Chapter One

"Do you have any idea how to fly this thing?"

Clara wasn't sure if time slowed down in the TARDIS – if the old ship wanted she could probably do that after all – but she knew for certain that a thousand thoughts slipped through her mind the second this new face asked her that question. Many of them worried if this man was in fact still the Doctor, some of them reasons that he had not flown the TARDIS is years, that it was reasonable he may have forgotten, but another thought louder than the rest told her to move!

She dove for the console in a sudden panic, yet thankful for those flying lessons the Doctor had insisted on giving her. The new Doctor was hot on her heels, practically plastered to her back as she moved to flip switches and pull levers. She could feel his breath on her neck and resisted a shudder. Thankfully for once the TARDIS seemed to be working with her rather than against her, and they soon landed – even if the landing was a bit rough.

Clara leaned against the TARDIS railing breathing hard from adrenaline. Her eyes flicked about and spotted the Doctor doing the same beside her, but with a manic grin on his face.

"Good girl, calm in a crisis, think I'll have to keep you." He said, straightening suddenly and prowling around the console room.

"Keep m- what are you doing?" Clara turned away from him as he suddenly began to remove his clothes.

"New me, new wardrobe!" he declared, still sounding a tad manic.

"Do you really need to strip right here?" Clara asked, averting her eyes and resisting the urge to actually take a look at him. Even the TARDIS was making an offended noise – though that could have been because of the crash. Clara lay a hand on the cold wall panel for herself and for the ship.

"Ah, sorry. You humans are so fickle about nudity." He said. Clara didn't look again until she had heard the metallic sound of footsteps heading away from her.

When he was gone the TARDIS gave a hum, and Clara felt the physic link with the ship lick against her conscious mind convey a feeling of unease. "Easy girl…" Clara felt sympathetic with ship and patted its cold metal wall, she wasn't too sure about this new regeneration either. "Still, being the pilot doesn't mean he can throw his clothes all around you, am I right?" Clara asked the ship out loud, picking up the various articles of clothing the Doctor had scattered on his way to the wardrobe. She paused as she picked up the bowtie, and pocketed the tiny article of clothing. She could mourn her Doctor later, right now she was worried about this new one.

Clara followed the Doctor towards the wardrobe, hoping he was already dressed when she arrived. She was in luck for once because he had already dressed – pairing a simple white dress shirt with black pants, he had dove into his racks and racks of coats. Clara said nothing but began to hang Eleven's clothes on the empty hangers just behind Ten's long trench coat. She had a sudden flash of memories about ten, and shook her head to shake them out.

"Ah, what do you think?" the new rough voice asked behind her.

He'd found a deep dark blue jacket lined with red that flared when he put his hands in his trouser pockets. He opened his arms, presenting himself to her and open to her opinion.

"Very nice, suits the new you." She replied quietly, giving him a tiny smile.

The Doctors smile slipped and his hands dropped. He stalked towards her suddenly, and Clara resisted the urge to step back. He took the old clothes from her and threw them behind him, placing his hands on the tops of her arms and dragging her closer to him. Clara was so shocked at the action she didn't struggle. She met cold blue eyes as he said "You're not his anymore, you were never his. Your mine."

Clara frowned. "What's the difference?" she asked, probably focusing on the least concerning part of his statement.

He gave her a smirk then. "There's a difference, though I do not expect you to understand it – at least not yet. I'm not him, even though he is me."

"Oh?" Clara tried not to be confused by that statement, she was too tired for this. "Who are you then?"

"Not sure, haven't figured it out yet." He shrugged, his grip on her arms had loosened a fraction and his thumbs where stroking the insides of her arms.

"Alright… well, while you're figuring that out would you mind dropping me home? I really want to go to bed…"

His grip tightened enough to bruise and Clara squeaked in surprise and pain. He looked furious, desperate and sad all in one and very suddenly. "No! No, you can't leave me Clara, not yet, please!"

Clara was shocked. "Doctor, please, I'd come back don't worry. I just need to get some rest, I'm tired." She tried to calm him.

"No, no Clara, you might not come back. I might not be the Doctor without you. I need you."

"You can't just refuse to take me home. I have a life back there, a family…"

"We're in a time machine Clara, they need not know you've been gone."

"That's not the point…"

His demeanour changed suddenly again, his grip still tight on her arms however. "I don't have to take you home."

Clara glared. "You can't just kidnap me!"

"I'm not kidnapping you, I'm sure to take you home eventually. Just not right now." He shrugged.

"But-"

"Clara, I need you." He sighed suddenly, sounding defeated, he dragged her closer and pulled her against him in what was not quite a hug, more like a desperate need for contact. "I need you." He whispered.

Clara sighed eventually against his solid chest, feeling the double thump of both his hearts against her head. "Alright." She said, pushing away from him and putting distance between them. He let her go, loosening his grip on her arms. "Alright, I'll help you. But that does not mean I'm happy about it."

She calmly walked out of the huge room he called the wardrobe. Once she'd gone down a few corridors she allowed herself to break into the panicked run she'd wanted to do since leaving the room. She turned a corner and found a room, her room, waiting just behind it. She slammed and locked the door behind her and threw herself on the bed, scared and upset, she felt a bit better to notice the TARDIS had somehow materialized her favourite family photo on the bedside table. She grabbed it and held the photo to her chest. "Thanks' Blue." She murmured, knowing the sentient ship would not go against the Doctor's wishes and take her home – but at least she was sympathetic.

0o0

Clara was starting to develop an itch.

She usually did when she was cooped up indoors for several days. At least at home, on earth, she could pop out into the back garden or open a window to get some fresh air, but the TARDIS was just drifting in space. Even when she sat on the edge of the doors, her legs hanging out as she watched entire galaxies and planets as they floated past, there was no fresh breeze.

Clara was pretty sure the Doctor was afraid she was going to run from him if he landed the TARDIS anywhere. The thought frustrated her – she wasn't prone to running off on mysterious alien planets when, knowing her look, she'd probably find the only dangerous alien there. As it was she was hardly able to vent her frustrations at the Doctor himself because he seemed to vanish every time she tried.

She was currently lay on her bed in the TARDIS screaming into a pillow. The TARDIS brushed against her mind and she got the impression that the ship was just as irritated as Clara was. Maybe that could work in her favour. She jumped out of bed and headed down the halls of the ship. "Come on, let me find him! I want to land just as much as you do Blue!"

The ship agreed, because at the next corner Clara found the library which had been the kitchen just this morning.

The Doctor was asleep on the battered grey couch, a book held close to his chest. She paused at first, she'd never actually seen the Doctor sleep before, this was a rare sight, but her irritation got the best of her and she stomped over.

His eyes flew open just as she reached him. He frowned, looking around. "Yes?" he asked.

"I – no, we – want to land." Clara practically growled. The TARDIS made an agreeing ring.

"No! Why?" The Doctor sat up fast and frowned.

"Because being cooped up in the TARDIS isn't healthy for any of us – and I think she's two steps away from just landing anywhere and kicking us out." Clara sighed and sat down beside him, far enough away that he couldn't grab her again like in the wardrobe. "Look, we need to get out, even if it's just for a walk if that's all your comfortable with for now. I'm getting more than a bit restless."

The Doctor looked at her calmly, his voice hesitated when he spoke. "Just for a walk?"

"Yes."

"I know a good place for that." He suddenly sprang up, running for the control room – Clara ran after him.

Short while later, he invited Clara to open the doors of the TARDIS, which she did on an amazing landscape. The long swaying grass was a beautiful green-blue, just a few shades darker than the sky above. A huge waterfall cascaded down into a gorgeous pond below it. The only downside Clara could see where the gathering rain clouds.

"It's beautiful, but it looks like it will rain. Did you plan this to be a short walk?" she asked suspiciously as he came up beside her.

He looked offended. "No, the rain is exactly what we're here for."

Behind them the TARDIS sounded a sinister gong, her doors suddenly slapped them from behind in her own effective way of kicking them out. "What the hell was that?" Clara asked, rubbing her back where the wood had slapped it.

"Bloody woman, can't wait five seconds until she gives herself a make-over." The Doctor was also rubbing his back. "She won't let us back in now, not for a good few hours. Better find some cover for when the rains come." He grabbed her by the hand and led her towards the lake.

"I still don't understand why you brought us here if you knew it was going to rain."

"Just wait, you'll see."

An hour later, Clara was sitting in the long grass beneath a huge centuries old tree with a battered copy of the Hobbit on her lap that she'd found in the TARDIS library a few days ago. The Doctor was on the other side of the trunk, leaning back with his eyes closed he wasn't asleep but Clara figured it might be his equivalent of a catnap.

A sudden sharp clear musical note sounded around them. Clara looked up, startled. The notes started again, Clara put down her book and looked towards the Lake. It took her a few minutes to identify the sound of the music.

"It's the rain?" she breathed the question, not sure who she was asking.

"Yes." The Doctor answered her. He'd at some point moved around the tree to sit beside her instead. "These are the singing rains of Zotania. Most of the planet is lakes and rivers, when it rains and falls into the water it creates a musical note -"

"Shh" Clara laughed in a hushed voice. "Don't get all science-y on me now, it's beautiful. Let's just leave it at that."

"Yeah, alright. It's Beautiful."