AU Aftermath of Clara Oswald's demise in "Face the Raven" (S9xE10)
…When a good man goes to war.
There was a moment where the Doctor, 2000-plus years old Time Lord, had, for the barest of instances, considered going back on his word- his last word- to Clara. About not giving in to revenge. About laying waste to the whole street that drew Rigsy and Clara and himself into this whole debacle-
No, he thought, Help Clara now, deal with the anger after.
And he did. Shoving down the storm of rage and guilt and sheer destructive fury that ended entire civilizations, the Doctor strode forward, purposefully, to his friend, his companion, his carer (because she cared so he didn't have to)….his impossible girl.
And now, he thinks, desperately, brokenly, tears staining his withered cheeks, you're gone. You're gone and there's nothing I can do.
He kneels down beside her fallen body, still warm, heart still beating, but bereft of anything resembling a soul. Brain-dead; every neuron in her head faded to nothing. Not even his regeneration energy could heal her.
He straightens her limbs, like any human would when laying to rest in their coffins and caskets and holes in the ground and even how one does a Viking funeral and suddenly that rage surges through his veins on the mention of Viking because one such girl made All This HAPPEN-
A breath. Exhale. Breath. Exhale. He's calm again.
But not for long.
He touches Clara's forehead, fingertips ghosting over her skin, over her eye lids, her cheeks, before brushing a stray strand of hair away from her nose.
His impossible girl.
"I'm sorry, Clara…..I don't think I'll be able to keep my promise."
He stands. His grief is a block of ice chilling his gut, a fist around his two hearts.
But his rage….it's fire in his blood.
Ashildr/Me/Little Miss Mayer who can't seem to stop blundering around him is NOT leaving this street unscathed…..
He walks back inside the building, closing the door behind him. He sees Me, in her black dress and styled hair and sees the unfiltered fear in her eyes. "I'm sorry-"
He cuts her off; he's not going to bother hearing her excuses. "Just so you know, Mayor Me….Clara told me not to take revenge, on you, on this street….do you know why she told me that?"
"….She was saving you." She answered in a hesitant voice, like child after realizing the true depth of their folly.
A chuckle. The Doctor couldn't help but feel….especially insulted, considering the source of such a silly answer. "No….she was saving you. However you want to spin this whole debacle, this entire scenario IS your fault." He pointed to Rigsy. "You used a kid to bait me and Clara here, into this street, under the threat of murder, to take his soul, and endanger his life." He pointed to Jen and her daughter, Anahson. "You made a mother a prisoner as part of this whole plot."
Then the Doctor points to Me. "And then you went and made the biggest mistake of all….of being an accessory to Clara's murder, and making me very angry. And you'll find the universe a whole lot smaller when I'm angry with you."
"Please, Doctor, I never meant for any of this-"
"Of course you didn't. You never do." Suddenly the sonic glasses were on his face once again, his voice so cold it might've been the howl of winter. "Luckily for you, pride and ego aren't going to stop me this time. You wanted an end to your immortal life?"
A slight widening of Me's eyes are all that transpires before the sonic glasses send out a pulse, pinpointing the chip inside Me's brain keeping her alive. "Well guess what; you've got your wish."
Another targeted pulse of sonic energy, and the chip deactivates.
And Me falls to the floor, like a marionette with the strings severed.
Rigsy jerks, shocked, dumbstruck. Behind him, Jen and Anahson clutch each other tighter, fearful of the monster in the same room as them. Rigsy manages all of "D-Doctor, did you—I mean, tell me you didn't-"
"I did."
He folds this glasses back into his pocket, his gaze unerring on Me's body. "Can't very well leave her to do this again to someone else, can I? I won't make that mistake again."
"Well, yeah, Maybe. But you can't just-"
"Rigsy." The Doctor interrupts. This is important, and he can't waste time. "….The fact is, I've got two options: Take off this cuff, search aimlessly for the people that threatened the Mayor with putting this whole plot together…."
"…Or, B?" Rigsy added, expectant.
Readjusting his sleeve, the Doctor's expression was a visage of stone, and words like judge's for sentencing even as he sauntered over to the console and activated the teleportation sequence. "Or B; I get teleported to where these same people want me dragged there via teleport and save myself some time…..and should I find that they've had any part of Clara's death-"
The teleportation cuffed started chiming.
"-Then they'll know what happens...When a Good Man Goes to War."
And in a flash of irredecent light, the Doctor vanished.
To Be Continued…..
Soooo...whatcha think? Good? Bad? Somewhere in between?
I know, I know: The Doctor doesn't kill.
Well, he just had his friend/companion/last good thing left in all the cosmos that even mattered to him get taken away right in front of his eyes, and I think he's entitled to a brief moment of bloody vindication.
Should I continue this? Leave your thoughts in the reviews. Please and thank you.