A Train Journey
So, there were these two people in London. One's a professor and the other's a school teacher. Let's call the professor Doctor and the school teacher Clara for the sake of making it easier to tell the story. Now then, the Doctor and Clara are off to Glasgow to spend Christmas with their families. The Doctor with his lovely sister and Clara with her grandmother and father.
Right now, you're probably thinking – when will the story start? Well, it starts as soon as they both got on the train. Ok, I may have lied a bit there but we'll get to the part where it really starts. Just be patient. Anyway, these two people, who have never crossed paths before, boarded the train and off they were to Glasgow.
Two hours into their journey, people got on and off the train and eventually, there were noticeably less people in the first coach. Yes, this is the part where the story finally starts. So, half way through the journey, the seat next to Clara was empty and a man, who was seated a few feet away, decided to sit next to her.
"Someone like you shouldn't be sitting alone, love," said a man as he grinned at her.
"Oh, I'm fine. Thanks for your concern."
One could tell the uneasiness in her voice as she spoke. The fact that the man was invading her personal space made it even worse.
"So where are you headed off to? Glasgow? Lancaster? Wolverhampton?"
Clara wasn't entirely sure if she should ignore the man or be polite and tell him it was none of his business. She was about to open her mouth when the man brushed his hand over her arm.
"Can you please just back off?"
Her reaction had caused the man to merely chuckle. "What's the matter, love? I'm only trying to be friendly."
As he was about to touch her again, someone grabbed his arm. "I think it's wise if you do what she says."
I'm sure you can guess that the Doctor stepped in as Clara's knight in shining armor and you are absolutely right. Anyway, the man got up and glared at the Doctor. It was like a standoff. Neither blinked until…
"The next stop is Wolverhampton. Please check that you have all your belongings with you when leaving the train."
"I was only trying to be nice. No need to get defensive, Basil Funkenstein," the man then left the train without uttering another word.
As soon as the doors closed, the Doctor said, "Are you alright?" he was still wondering if the name had anything to do with how he looked.
Clara nodded and smiled at him. "Yes, and thank you."
The Doctor smiled. "No problem. Most people these days are nothing but Pudding Brains."
She giggled at the term. That was probably the first time she had heard someone refer to idiots as 'Pudding Brains'. He shared one last smile with her before he went back to his seat.
An hour later, the train became stationary and an announcement was made.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are sorry to announce that the journey to Glasgow Central will be delayed by approximately 55 minutes. This is due to an unexpected repair work at Preston. We apologise for the inconvinience caused."
Clara groaned in frustration. It was bad enough the journey was almost six hours long and now she has to endure it for another 55 minutes. It wouldn't be half bad if her father had still lived in Blackpool but there was no point complaining about this ordeal anyway. She glanced at the Doctor and saw him sigh and shake his head before he checked his watch.
She wasn't entirely what possessed her but she ended up saying, "Well, I guess things could have been worse than a one hour delay."
He looked away from the window and glanced at her "I suppose you're right. This could have been a two hour delay."
"Or getting stuck with a Pudding Brain."
Both chuckled over the joke. The Doctor then glanced at the book he was holding, not entirely sure what to say.
"What book are you reading?"
"Oh, it's um, a book on Boolean Algebra. Logic, basically. I haven't read a book about it in a while so I thought it might be a great opportunity to do so now."
"So you're into Maths?"
He grinned at her. "I teach it."
Clara gave him a skeptical look. It's not that she didn't believe him. It was the fact that he looked nothing like a professor. He looked more like a magician with the coat he was wearing.
"It's the coat. I know. I look like a magician."
"I didn't mean to be rude-"
"It's fine," he said with a grin. "Miss…"
"Oswald. Clara Oswald but please, call me Clara. And you are…"
"The Doctor."
He received another skeptical look from her and snickered. He could tell what she was going to ask next. "Doctor who?"
"Just the Doctor," he then got up, grabbed his book and backpack, and said, "May I?" gesturing at the empty seat opposite of Clara. She smiled and nodded before he took his seat, setting his backpack aside.
"Is that really your name or is there a reason why you are called the Doctor?"
"Well, the things is, everyone I know calls me that so I guess that makes it my name then."
Somehow, Clara didn't care much about the delay anymore. So did the Doctor. It seemed more like a blessing in disguise.
"So Doctor, are you heading home for Christmas?"
He smirked. "Forced is the proper word for it. My sister insists that we should celebrate Christmas in Glasgow even though we both live in London. To get into the Christmas spirit or something like that. She always had a few screws loose anyway," His last statement earned him a laugh.
She glanced at his finger. No wedding ring. Slightly odd for a man his age but who was she to judge?
"What about you?"
Clara was confused for a second before she responded "Oh, I'm visiting my dad and gran and my wicked step mother," the last word was spoken in dread. "They used to live in Blackpool but my dad was transferred to Glasgow two years ago so here I am now, on my way to see them."
At that moment, the train started moving and an announcement was made.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, this service to Glasgow Central is expected to arrive at 18:27, calling at Oxenholme Lake District, Penrith, Carlisle and Glasgow Central. Change at Penrith for Lancaster, Preston and Wigan North Western. Thank you."
"Well, it seems we'll be getting there sooner than we think."
Throughout the journey, both sat in silence, exchanging shy smiles and glances every now and then before the train finally came to rest at the station.
"Do you need any help with your luggage?" the Doctor asked as Clara attempted to bring the suitcase upright.
"It's fine. Nothing I can't handle," when she finally did bring it upright, she smiled and both got off the train, approaching the exit. "It was nice meeting you, Doctor."
"It was a pleasant meeting you too, Clara Oswald," he had wanted to say more but couldn't think of anything. He didn't want to sound like a creep or an idiot but finally had enough courage to say "I hope we'll meet again. I'm assuming you live in London."
Clara smiled at him. "I do. I'm a teacher at Coal Hill. Thank you again, Doctor."
With that, she left the station and got into a cab. The Doctor still stood where he was. He didn't move until someone tapped his shoulder.
"In all honesty, John, you are probably worse than a teenager when it comes to women."
He gave his sister a look "Please tell me you didn't see or hear the whole thing."
"Oh please, I could tell what was going on from a mile away."
John groaned and covered his face with one hand. He was sure she was never going to stop talking about Clara until she got the whole story. He was certain of that.
"And that, my dear nephew is how your parents met. Both are dorks but your father's a bigger dork."
A boy of no more than 4 years old, who sat on the carpeted floor, looked at his aunt in amazement. "So that was how they met, Aunty Missy?"
"Jack dear, the story I told you is as real. Well, at least 99 percent of it is real. Not entirely sure if the man who bothered your mother was either drunk, stupid or both."
Jack stifled a yawn before he asked his aunt for another story about his parents. "It's past your bedtime. I'm surprised you're still awake. Your father says you'd be asleep as soon as the story ends."
"Daddy or Mummy never told me how they met and Daddy always tells me stories about a doctor who time travels with his companion. Usually, the story just ends… but what happened after that? Did they meet again? Was it in Glasgow? London?"
If there was one thing Missy loves about her nephew, it's that he is such a bright boy. "I'll tell you what, since your father will be here at any moment, I will tell you another story when I see you on Friday, ok?"
The door bell rang before Jack had the chance to protest. He rubbed his eyes and sighed. "Fine, Aunty Missy," he grabbed her hand and walked towards the front door where his father was waiting for him.
"I hope you had a wonderful evening with Aunty Missy," the Doctor said as he scooped up his son in his arms. The boy then rested his head on his father's shoulder.
"I did. Aunty Missy told me about how you and Mummy met."
He raised an eyebrow and grinned at his sister. "Did she? I hope I'm still your favourite story teller, though."
"You are but I want to hear more from Aunty Missy," Jack muttered sleepily, wrapping his arms around his father's neck.
"Thank you so much for taking care of him for the evening. Clara would have loved to see you but standing for too long would hurt her back."
"Oh, don't worry about it, John. We'll see each other on Friday," Missy then waved at Clara who was waiting in the car. "Good night, Jack."
"Good night, Aunty Missy."
John approached the car and opened the door with one hand before gently placing his half-asleep son in the back seat. "Did you have fun with Aunty Missy?"
"Yes, I did. She told me how you and Daddy met."
Clara exchanged looks with the Doctor. "You know Missy. Poisoning Jack's mind since he was 2," he joked before he placed a hand on his wife's swollen belly. "So Jack, do you want to know if you're getting a brother or…," when John glanced back, his son was already fast asleep.
"We'll tell him about his little sister tomorrow, Doctor, or should I say 'Basil Funkenstein'?"
Right, I have no idea why I decided to write this story but there you have it. This is my first ever Doctor Who fanfic. I hope you enjoyed reading it. I had the urge to write something fluffy after watching 'Face the Raven'. That episode ripped out my heart out, put it in a meat grinder and then dumped it in cooking oil for it to fry. Which is why this story exists. Anyway, thank you for reading :)