A/N: Hello, everyone! Nice to meet you all *fidget fidget*. This is my first story for Doctor Who, so please don't be too hard on me. I've been reading a lot of AUs of the 12th Doctor and Clara and I couldn't help but want to write one as well. I can't say whether this is going to be a short story or a long one at the moment. I just hope I stick with it and finish it properly. I hope you like it. I'm always open to suggestions and constructive criticism. So reviews are always appreciated. Enjoy!

The first time she met him, she was six and he was lost.

Clara was on her way back to the classroom from the bathroom when a man tapped her shoulder lightly.

"Hello!" He said. His smile was wide and it looked like her daddy's whenever mommy came home from a long day at work, even if he sounded completely different. Clara thought he must have the funniest voice she has ever heard. It reminded her of the happiness her house brought and in her open, childish mind, he could never be a bad person. No matter how many times her parents told her to never talk to strangers.

"Hi ,Mister!" Clara gleefully greeted back. She had a toothy smile that covered half her chubby, pink face.

"I like your tooth gap! Did you get to see the tooth fairy when it came? I was never able to catch her." At that comment she mechanically brought her hand up to her face and she pressed her finger to her cheek in thought.

"No, but I still got some money. I bought mommy the ingredients for her special soufflé."

"That's nice! I'm sure it was a delicious soufflé."

The man's smile never faltered and that made Clara's cheek get pink with pleasure. She liked when people smiled. That meant they were happy and happy were her favourite kind of people. She remembered of the time when she gave her last chocolate cookie to Rory so he would stop crying. Amy had been mean to him and pushed him to the ground. Clara's cookie was what turned Rory's frown into a smile and Clara knew then that she wanted to always make people happy.

"It was the best one!"

"Do you know where we can find the headmaster's office?" Noticing all of those people at once and seeing how they all looked at her over his shoulder made Clara turn from bubbly to bashful.

"It's down that hall and then on the right. It's the only red door." She then pointed towards the hall behind them.

"Thank you, you've been a great help to us."

"You're welcome." She started saying, but then started up again right as they were turning to leave. "Why are you going there, Mister? Are you in trouble? I was there only once and it was because I told Amy she was a meany face and that she was the silly one for still having an imaginary friend at six." It was obvious by the way she shuffled her feet that she wasn't proud of her actions. "Did you call someone a meany face too?"

He looked taken aback at first but then recovered quickly and his smile was back in its place, although it looked just a little bit more reserved than before. Clara felt like she really liked this person. He kneeled in front of her so they could be at eye level and gently gently grabbed her hands.

"Now, why would a sweet little girl such as yourself do that?" He looked genuinely confused by her actions and she felt then more embarrassed than she had when she got scolded by her mom and headmaster.

"Doctor." She heard a voice behind him say. "We're already late as it is."

"Yes, yes. I'll be just a minute." He said turning back to them. When he looked back at Clara he winked playfully "Come on, go on. I want to hear the story." Clara pondered it for a minute and then continued talking.

"Because Amy really was being a meany face. Rory was playing house with me and she came out of nowhere and told him he's childish and silly for doing it and then pushed him down. He started crying and I didn't want her to be mean to my friend." She looked up and seeing that he was still listening, continued "So I gave Rory my last chocolate cookie and then told Amy that she was a meany face and silly for still having an imaginary friend at six so she had no reason to tell Rory that."

The man's face fell for a second and Clara could feel herself frowning. She felt compelled to justify her actions right away. "I know it was wrong but Amy always, always bullies Rory and he never says anything because he is my best friend and he's sweet and doesn't like fighting! I only did it because he won't so I have to protect him!"

"Doctor, that minute has been up for a while." This time the man – the Doctor? – ignored them and adressed himself directly at Clara.

"That was very nice of you to do, protecting Rory." He smiled. "But fighting back with mean words and violence is never the answer. Next time go find a teacher and tell them, okay? So that you don't get sent to the headmaster's office again, promise?" Clara noticed for the first time that the man had the bluest eyes she has ever seen. She thought that not even the sky is as blue as they are.

"Alright." She said as a matter of fact and with a straight face. He ruffled her hair and got up.

"Alright, then. Thank you for your help, little lady. Don't forget what you promised!"

She watched them walk away in the direction she pointed them to. Was that really the way to the office? She couldn't remember. But she was sure it was red so they couldn't miss it. She stood in place for a while longer watching the strange looking men ahead of her. If her mommy ever found out she talked to strange looking men she would be so mad. Clara didn't want to think about it and started running in the opposite direction, to her classroom.

"Clara Oswald! For goodness sake where were you? You've been gone for almost twenty minutes." Mrs. Noble preached. Clara couldn't help but think that at that moment Mrs. Noble's hair matched her face's colour. She fought really hard to suppress a laugh but she didn't quite manage it. "Oh, you think it's funny, now? Worrying me to death?"

"No, Mrs. Noble." Clara replied ducking her head to look at her shoes. "I'm sorry."

Donna Noble hated her job sometimes. Not that she didn't like the children or anything, they could be absolute dears sometimes and sometimes those times were enough to make it up for all the worry. Sometimes. She sighed and looked at the girl hopelessly. If there was a student that could be both the sweetest and the most worrisome, it was Clara Oswald. That girl could be sitting at the table being an angel and then the next thing you know she's off wandering around.

"It's fine. Just don't do it again, okay? If you need a longer bathroom break, just let me know so I don't start imagining bad things."

"But that's not why I was late, Mrs. Noble."

"No? Then explain." She was crossing her arms now and she squinted her eyes. Clara knew she was really mad now.

"A man asked me for directions and I helped him and his friends out." Donna's face suddenly filled with a mixture of emotions Clara couldn't make out. Except for anger, that is.

"Clara! You stopped and talked with strangers? God, that is not safe, child. If your mom ever heard this she'd have my head. But I guess it wasn't your fault. Entirely." She added that last part quickly when she saw that Clara's face indicated that she believed she was out of trouble. "I really need to talk to the caretakers about the security around here. I told the headmaster that he really shouldn't have gotten rid of the security people." She was rambling now, more for herself than for Clara. For a moment it seemed as if she had forgotten the girl's presence in the room.

"Did you catch his name? Clara?"

"Oh! Oh, no I didn't. His friends called him "Doctor". Does that help?"

"Doctor? Are you sure you heard it rig-" But then she remembered what day it was and cursed under her breath.

"Mrs. Noble said a bad word!" Clara yelled loudly and her little colleagues started giggling in their seats.

"No, no, children. I did not. Clara, that wasn't..."

"Wasn't what, Mrs. Noble?"

Donna was at a loss of words. Today wasn't turning out to be the nice day at work she had hoped. How could she even forget what day was today? If the headmaster found out she forgot, she was sure he'd threaten to fire her. That damn, stupid old man. So caught up in building the prestige of his school that he turns into a downright asshole. She rubbed her temples.

"Nothing, Clara. Come on, go to your seat." As she hurried to her seat, Donna took her place in front of her desk and leaned on it, crossing her arms.

"Now, who remembers what I mentioned last week before the weekend?" She asked, looking around the room. Unsurprisingly, it was Clara who had raised her hand.

"Me, me! I know, Mrs. Noble! Can I say it?"

"Clara, I told you. Just put your hand up in the air and I'll pick you. Don't yell like that, It's not polite."

"You're right. I'm sorry Mrs. Noble." And just like that she shut her little mouth in a thin line and furrowed her brows in concentration, as if being chosen was vital. She never even noticed that she was the only one with her arms raised.

"Alright...Clara?"

"You said that some very special people are coming to talk to us next Monday!"

"That's right. Anything else?"

"You also said that they were coming to talk to us about what they do, to answer any questions we have and to talk to us about what we want to be when we grow up."

"Do you remember what they do? No? Anyone?" But no one raised their hands this time.

"Okay, then. The men are very important people that have come all the way from London. They are very important doctors, researchers and astronomers. They're doing a project in which they visit as many schools as possible to talk about anything and everything with wonderful children, just like yourselves."

"But why our school, Mrs. Noble?"

"Because we're the best primary school in Blackpool, Amy."

"Does it mean he'll only talk to us because people say we're smarter than other kids?" Another one asked.

Donna usually found herself surprised every day by the things the children end up saying. "What? No, Mickey. That's definitely not it. He's going to visit us first because the headmaster contacted him first, but then he's going to go to other schools in Blackpool that replied to his offer."

"Oh, okay. That makes sense."

"Of course it does. This is all going to happen next period." At that moment she was bombarded with a ton of questions and had to shush her pupils before they got too loud. "Everyone! There's still classes going on. Settle down."

But Clara couldn't settle down. She had her little hands tightly held together in her lap, her back straight with excitement. Does that mean I'm going to see the sky man again? Oh, I hope I am! She thought. She had always looked forward to her classes, but this time it was even more special. The entire break she was looking expectantly at the door as if they might come early. She even ignored Rory when he asked if she wants his sandwich.

"Clara? Clara, you don't want my sandwich? Are you okay?"

"Yes, Rory. I'm not hungry. You can share it with Amy." She said as a matter of fact.

"A-Amy? Why would you say that, Clara? You know A-Amy doesn't like me." Rory stuttered and looked completely terrified of his friend's advice. Clara finally turned to him and she patted Rory's shoulder.

"It's okay, Rory." Her voice was soothing but still just a tiny bit distracted. "If she does anything to you, I promise I'll protect you. I told you that, no?"

"But I don't want you to be sent to the office again...Only bad children go there and you're a good girl, Clara."

"Don't worry, Rory. I promised I wouldn't do that anymore. I'll just tell Mrs. Noble if she does anything."

"Alright...so you still don't want to share my lunch? Mommy made extra for you. It's your favourite." He asked one more time, just for good measure. "I can go ask Amy if she wants to join us."

Clara nodded and Rory got up from the chair and went slowly towards Amy who was colouring a drawing in a book. The walk seemed painful for the boy and Clara watched him stutter and panic. Amy didn't say anything, just got up and walked towards Clara and Rory's desk, dragging her little chair with her. They managed to eat the sandwiches and the rest of their lunches together without much conflict. When Mrs. Noble announced that the break will be over in a few minutes, Clara started cleaning up extremely fast, her little heart beating out of her chest. This is it. I'm going to see the sky man again.

To her great dismay, the man that came through the door looked nothing like her new favourite person. His eyes were brown instead of blue and Clara could feel her eyes getting hot. The man greeted the children and they greeted back, all except for her. Donna didn't let that go unnoticed.

"Clara? Aren't you going to say hello? It's not polite to not greet back."

"But he's not the sky man. I thought he was going to come to talk to us." Her voice was higher than usual and she was trying really hard not to let her disappointment show too much. Donna was obviously confused.

"The sky man? Who is that, Clara? I told you who's coming today."

"I know, Mrs. Noble. But I met him on the hallway last class, remember?"

This time it was the man's turn to look at Clara more attentively. "You're the little girl that the Doctor asked directions from earlier. Hello, are you talking about him?"

"Yes, the one with blue eyes and funny voice." She was surprised to see that the man chuckled at her reply.

"The Doctor will be talking to another class, Clara. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I promise I'll try my best to answer all of your questions and listen to you very, very closely." The man talked nicely and with a big smile but she wasn't satisfied. Clara wanted to shout in his face that she wanted her sky man but decided against it because it was not polite.

"Okay..." She settled on. She could hear Mrs. Noble sigh in relief and she started talking again.

"If that's all anyone has to say, let's get started, okay? First of all, he's going to talk a bit about what he does with you, so pay close attention. You can ask questions after that." The man and Donna waited until the class had settled down. It was him that started talking this time.

"My full name is David Tennant, everyone. I am an astronomer. Does anyone know what that is? No? Weeeelll, an astronomer is an expert in astronomy. Astronomy is the science that studies the sun, moon, stars, planets, comets, gas, galaxies, dust and other non-Earthly bodies and phenomena. Basically, everything that is not on Planet Earth is what astronomers research." He might not have been the person she was dying to meet again, but Clara thought that he was very impressive on his own. She liked how happy he seemed when he talked about the planets and the outer space. It seemed to her that he loved what he was doing.

"There are many types of astronomers." He continued. "There are observational astronomers, theoretical astronomers, planetary astronomers, galactic astronomers and cosmologists."

A girl with blonde pigtails raised her hand. "Which one are you, mister?"

"Excellent question! What's your name, sweetheart?"

"I'm Rose Tyler."

"Nice to meet you, Rose Tyler! I'm a cosmologist."

"And what do you do?" She pressed on, very attentive to his words.

"Weeelll, usually – not all the time-, astronomers deal with the fixed, concrete and observable things in the Universe. Cosmologists go beyond that! We study the Universe in its entirety. From its beginning and to its end. We also love coming up with theories for the invisible things that happen out there."

"Can you tell us one?" Rose asked, all smiles and pink cheeks. Mr. Tennant seemed thrilled by her enthusiasm.

"Of course I can! How about I tell you about the theory of how the Universe came to be? It's called the Big Bang Theory. Cool, right?" Everyone nodded and he proceeded. "The first person that came with this theory was-" But he was cut short by a knock on the door. Everyone turned to it curiously.

"David, there you are! I need your help. Sorry for interrupting. Hello, everyone!"

Clara's heart rose from her chest and she couldn't believe he was there. She thought she'd never see him again.

"Doctor, what is it? It's unlike you to just come in like that. What about your class?" Mr. Tennant was now giving the Doctor his full attention, slightly irritated that he was being interrupted.

"Well, that's what I needed to talk to you about." Clara watched the two men talk but she couldn't register anything they were saying. She kept her mouth shut until she couldn't anymore.

"Sky man!" she yelled excitedly, rising from her seat and looking at him expectantly.

"Oh, you're the little lady from earlier! Hello and thank you for your help again."

"My name's Clara Oswald. Did you find your way to the office?" She asked nervously.

"Pleased to meet you, Clara. I'm the Doctor! Yes, we did. We couldn't have done it without your directions." He gave her another smile and Clara felt as if she had accomplished a very, very big thing. She was happy that she got sent to the headmaster now.

"You're welcome!" she said, bashfully but with a loud voice. After she pondered on it for a second, she decided to ask him something. "Why are you called 'the Doctor'? Don't you have a name?"

"Well, Clara Oswald, 'the Doctor' actually is my name."

"So you're a doctor?"

"Yes, yes I am."

"That's so cool. I like it!"

"That makes two of us, Clara. But never forget that your name is a very important part of yourself." He said seriously. Clara felt the need to ask.

"Is my name important?"

"Clara Oswald, I have never met someone who isn't important."