"So, where to now?" he asked inquisitively, his burrowed eyebrows raising as his eyes fluttered to her direction. "I don't know doctor." She said as she leant against one of the railings within the Tardis, they had been through such an ordeal with those dream crabs, she just had to breathe. The doctor stared back at her, surprised, her hands were contorting into fist shapes as she slumped down against the floor, her hands balling to cover her eyes. His fingers lifted from the console as he walked over, he had fought so much to get her back, only to realise he may have almost missed 62 years, there was no way he was wasting anymore time. "Clara." He probed as he sat down next to her. She never gave a response, merely steadily trying to control her breathing as she thought through what to do. "We could go to Barcelona, fun planet that one, full of dogs with no noses, can you imagine that.." He tried to explain, to cheer her up, but he was interrupted by her racked voice "I don't even care about the damn planet." As she stood up with force, tears welling up in her eyes "do you not understand that you can't just fix every problem by flying off with your stupid box and disappearing off into nowhere. The real world doesn't work like that doctor, people don't work like that." The doctor rose to his feet, a dark shadow coming over his eyes as his gaze drifted to the floor, then bounced back up, glaring with such ferocity at her brown ones. "Do you not think I don't know, that I don't know things don't fix themselves, I know pain Clara, real pain, you just leak out of your eyes at every little death of a butterfly, you waste so much time flailing around oh my, what shall we do. Well guess what, the universe doesn't care, it moves on and so should everyone in it." She almost launched at him, but stopped dead in front of his face. "People don't move on in a split second, we don't live forever like you doctor, we actually love the people who have left us, and when they go it hurts, we don't just forget them." She turned to storm out of the door but as her hand gripped the wood the doctor spoke once more "we don't forget." She paused and turned round, strands of hair stuck to her tears, she looked up at the old man, with eyes older than the earth, "we don't forget, we don't get over, they are all here, we do love, and we most certainly hurt." He whispered at the end, his hand placed over his hearts. He stood supporting himself against the console, staring down at the floor unable to meet her gaze. Alas the door slammed as she walked out leaving him to wallow within the bitter skin for which he had found himself.
"Clara" he yelled as he ran out of the tardis and into the snow, he hastily pulled his jacket over himself as he stood at the door to her house, knocking over and over with no reply "Clara!" He yelled again with no response. "Clara, open this goddamned door right now, this is ridiculous, honestly, your incompetence in handling this situation is beyond even my belief and I.." He stopped short as the door opened just a fraction, straining against the small chain. "What, what could you possibly want now, were the insults not enough?!" He stared at her, just stared and detailed her face, committing the arch of her eyes and the curve of her nose to memory, he would not forget, especially if this was possibly his last chance to see her. "Can I come in?" She let out a most audible sigh as the door slammed shut, a clanking of metal against wood as she opened the chain and then swung it open, and walked away. Carefully allowing it to remain on its hinges he shut it and followed her into the living room, she simply sat curled up with a tea and a book. Clearly ignoring his presence. After staring for some time, he sat next to her, the seat across and stared waiting for her to acknowledge him. Clara's eyes flickered away from her book several times before she stopped and slammed it shut. "What, what do you want me to do, don't expect me to apologise old man, I know your narcissistic self wouldn't bear you to think it's your fault but I am not caving, not this time. So say what you want and just leave." She growled at him and he merely stared back, her brow wrinkled in confusion at his silence. "Well, aren't you going to say anything, insult me maybe, criticise my ability to feel emotion, critique my face or how my hair looks terrible, or undermine my intelligence.. Go on, take your pick." Again he just stared in silence, still making sure everything was committed to memory, in case it didn't work, in case this was the last time. "Well" she said, her voice raising. "Say something!" She yelled, she was on her feet now, her fists balled by her sides as she stood exasperated with the doctor. "I've said everything I wanted to say." He said softly, his face resting against his hands, a finger supporting his head at the temple. "Then why are you still here?" She asked, her intelligence for once failing her. "Because that's the thing Clara, I don't want to go." "Well I don't want you here." She said exasperated at his efforts. Just as she turned, a christmasy Danny emerged from the kitchen, "See general, she doesn't need you, doesn't need your orders, so why don't you just leave her alone. Come on Clara, you know what he does, come on, let's go to bed." The doctor stared in amazement and confusion, Danny was standing there, in the flesh, Danny, dead Danny. As the realisation dawned on him, Clara began to turn towards Danny and walk towards him, per his request. The doctors hand clutched onto her arm. "Clara wait, it's not real, the dream crabs, Clara, its still invading." She stared at the doctor with a look of pity "no it's not, this is real doctor, now let me go." She pulled at her wrist but he clutched on, desperate to save her. "Clara, it is a dream, please, we need to wake up." "Doctor, just go, this is real, and even if it isn't, just leave me, at least here someone can make me happy." He didn't let go, his grip remained ever firm. His tone took a much more serious rather than panicked sound. "Clara, come one, please, you can feel the pain you know this is going to kill you." He stuttered for a moment, swallowing and proceeded. "I care too much to loose you again."
Clara stared at him in a amazement, mystified by what came out of his mouth. She gently pulled away and this time the doctor let her go. She walked slowly over to Danny. Gripped his hand and kissed him on the cheek, with tears in her eyes she turned back to look at the doctor, then gazed back at Danny, her voice was a whisper when she addressed Danny "I'm so sorry, I love you, don't ever forget that." With that she let go of Danny's hand, his face dropped, jaw almost hitting the floor and the doctor let out a giant smile as he knew his Clara was coming back to him. She gripped his hands as he just continued to smile, a crack of his past self showing through. "Right then old man, let's wake up."
The doctor woke up on a dirt floor, whacking his head on a rock as he leapt up his hand flew to his head as his other smashed open the tardis door, within seconds he was at Clara's house, he burst through the front door to find a pile of ash next to her and her eyes fluttering open. He breathed her name with a sigh if relief and grasped her hand as she sat up on the bed. Her mind and eyes focused around for a minute before concentrating on him, "Doctor" she said before flinging herself into him and hugging him. His arms wavered a little as his hands were opening and closing as he was unsure of what to do. But before long he relaxed and allowed her to hug him, actually hugging back. His arms, wrapped around her back as her neck nestled against his chest, and it was just peaceful, just quiet and peaceful. Not too much time passed, much to the doctors private dismay she broke away and looked up at him with her big brown eyes. Then removed herself to make them both some tea. The doctor sat in amazement for a while, surprised that he hadn't been kicked out and that they were still talking, still companions. To be honest though, his hearts were beating very fast from the hug, he had not expected such endearing affectionate contact from her, so pausing to calm down, he raised himself from the bed and went over to help her make tea.
Clara's hands bustled filling the kettle and putting it on to boil whilst the doctor slid beside her to grab some mugs and tea bags from the cupboard. Clara could not help herself but to look at him as he stretched up and reached for the items, admiring the old man for his physique. She shook her head to clear the thoughts away, now was not the time. However her skin burned every time their hands graced to pass a cup or fill one up, and she was casually getting redder in the face. "Have you been turning into a vegetable of the scarlet variety whilst I have been gone?" He poked, nodding to her flushing cheeks. "No, no, it's just hot in here, thats all, it's the uh, steam from the tea." She stammered out, hoping she sounded confident. The doctor produced a little smirk as he went to sit in the living room with his tea.
Clara rounded the chair and sat on the one next to him, both sat sipping their tea, avoiding each others eyes but glancing at each other all the same. Clara continuously noticing his fitted clothing and the way his body was still lean yet able to run all the time. The doctor kept looking at the fact that she was still in her pyjamas, the fact that they fitted her body and complimented her curves spectacularly, his eyes graced back up to her face and she saw him watching her, their eyes burned when making contact for half a second before he stood up and interjected. "We should go, all of time and space is waiting." He wrung his hands together as she rose, she just stood next to him and glanced down at what she was wearing and then back up at him with her eyebrows raised. A look of confusion spread across his face, what could she be implying. "What?" He asked, she stifled a laugh and replied "I'm in my pyjamas, would you wait here for just a minute whilst I get changed?" His breath faltered and he stammered a little before stuttering out "yes, yes of course, I, I didn't even notice."
She cheerily walked away to change as the doctor ran his fingers through his hair. What are you doing? He asked himself. It was the hype, the hype of loosing her, that's all it was. He was not, her boyfriend. However Clara was busy getting changed and trying not to think about how he looked in his clothing and about how the light illuminated his curls and how his eyes were so deep it was like she could fall into them.
The doctor waited, which was not something he normally did, and kept running his hands through his hair in an effort to calm himself down further. But when Clara walked back in with denim that perfectly outlined her calves it became very difficult. She was really, not helping. As she walked out of the door she looked back at the doctor, who was still standing there and she quipped "You coming old man?" He broke out of his dazed expression before scuttling to the door "Of course, you just took so long I was falling asleep." He said as they both entered the tardis door. "So, where to, oh what about the Dirillium singing towers, I am fairly certain you will enjoy that place." Clara smiled and nodded as the doctor began pulling levers and the tardis made its groaning wheeze as they flew through space and time.
As the doctor simply smiled whilst they flew a sudden stop caused them both to land in a heap on the floor, jumping to his feet the doctor ran to the console, and began fiddling to try and understand the sudden stop during their course. "Is everything alright doctor?" Clara asked, slowly walking to where he was frantically pushing buttons. "Uh, yes, and no." Clara's lips raised into a smile as a smirk came over her face "Wait, so the wise stick insect with grey fluff on top isn't in control of his own blue box?" The doctor shot a look of annoyance her way and she laughed. "It turns out Miss Oswald, that the tardis has decided it wants to uh, take a break, to cool its engines, and I can't do anything about it, so for now, we are stuck in limbo, so laugh all you want." Her smile dropped for a moment. "Right then."
Clara decided now would be the right time to have a little fun so as he stood bent over, she came around the side and slid in front of him, making sure to roughly make contact as she moved past him. She could hear the intake of his breath and she bent over to look at something on the console. "So what does this thing do?" She asked looking back at a slightly flustered doctor, who tried to quickly compose himself and then swiftly move away from her. "That erm, that helps to control the thrusters." He stuttered out as confidently as he could. However it was clear to them both that she was having quite a large effect on him. She turned back around with a wry smile on her face and watched him try and keep calm as his eyes went against his will and circled her figure. "Clara, I, I don't know what you are trying to do but believe me, it is completely.." And his sentence was stopped short as she quickly and lightly moved so that she was so close their noses would have almost been touching if she were tall enough. "Completely, what, doctor?" She asked, watching him gulp and try to control himself as he slowly blinked. "A little flustered are we?" She smirked, watching him struggle to contain himself, and as fast as she had appeared she was off to the other side of the console, "so where again can I go to get some food, I don't want to get lost." The doctor lifted up his hand to point downwards and stated third on the right, ninth on the left, as his finger shakily pointed to one of the exits.
An hour later, they were still in limbo, and Clara had gone to her room to go grade papers. The doctor was pacing back and forth by the console, receiving no empathy from the tardis as his mind battled with what to do with the circumstances that had just unfolded before him. Did she mean it, or was she just teasing? For once he couldn't be sure. After more pacing and worrying, he walked down the tardis to try and find her room. Except the tardis had other ideas in mind, and her room had moved, he took all the turns and exits he could think of and began to run, panicked that he had lost her within his infinite blue box. Within minutes he was shouting "Clara! Clara!" To try and figure out where she was. It was not long before a response came back "Doctor!" They were both running round corners trying to follow the noise, trying to find their way back to each other, unfortunately such a desperate need to find one another led to them running full pelt around a corner and promptly collapsing, with a panting Clara on top of an equally panting Doctor. "Well, there you are" she said, a smile crept over his ancient face as she grinned. After the adrenaline had slightly subdued he could feel the fact that she was on top of him. Her pressing heavily somewhat against him. And his two hearts began to pound at an almighty rate, he was beginning to be afraid she could feel them. "Clara, you're still on me." Her face dropped a little and then smiled again as she climbed off and pulled him up, his hands burning at her touch. "Yeah, sorry, didn't even realise she said, as she waited for him to dust himself off. By this time the doctor had backed to the other wall of the hallway, which really was not very big, but he would not make eye contact with her and she noticed and without a moment's hesitation asked "Doctor are you alright?" She asked, moving swiftly closer, her hips slightly rocking as she walked. Her hand reached up to caress his face and force her to look at her, concern etched into her brow. "I, i'm fine Clara." Her hand quickly with drew, and she proceeded to walk back to the tardis mainframe.
Before long the doctor had caught up with her, not before taking a moment to compose himself yet despite his efforts his hearts were hopelessly beating at an alarming rate. Clara of course, knew more than anything that her effect in him was only growing stronger. "Now Clara listen, whatever, this, is, it isn't something, we should engage in, you don't want this and it's just a stupid fantasy and you shouldn't even try and indulge Clara." Again she moved right so that her chest was pressing against his, and tilted her head up, standing on her toes so that they were almost the same height. "Do you really want me stop to doctor?" His fingers fumbled by his sides as he fought with the urge to say no. "Clara it really wouldn't be..." And before he could finish the soft lips of his companion had pressed into his, and all of time and space had been forgotten in that one moment. His hand circled around her waist, pulling her closer as his face titled to better engage contact. Her hand moved to cup his cheek as the kiss deepened, moving and shaping between the two of them. It was gentle, it was innocent and it was beautiful. Their lips slowly moved away and their noses gently brushed past each other as the broke apart slightly. "Clara I, " the doctor started, not knowing how to continue. But the companion just smiled, happily stroking his face and whispered "oh shut up old man, and come here." Happily obliging his lips were brought to life upon ignition with hers and they remained so, wrapped in each others embrace and kissing the time away.