I completely and totally and absolutely own Doctor Who! That is exactly why you're reading this...on fanfiction...where nobody owns anything. So, uh, ya. Enjoy. (I don't actually own DW)
Chapter 1: Banter
Finals week. It was bad enough if you were a normal teacher, with a normal class, and a normal romantic life, and a normal social life. But when you had a class full of rumor bugs, a deceased boyfriend coupled with weird feelings for your best friend, and that same best friend who was prone to showing up and whisking you off into adventure and danger, (neither of which involves time or energy enough to grade papers) finals week was a mess.
Clara Oswald sat behind her desk looking at the ludicrous schedule changes. The six period school day was reduced to four periods. The first hour was a study period, followed by a two hour final, lunch, another study period, another final, than school letting out at the end of that final. The school had Monday off, and Thursday was a short day. This left the 4 period schedule to Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday.
However, not every teacher was required to have a final. Clara didn't, as her class had been ahead of schedule and had taken the big test a week prior. This left her with several bored children with two hours and little to do. So, 'finals' for her class had consisted of movies. She brought in a ton of DVDs and her classes would vote on them. The winning movie would be played on one of the old rolling televisions quietly, well anyone who wanted to study for other things did so.
The Idea for this had been Adrian's, who had been practically fawning over Clara since Danny had died. He insisted on making things as easy for the English teacher as possible, he was always bringing her food, and making sure she was alright at home, and had even invited Clara over for Christmas dinner with his boyfriend, who was a very nice boy with a welsh accent and blonde hair.
She sighed when the first warning bell rang, signaling 10 minutes before the official start of class. Second hour had begun and students started to file into her room. Some were carrying their notebooks, and math texts, and other study materials, well the vast majority of them were empty handed. It was Friday, and word had spread quickly through the school about Clara's movie day. The other teachers in the lounge were laughing about how the students without Clara's class had deemed the easy day 'no fair' to the rest of the school.
"Is it true?" Courtney, the disruptive influence, asked suddenly, her grinning face sizing up Clara from over the papers and interrupting her thoughts. "Are we really gonna just watch movies today?" She sounded excited and hadn't even brought his school bag with her.
"Yes," Clara responded, "but if you want to be all happy about it, I could arrange an essay for you. How does a head start on an argumentative essay for 'The Cave' sound?"
The girl rolled her eyes good naturedly and laughed, "That's a good one miss. Really, and I'm not just saying that so you don't live up to it." She turned on her heel and walked for her desk.
Clara smiled and spared a glance at the clock, 7 minutes remaining before she had to start the movie. That was long enough to take a walk. She shot a checking glance around her room before putting down her papers and walking into the halls. It was something she liked to do nowadays, clear her head and maybe get some water or a muffin from the vending machine before classes began.
On her way, she saw him. He was standing at one of the classroom doors, the computer lab in fact, and his grey hair was sticking up on end like he had just received a shock, his sonic screwdriver was out and he was scanning the lock. It was the Doctor, and was grinning like a maniac.
Clara gave the time lord a 'you got to be kidding me' look and stalked up to him, keeping just far enough away so he couldn't sense her. She watched as he unlocked the door and slipped inside, letting the door swing shut behind him.
Clara went to stand in front of the lab entrance, she crossed her arms and gave the door her sternest nanny look, then she waited.
A mere minute later, the computer lab door swung back open, and The Doctor stepped out, looking quite pleased. When he saw Clara waiting, he frowned, his eyes going big like a kid with his hand caught in the cookie jar, but he quickly covered it up.
"Hello miss, computer inspection, I'm John Smith." He held up his psychic paper, his face serious and straight.
Clara glared, she wanted to tell the Doctor that a psychic paper didn't make a convincing disguise, but instead she said back:
"Really? Well that's brilliant, you look like a friend of mine. What company are you from?"
His eyes narrowed, "The School board." He said back, stone faced.
"Uh huh, and who hired you?" Clara asked.
"Mister Lewis called in regards to a broken computer or two, he's the computer lab manager."
"What was wrong with the computers?"
"The screens wouldn't turn on, simple shortage, really, but I'm afraid we'll have to remove them, electrocution hazard."
"How'd it happen? The shortage I mean?"
"Are we really playing this game Clara?"
"No," She smirked, "I think I just won. Why are you here?" The last bit was laced with annoyance.
"I just told you." He said back. "Computer issues, now, if you excuse me, deep undercover again, surprised you recognized me, better be going, don't get in my way."
Just then the 3 minute bell rang. "Fine. Don't blow up the school, if you need me I'll be in my classroom." She informed.
"Yes, yes shoo." The Doctor insisted, "Deep undercover remember! You don't know me."
Clara shook her head. He had done this before, surely the other teachers would note the 'crazy old caretaker' running around the school again. She made her way back to class, her mood only slightly down.
When she got to her class, she pulled out the movies. The kids voted on Mulan. That class period wasn't bad, that is until 'Mister Smith'. Showed up, with a few opinions on actual Chinese culture.
He strode into the room as the great and powerful Mushu was introducing himself to Mulan. The Doctor blinked at the sight of the darkened class, pocketing his sonic and paying no mind to the way the students were gawking at him.
"Clara," He began, walking up to the English teacher who was studying him with deeply suspicious eyes, "Internet attack averted." He said it in a voice that only Clara could hear, but Clara knew the rumor hungry children had their ears trained on the pair.
"Smith," She rolled her eyes, "I really don't have time for your computer games."
"Oh, yes, you're far too busy with all this movie watching. Tell me, are your students going to test their knowledge on Chinese culture based off that?" He jerked his finger to the TV, "Very culturally relevant, utterly true, really, world class educational film. And so demanding of your time." He said it all with a smug grin, daring Clara to get annoyed.
"Oh absolutely." Clara said stone faced, "Every class bases their Chinese culture studies off Mulan. It's considered one of the more politically correct depictions of the past. College level material, honestly." She informed, just as smug.
"You're so funny." The Doctor said back "I almost forgot to laugh."
Clara only shrugged.
"So, this is called Mulan?" The Doctor inquired as he pulled up a small student chair next to Clara's swivel chair, and still managed to look taller than her. "I never really got the chance to watch children's movies. This is Disney right?"
"Ya," Clara said, then she raised her brow, "You never watched much Disney?"
"Never had the time, but in my last incarnation I think I watched most of the classic Mickey Mouse cartoons."
Clara didn't comment on the mention of his last regeneration. If she let it go and didn't draw attention, the kids wouldn't pick at it. She didn't need any 'reincarnated caretaker who hangs around the English teacher' rumors starting up. However, she could already hear the not-yet uttered romantic rumors about the two, which was bad enough.
"Huh, well if you want to hang around and watch Disney today, you're welcome to. It's basically all we're doing. We already took the big tests, and Adrian helped me get all the stuff graded, so I'm set with grades for the semester."
"Actually, I was hoping to recruit you for an adventure." He said back, his piercing eyes sparkling with excitement at the proposal. "I don't have much planned, but I'm sure something will come up." He sounded like he had very much planned.
Clara thought about this offer. It would be fun to go, but, she really wanted lunch, and yesterday (as ever since Christmas the Doctor had been showing up near every day) had seen her running for her life through a mad jungle and escaping an alien prison, an adventure she was still sore from. Bottom line, she wanted a break.
"Can we just hang around here til the end of school?" She asked.
The Doctor gave a dramatic sigh, "I suppose. I've never really been around with you at work, it could be interesting."
"It will be boring." She supplied. "But it would be nice to catch up. How many days has it been?"
"A week, for me." He replied.
Clara nodded, "Did anything fun?"
"I did plenty of fun things, but, we'll talk later when we don't have an audience." He gestured to the kids who were craning their necks to hear. Clara cocked her head, normally the Doctor was up for storytelling, regardless of the audience. Something was...off.
"Right." She decided, "It's very rude of them to listen in." Clara gave the class a stern look and many turned back to their work or the movie. Except for Courtney, who was sitting in the back row and had a knowing grin on her face.
The Doctor waved to Courtney before turning his own attention to the movie, making it a point to discredit the world of Mulan and point out all of the cultural lies. But when it was clear that Clara refused to be annoyed by his chatter, he stopped completely, taking to playing with Clara's hair out of boredom.
"You've grown your hair since Christmas." He observed, "Not a lot mind you, but I don't like it."
"I think I'm entitled to some change," She muttered back. "It's only fair."
The Doctor smiled at this.
When the movie ended and the bell rang, Clara all but shooed her class out the door before closing it. "So, you, why are you here?" Interrogation mode was a go She turned to the doctor who had built a tower-like structure out of colored pencils on Clara's desk.
"Why was I here, Clara." The Doctor corrected absently, stacking a blue pencil on top "The end of the world has been averted-again-and that's all you need to know."
"And the end of the world was nearly caused by the school computer lab?" She asked.
"Yes." The Doctor responded, straight faced as ever. She couldn't tell if he was joking.
"Right," Clara sighed. Despite the skeptic banter, she really did trust him, or at least, she trusted him to tell the truth about things that he had no other choice than to tell the truth about. If something world-changingly bad did happen, he had no problem getting Clara involved. "I'm just glad the school didn't blow up." She muttered.
"A valid concern," The Doctor replied, knocking down the tower and standing from the chair, "Nearly happened, but I saved things. So, adventure?"
Clara shook her head and made her way out of the room, "No, lunch time."
"Oh, of course," The Doctor followed, "I know a wonderful diner in nineteen sixties America, terrifyingly greasy, but good none the less. Or we could go to this one caffe in 26th century France where-"
"How about we go to the teacher's lounge, twenty first century, today?" Clara offered.
The Doctor frowned, "Define your terms Clara. Which teacher's lounge? At what point in the 21st century, this year, next year three-"
"The one in this school, today. I told you." They were in the hall now, Clara had locked the door and they were making their way down the walk, maneuvering through groups of students, "I can't go yet, school's not out."
"It's not? But you just let your students leave."
"I have more than one class you know!"
"Yes, maybe," He sighed, "But the other ones are full of pudding brains."
Clara glared, "And that one's not?"
"Not completely, Courtney's in it."
Clara rolled her eyes. "If you want to go and come back later, you can."
"Oi, there's nothing to do. Okay, no, there's everything to do. But I missed having someone around, and the shadows refuse to talk to me." He passed a glance down to both his and Clara's shadows, checking that there was only one for each of them as he continued to follow.
Clara rolled her eyes, "I wonder why that is." She mumbled.
"I've come to the conclusion that shadows are just rude in general." He offered.
"Good to know, and here I was convinced that they were inanimate."
"Never be convinced of anything, Clara, everything is subject to change. And besides, don't you ever hear those whispers in the dark, when no one's around? Or perhaps feel like you're being watched in an empty room, with nothing but a court of shadows to watch you? I'd wager that shadows, and the dark in general, is more alive than we can imagine."
He said the last part enchantingly, just loud enough that a nearby a group of teenagers could hear. He and raised his angry eyebrows with a smile that a demon may give someone whose soul he was set to take.
The students stared back with wide eyes, some looking down at their shadows.
"Stop scaring the kids." Clara sighed exasperated, but looking down at her shadow all the same.
They had arrived at the teachers lounge, and Clara stopped outside the door before adding "And try not to scare the adults."
"That will be tough," The Doctor said, "Adults are easier scarred than kids. Absolute cowards comparably."
Clara hummed and considered this as she opened the door. If the Doctor intended to hang around, it was set to be a long day.
A/N: Thank you for reading! I may, or may not add more.