Strands of Light

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, or its characters.

Summary: She didn't know who she was or where she was or even her own name. All she knew for certain was that she loved the Doctor.

There was no time to react. No way to dodge or talk her way out of the situation. The Tardis was supposed to be safe, so she had let her guard down.

If only she hadn't left the door open.

The Doctor saw it coming, his eyes widening in fear a split second before the Dalek's beam struck her side.

Clara felt pain like nothing she ever felt before. Surging through her body and taking away her sanity. She saw white.

When awareness returned to her, she was lying on the floor. Pain was still ringing through her, but it was an echo compared to how it had been.

She heard the Doctor crying, honest to god crying, above her. Her heart cried out for her to ease his pain. She willed herself to say something, anything, to let him know that she was alright, but she didn't have the strength to issue much more than a moan.

"Clara!" The Doctor gasped, his voice full of joy, shock, and hope. She heard the sound of his sonic, probably scanning her. "Impossible." He muttered fondly.

"Clara, if you can hear me, I need you to open your eyes. Open your eyes for me, Clara." The Doctor urged her tenderly. She had never heard the Doctor like this, (well, not this face). He had always tried to maintain some distance between them. She supposed almost losing her had brought out his affectionate side.

Clara's heart called out to him at the warmth in his voice; but then she felt his hand cup her cheek and she was sure it would burst.

She fought through the tiredness in her eyelids to meet his request. After one failed attempt, which prompted another gentle request by the Doctor, she felt some strength return to her and managed to pry her eyes open.

Tears were running down his face, but his eyes were shining with wonder… and love.

"Doc-tor." She managed, her voice hoarse. Her hand, almost automatically, went up to wipe the tears of his cheeks. She was momentarily surprised that she had the strength, but then again, she was feeling a lot better, if a little odd. A gentle burning sensation had been kindled in the pit of her stomach. Not painful, but unsettling.

"Clara." He kissed her forehead "You truly are impossible. How are you feeling?"

"Good, actually."

"You should be dead." The Doctor responded, and then he scanned her again with his screwdriver.

Clara propped herself up. "I honestly feel fine now, I little weird, but good."

The Doctor arched his eyebrow "Weird, how?" The tone of his voice told her that this was a very important question.

Clara internally examined the burning sensation in her stomach. It was spreading, and was getting more intense, but not painfully so. "It's a sort of burning, in my stomach. It doesn't hurt, it's just… warm."

"Impossible." The Doctor said bluntly.

"Okay, how am I impossible this time?" She smiled.

He scanned her again and said "You're regenerating."

The smile slip off her face. "I'm sorry. What?"

"Somehow, you are regenerating. You were shot by a Dalek. You should be dead. Instead you're not only alive, but feeling good. Not to mention you have a large amount of energy flowing through your body, it must be regenerative energy. Your description is exactly how a regeneration feels like at the beginning."

"But how can I be regenerating? That's something only Time Lords can do, right?" Confusion and not a small amount of fear blossomed inside of her in tandem with the burning feeling.

"You jumped into my timeline. Of course! You must have absorbed hundreds of years of time energy!" The Doctor exclaimed, smiling widely now. "River Song was able to regenerate because he was conceived in the time vortex. Donna Noble got the mind of a Time Lord by coming into contact with regeneration energy. Clara-" The smile disappeared when he saw what must have been sheer terror on her face.

"So, I'll change then. Become a new person." Her voice warbled with suppressed fear. The 'fire' had spread to her chest, making it feel like she couldn't get enough air no matter how deeply she breathed. "Doctor. There's got to be a way-"

"To stop it? Trust me, if there was a way, my past two incarnations would have taken it." The Doctor shook his head "It's going to be alright, Clara."

"You're not the one who's about to have their entire personality re-written!" She lashed out.

The Doctor gave her a sharp look and Clara cringed "Sorry."

Regeneration energy spread, like fire in her veins, down her arms and legs.

"Clara, it is very important that you listen to me. Regeneration is a difficult process. Time lords have lost themselves; good people have turned evil, because of regeneration gone wrong. You have to focus on something important to you, something to ground yourself."

As he said this, the energy flared in her chest, momentarily causing a sharp pain near her heart. Clara cried out and clutched at her chest, only to stare in wonder at her hands, they were glowing.

"Clara. You have to focus."

Desperately, Clara tried to find something, anything, to cling to. She was terrified, lost…

"It doesn't matter where you are, in the jungle or the desert or on the moon. However lost you may feel, you'll never really be lost. Not really. Because I will always be here, and I will always come and find you. Every single time. Every single time."

Her mother's words came to her. She remembered that moment when her mother found her, terror and despair giving way as she was enfolded in her mother's arms.

"Clara. My Clara."

She remembered being lost in his timeline, but then he came to her, her Doctor. He had saved her, his Clara. She remembered collapsing in his arms. The smell of him, the feel of his jacket, the beat of his hearts, were all burned into her memory.

"I know where he will be. Where he will always be. If the Doctor is still the Doctor, he will have my back."

"Clara. No matter what happens, I will be with you every step of the way."

Clara opened her eyes, and there he was. Her Doctor. Her mum may not be there to find her and bring her home, but he would. The Doctor would always have her back.

Then her world became fire.