"Clara?"

She whimpered in reply, no words to say.

"What's wrong?" the Doctor asked. He peered his head around the door to the library and saw Clara sitting with her back him, hunched over something which he was unable to see.

"Nothing's wrong. I just need time. Please. Just time."

"But Clara…"

"Please." She turned to face him. He was surprised to see her red eyes, a sign that she had been crying for a while. Her face pleaded for him to leave, so he reluctantly agreed and turned away, closing the library door behind him.

Clara turned back to the fabric she was holding. A tear rolled down her cheek and fell onto it, and as the tear was absorbed, she clenched it tighter. She thought about the man she had come to love, but now she was expected to love him with a different face. Why did he have to change?

She held the fabric close to her chest, provoking memories of their adventures together. Clara closed her eyes and pictured the planets they'd seen, the aliens they'd met, the monsters they'd fought. Then she pictured him. His eleventh face. There. It felt so real and for a moment she believed that he was really there with her. But reality was brought back as soon as she opened her eyes.

Clara looked down at her hands. "This should be on him!" she cried in anger, "Why did he take it off?!"

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she screwed her face in helplessness. When he had taken it off, it had ripped her heart out. It was that moment that she knew that he was changing, and she could not do anything to stop him. The sound of it hitting the floor was defining to her, even thought it made no sound. It shattered her heart into a million pieces, just like his time stream had splintered her. What she held in her hand was his bow tie, and she was never going to let it go.

"Clara?" The Doctor whispered as he gently knocked on the door of the library. "Clara, are you ready to talk?"

"One moment." Clara took a deep breath, but it was shuddery breath due to her crying. She took the bow tie and folded it so it would fit in the palm of her hand. Closing her fingers around the fabric, Clara turned around to face the door. "Doctor?"

"Clara? Is it ok if I come in?"

"Yes," she sniffed.

The Doctor peered his head around just like he had done earlier, and saw Clara sitting facing him. Her hand was closed in a fist, like she was concealing something, but he didn't know what.

He walked towards Clara who had shifted her gaze from his face to her feet. The Doctor placed his tigers under her chin, lifting her face to his once again. Her eyes were redder than before, so it was obvious that more crying had occurred. Her cheeks were damp and her funny little nose was red. The Doctor placed his hands on her cheeks and cupped her face, before reaching round and pulling her close for a hug.

"What's wrong?" he said after a moment. "And what's in your hand?"

Clara's eyes were closed as she tried to hide her tears from him. The Doctor gently unpeeled her fingers that were wrapped around the fabric, revealing his bow tie. Seeing the pain on her face, he closed her fingers around the fabric again, and pulled her in for another hug.

"It's still me, Clara," he whispered into her ear. "I may not have a face of a boy nor a chin that could poke someone's eye out, but it's still me. And you're still my impossible girl, Clara. My impossible soufflé girl, who was the woman twice dead. Clara, I still… I still love you."

With that, Clara's lips unfurled into a gentle smile, tears still running down her face. The Doctor opened up her cage of fingers and unfolded the bow tie, tying it around her wrist. "I'll always be with you, Clara Oswald."

"And I'll always be with you, Doctor," she replied.