered as the sickness gripped him; without Danny by her side she was just another lonely witch at the door fulfilling her role as candy-giver.
"Cheer up, Clara." she told herself. "It's a holiday for children." she said, dismissing her feelings. Still, she couldn't help but acknowledge she felt disappointed.
The witch costume was clearly not created to last more than one Halloween; it was fraying a bit, but Clara thought it gave her over-all look some authentic character. She looked into the mirror, turning to the side to study her curves.
She had decided to change things up that year and put on green make-up, emulating the Wizard of Oz witch.
"Don't you ever clean your room?"
She jumped and stifled a shocked scream as she turned from the mirror to see the Doctor stepping over a weeks worth of clothes on the floor.
"Anyone ever tell you it's rude to be in someone's room without being invited?" She said, embarrassed. Her room was rather messy, but she didn't expect him to make it a habit of being there.
"Never had a companion demand I wait for invitations to take them to the most wondrous places in the universe through time and space." He snapped pointedly. "And this is beyond 'messy', it's slovenly."
"Are you incapable of a friendly 'hello'?" Clara growled. "Can't you show up with a compliment for once?"
"Alright, fine, you look very nice today." The Doctor said, crossing his arms.
"I'm dressed like a witch!" Clara proclaimed, her mouth open with anger.
"Well now you're just fishing for compliments." The Doctor huffed in his thick Scottish accent. "One compliment is never enough for you lot-"
"No, I mean I'm actually dressed up like a witch- are you telling me you think I prance around at home with green skin and a tattered, black frock!?" Clara scolded, her hands on her hips.
"I thought you were going for a more edgy look is all." The Doctor replied casually. "Look- that's not important, what's important is I can use a hand- and after I'm done with you, that you clean your room."
"I can have my room looking however I like because it's my room." Clara snarled. "And it's not even that bad."
"Not that bad? I'll be wearing your panties as frilly toe-guards if I don't watch where I'm stepping." he said, pointing his shoe to a mound of lacy underpants near the bed.
"OUT!" Clara demanded, thoroughly humiliated, pushing him toward the door. "You're banished from this room from now on!"
"Alright- stop shoving!" The Doctor replied in a frustrated bark.
The doorbell rang and the Doctor shot Clara a questioning look. She straightened and grabbed the over-flowing bowl of candy on her dresser. She ignored him as he trailed close behind her.
"Clara, really?" The Doctor spoke wryly, his eyes combing over a fake cobweb in front of the door.
"It's fake." Clara insisted, a heated blush hidden by her green make-up.
"I know it's fake, I'm not a simpleton." The Doctor replied. "I just thought you were trying to make the decor match your room-"
"Enough about my room!" Clara snapped. "It's a decoration for Halloween!"
"Halloween is tonight?" The Doctor asked.
Clara shot him an incredulous look, motioning to her tattered witches outfit before opening her front door.
"Trick or-" A round of childish voices shouted before being cut off by the whizzing of the Doctor's sonic screwdriver.
The Doctor gently pushed Clara out of the way as he waved the sonic device over all of them, oblivious to their confusion and discomfort.
"Hey, wot's he supposed to be?" A child in a devil-mask asked.
"If you figure it out, let me know- here." Clara said pushing the Doctor out of the way. She grabbed handfuls of candy and threw it in their pillow-cases as they laughed nervously at the Doctor's intense scrutiny. "Happy Halloween." She said hastily, shutting the door.
"I suppose you have a reason for all that?" Clara asked, turning towards him. He tapped the screwdriver against his chin.
"Yes, of course it'd choose tonight." The Doctor spoke absent-mindedly.
"'It'? What's 'it'? ...Is something supposed to happen?" Clara asked.
The Doctor stared at her, and she got the impression he was weighing how much he intended to tell her.
"What's going on, Doctor?" Clara asked.
"Do you know what a poltergeist is?" The Doctor asked her.
"Yeah...a ghost."
"Of sorts." The Doctor said. "Poltergeists are born of bad energy and are leaked out in the far reaches of space. Most are harmless if not just a bit annoying, but sometimes...rarely...they develop a will to interact with corporeal creatures. And even more rarely...they turn bad. Very bad."
"Bad how?" Clara asked, trying not to focus on the fake skeleton hung from a mini-chandelier behind him.
"They have a knack for getting others in trouble." The Doctor said. "The strong ones have been known to revel in the misfortune of others, simulating horrors and watching their victim in the throes of despair. Have you ever wondered why your ancestors bargained with evil spirits by carving pumpkins and handing out gifts? Why little ones dress like goblins knocking on your door singing, 'trick or treat'?"
"I just thought it was superstition." Clara admitted. "A holiday for children to get candy."
"All holidays have historical meanings, Clara." The Doctor informed her.
"...Are you here because there's a poltergeist on the loose?" Clara asked.
"Yes. I found large amounts of black energy tearing through England like a slime-trail. I think it will make an appearance tonight." The Doctor said.
The doorbell rang again and Clara jumped. That time she wasn't able to silence her squeak of fright; the Doctor smirked slightly but thankfully said nothing as she turned and opened the door again, trying not to imagine a floating terror waiting to pounce on her.
"Trick-"
The whistling of the sonic screwdriver cut off an 8 year-old vampire and his little ninja-brother's greeting.
"Will you stop- they're obviously not poltergeists!" Clara scolded the Doctor, using her hip to push him out of the way as she held down the candy bowl to the costumed-children's level.
"Oh, you're the expert now, are you?" The Doctor huffed.
"It doesn't take a well-trained eye to see these are little kids, not an evil spirit!" Clara said over her shoulder.
"Well it also doesn't take a well-trained eye to choose a more flattering shade of green, but you slipped up on that too, didn't ya?" The Doctor goaded.
"It's a costume!" Clara shouted in frustration. "I wasn't trying to be attractive!"
"Then maybe you're right, maybe I have under-estimated your 'trained-eye'." The Doctor replied.
"And maybe if you don't stop insulting my appearance I'll throw you out with all the other boorish, ghastly things roaming the halls!" Clara snapped.
"Kids, don't take any of that candy." A woman who was most likely their mother told them. She held out her hand and pushed the surprised children away from Clara's door.
"Now look what you've done, you're ruining other people's Halloween as well as my own." Clara said.
"Don't be silly, the poltergeist is ruining Halloween, you're just being over-sensitive." The Doctor replied.
"Over-sensitive? I'm serious when I say you're crossing the line with all your mean-spirited insults about my appearance. I will throw you out on the doorstep if you don't stop." Clara warned him.
The Doctor didn't reply, which was as close as she expected to an apology. It would suffice for now.
"So, are they human?" Clara scoffed as the Doctor turned to read a mechanical device.
"Yes." The Doctor said, "But that little ninja has two cavities on the way, so I did the right thing keeping him from your sweets."
"How noble of you." Clara said, shutting the door. "How are you planning on catching this ghost? There's millions of children trick-or-treating tonight. There's no guarantee that it's going to show up at my door of all places- or even be a child!"
The Doctor stared at her before giving her a cavalier shrug.
"Wait a moment...it's not going to show up at my door...is it?" Clara asked, her eyes wide and her mouth going dry.
"Probably. I sent out an energy pulse, the kind it feeds from. Should be somewhere in the building." The Doctor said, thumbing through the candy bowl. "Did they only have rubbish candy for sale? No jelly babies?"
"But- you have an idea to capture it, right?" Clara asked nervously, ignoring his last comment. "You wouldn't have let me open the door without a plan?"
"Of course I have a plan." The Doctor said, inspecting a wrapped, chocolate Snap-Wiz before dropping it in the bowl. "And if you're too scared to help you can hide under your dirty clothes in your bedroom. I'm sure nothing will ever find you there."
"You're not funny. And whose scared? I'm not scared." Clara said folding her arms. "I'm perfectly fine."
A piercing shriek sliced through the closed door and the hairs on Clara's arms rose. The Doctor opened her door, and suck out his head, only to find that the neighbors had followed suit. Some people looked excited and were smiling as if they were a witness some grand Halloween prank.
"Doctor..." Clara said, covering her mouth.
Her neighbor across the hallway had a knitted "trick or treat" sign hanging on the doorknob. A group of middle schoolers stared at the closed door as a river of blood dripped from the top of it and flowed downward in sticky slowness.
"Cool!" A girl shouted underneath her ghost costume.
"Where's our candy?" An impatient, unimpressed zombie football-player asked. He rang the doorbell in one long press.
The Doctor held out his arm and worked the sonic screwdriver, then turned to Clara.
"It's real blood." He said, matter-of-factly.
"Kids, I got a whole bowl of candy for you." Clara said, holding out her bowl of treats. "Take as much as you like."
The children turned away from the horrible sight and allowed themselves to be lured away by their greediness. Clara didn't stop them as they dumped the stash of candy in their buckets. The Doctor strode past them and she locked her door before joining him, careful not to look alarmed lest it upset anyone. The Doctor worked the lock as the door slowly became engulfed in blood.
"That's Gin Walkers residence." Clara told the Doctor.
"Not the excitable, bloody-door type I suspect?" The Doctor said, his hand lingering over the doorknob.
"Not at all. The woman is as vanilla as it comes; she once invited me to join a town hall social club to help make name-tags for dinner tables." Clara said, feeling slightly sick. "Odd that a poltergeist would choose to haunt someone like her."
"Yeah, you really dodged a bullet there." The Doctor said.
"Are you calling me boring?" Clara snapped, frowning.
"No, of course not." The Doctor spoke, studying her face closely. "It could have been anyone really-"
"Please stop talking." Clara interrupted.
He turned the knob and pushed open the door, which now was dripping bloody droplets onto the floor.
The occasional 'tap tap tap' of blood droplets dripped down the doorway on them as they slowly passed through the pitch-black room.
"Gin?" Clara called as the Doctor's screwdriver whistled. A single light flicked on at the end of a hallway. Clara guessed it was coming from a bedroom. All the other lights in the apartment seemed removed or malfunctioning. "Okay Doctor, I'm ready for your grand plan when you are."
The Doctor walked past her and further into the darkness. Normally Clara would have been happy to follow him without protest, but the thought of losing him the dark with an evil spirit on the loose shook her. She reached out and hugged his right arm, shuffling behind him.
"Clara, I might need that arm." The Doctor said, exasperated, stopping in his tracks.
"Sorry- it's just- why is there no lights?" Clara spoke. "I don't want to get separated."
He struggled and slipped his arm out of her hug.
"Please, it's too dark for me to see." Clara pleaded, aware she sounded like a scared little girl.
No matter how wide she opened her eyes they wouldn't get adjusted to the darkness. She couldn't even make out shapes. She heard him sigh and he grabbed her left hand, his long fingers entwining in hers reassuringly. They moved towards the bedroom light which seemed so far away down the hallway, careful not to bump into any furniture that could be placed in their way.
The lights flickered on and Clara took a deep breath- which she immediately choked on.
The Doctor was coming out of the kitchen, which was located on her right. His hand was on a main light switch on a wall.
"Found the lights." He said, still gazing at the lightswitch.
Clara still felt the hand entwined in her own. She turned to her left and it was if her heart turned to water with fright.
The poltergeist yanked her hand up, and she saw she was gripping a rotted, scarred, infected, pussy claw. She screamed as a wispy, face, seemingly all mouth, sharp teeth, and red glowing eyes dissipated in thin air.
A childlike screech of malicious laughter echoed in the room. It was the laugh of an under-developed entity; callous, no thought or care or depth for others- just enjoying the pure, immature glee of hurting her.
She turned to the Doctor, tears in her eyes.
"I should have known you wouldn't hold my hand!" She accused, a shocked sob escaping her. "I should have known it wasn't you!"
He was looking at her like she'd grown an extra head.
"Startled you, did it?" He said, looking worried for her.
"A little." Clara choked, reminding herself it wasn't really his fault. She frantically wiped her hand on her skirt as she walked quickly towards him. She took a few calming gulps of air to slow her heartbeat. "Now how do we get rid of it?" She said, trying to keep from trembling.
The Doctor held up a box with a green button in the middle of it.
"When it shows up, just click the button." He said, lightly tapping it.
"...That's it?" Clara said with a laugh. He frowned. "Sorry, I just thought it'd be more complicated than that."
"Not everything is complicated, Clara." The Doctor said. "Now, I'll just shut off the lights, and when you give me a scream, I'll press the button."
"Hang on a tick- that's not actually your plan." Clara frowned. "I just got the scare of my life; I don't have a back-up heart if mine stops. Why can't you be the one in the dark with me pressing the button?"
"Because it likes you," The Doctor said. "it clearly enjoys tormenting you." He said turning off the lights.
"How do you know? It could be bored with me now and it's your turn next." Clara said turning the lights on.
"I doubt it." The Doctor said, turning off the lights. "I'd never call you boring, remember?" he said snidely.
"What a nice thing to say." Clara said turning the lights on again. "So touching coming from the most interesting person I've ever met in my life" She said loudly and clearly.
"I'm not arguing with you about this." The Doctor said, sounding angry, cutting their banter off short. He shut off the lights. "Now stand in the middle of the room and scream like a good girl."
"No." Clara said turning on the lights. "It's your turn."
"If you don't stop this foolishness it'll get bored of you and find another victim." He snarled. This time he waved the screwdriver over the light switch and it shut off. "You don't want that on your conscience."
Clara flicked the switch on but the lights remained off.
"Fine. But you owe me...you owe me big." Clara told him.
"Right, sure," The Doctor said, unconcerned. "don't forget to use your outside voice. Project."
"I know how to scream!" She hissed, taking slow steps away from him.
Her body was trembling again, only this time it was with adrenaline instead of fear. Every step she made was painful as she slowly stalked further away from the Doctor. She breathed deeply, ready to scream at a moments notice.
She was confident she was standing in the middle of the room now. Her breath was short and loud in her own ears as she waited for something to happen. Something to appear, something to touch her, something to speak to her. The seconds ticked by and her trepidation waxed and waned.
"Doctor, I don't think it's going to do anything." She spoke. "I think it knows we're trying to flush it out."
Silence.
"Doctor...?" Clara spoke in a breathless whisper. She shuffled towards the kitchen and tried to swallow the lump growing in her throat. "Please say something."
The front door they had came through was closed but she could still hear the 'tap tap tap' of blood hitting the floorboards. Everything inside of her was telling her to run, but she had no place to run to. The bedroom light was still on and dimly illuminated the hallway. She wasn't sure what was worse- being away from the only light in the apartment or being close to it.
A thump close to her right stopped her heart and she screamed as she jumped away from where the sound. She saw a shadow stand in front of the hallway and recognized it as the Doctor's figure.
"You were only supposed to scream if it was the poltergeist- not if it's me." He scolded her. "Great, it's got a five minute recharge." he said hitting the controller with the green button.
"Of course I wouldn't have shouted if I thought it was you." Clara told him. "Why didn't you answer me?"
"I didn't hear you. I was in the kitchen- I would have heard you if you screamed." He said.
"Well I was saying that I think it's popped off. I don't think it's here anymore." Clara said.
"It's here." The Doctor remarked. "It's magnifying your emotional state."
"You mean it's making me more frightened than I really am?" Clara asked.
"Yes." The Doctor replied.
"Then stop leaving me." Clara shivered. "What were you doing in the kitchen?"
"Did you hate Gin Walker?" He asked.
"No, how could you ask me that?" Clara said.
"Then don't go in the kitchen." The Doctor instructed her.
Her imagination ran wild and she felt tears welling up in her eyes.
"What did it do to her?" Clara asked.
"Tormented her to death." The Doctor replied.
Clara was silent as she clutched the Doctor's arm, this time with both hands, feeling the sleeve of his jacket beneath her.
"Doctor, I know this is disappointing, but I can't do this." Clara choked. "I can't handle this. I can handle a lot but not this."
He remained quiet before letting out a long sigh.
"Go home. I'll fix this." He said, sounding frustrated.
He used the screwdriver to turn on the lights again and she was relieved to see his arm clutched in her hands. He walked her to the door and opened it, a puddle of blood soaking into the floor. She stepped over it and into the hallway, then turned to him.
"Are you sure you'll be alright?" She asked, guilt gripping her. He stared at her through angry eyebrows and shut the door on her.
She let out a shaky breath, her emotions already calming down.
"He'll fix it." She repeated as she turned and opened her front door. The candy bowl she left out was empty and flipped over the hallway. Trick or treaters had gone elsewhere or to bed.
She flicked on the lights and was never happier to be home, although the hanging skeleton was the first thing she tore down. She threw it into the hallway, as well as the fake spider web. Halloween for her was officially over.
She looked at the TARDIS parked unceremoniously in her living room and shook her head. Her shame was beginning to creep up as she thought of the Doctor fighting the Boogie Man solo. She wondered if he'd stop bringing her on missions for chickening out.
She stripped her witches outfit off as she walked to the bathroom. She caught her reflection in the mirror and laughed. The green make-up looked insane on her against the bare parts of her pale skin- next year she would buy a proper costume and be something much more tame.
The shower was comforting but she was eager to scrub the 'unflattering' green color off her skin. Her luffa was bright green, and her skin was starting to return to it's original color.
But then she saw the green color mix with a dark red.
One droplet turned into two. And then many more.
The luffa that was scrubbing away green was starting to scrub away red.
The lights flickered and dimmed into an eerie glow.
Clara screamed as the shower curtain was torn back and a twisted figure of a toothy ghost rushed toward her, once small but getting bigger as travelled towards her out of the bathroom mirror.
The bathroom door burst open and the lights flickered wildly, the poltergeist's high-pitched squeal raging as the Doctor held up the containment box, an angry grimace on his face.
Clara was gripping the sides of her shower, trying not to slip as the light returned to normal. The doctor stepped in front of her, smiling as he held up the box and shook it.
Clara screamed again and his smile died and he frowned.
"I got it!" He told her holding up the box as if she was acting particularly dense.
"I'm naked!" She shouted, pulling the curtain violently. "You don't look at a woman when she's showering!"
"I don't recall you asking the poltergeist to turn around!" The Doctor snarled. Clara rolled her eyes.
"Did you lead it here- did you know it would come here?" Clara asked angrily.
"It was just a theory." The Doctor replied. "You were really too much fun for it not to scare."
"Now it's gone you can leave." Clara replied. "And you can take the mirror with you too. You're officially banned from this room as well."
"What would I do with your mirror?" The Doctor said.
"Just take it, please!" She insisted. "And don't ever involve me with another poltergeist again."
She heard the Doctor removing the mirror and spent a few more minutes fighting the cold tap in the shower.
"See you in a bit." The Doctor said, announcing his departure as he closed her bathroom door.
She decided next Halloween she was going to bed early with a book, cuddling next to Danny.
Authors Note: I really wanted to write a one-shot with the new Doctor and Clara. You'll have to forgive me with any character inconsistencies because…
One, we obviously haven't had much time to discover the new Doctor and his character is still developing. And two, I never saw the Matt Smith Doctor Who episodes, so Clara is a relatively new character for me to write.
Still, I hope you enjoyed the fic. Nothing like a cheesy, spooky story to usher in some of that Halloween magic!
Leave me a comment if you want me to write more one-shots.