"Philippi…"
Summary: The Doctor, seeking an answer to the mystery of Clara, has decided to turn to the one person who always has the answer…Even if she never tells him straight out. And gets a message from an old acquaintance…
Disclaimer: Who me? No commercial interest or infringement intended whatsoever…
"You're staring again…" Clara Oswald, brushing dark brown hair back, readjusting perched sunglasses, frowning across the blinking console. "If you're not gonna stop…"
"I can't help it…You know that."
"Flattering…" wry frown… "Doctor? If you're nervous about me… 'the impossible girl'…" she sighed. "Take me back…Leave me…"
"Back?" shrewd look. "At the Asylum?"
Grrr…This again.
"Stop that being irritatingly clever…"
"'Clever boy'….?" Shrewd look…
Eyes closed…Pause…She opened again…
"Still staring."
"Yeah…I do that, sorry…" brush of stray lock…Maintenance of steady look…
"Doctor…This all looks and sounds like you don't trust me." Clara, a note of sorrow creeping in under her annoyed tone. "I didn't ask you to come to me, you came seeking me."
"I trust you with my life, Clara O.O."
"One O., Doctor…One O. I can't tell you why I'm so like those others, can't one have been my great-something and the other have me for a great-great…" anxiously.
"Great-great-great….And great –great-great-great-great-great-, I'd say…" smile.
"Fine. Or maybe there's some weird time thing…Say. " pause, shrewd look of her own. "Maybe you drop me…Later on…"
"And you get killed each time? And never remember enough to tell…Hmmn…?" he paused.
"Yeah, doesn't quite…Unless you had to out of kindness or something…After you can't quite pull off saving me and have to do some odd thing involving leaving me each time? No? Not quite?"
"No…Apart from my being incapable of that level of incompetence in saving someone…You know…" he eyed her. "There is someone I know…Whom I haven't seen in a bit…Someone whose story is just a bit."
"Hah! Like me!" Clara, smugly. "So, problem solved, lets go meet me…Or the person who makes me…Ummn?" sheepish look. "Didn't mean for that to come out quite like that."
"One never knows…" smile.
"Don't say that…" anxious look. "Doctor, I do not want to find out that someone 'made' me."
"Ah…Well…I agree with you…Never discuss religion, especially with a Time Lord. Well, unless you object, shall we?"
"Oh, wait! I haven't gotten the instructions from whoever for springing the trap yet." She eyed him coolly.
"That was a joke, son." She frowned at his look.
"Of course, of course…Ha, ha…" heartily. "Ha…Uh…Ha, ha."
Times I wish I still had my dog around…Or at least an extra companion…Keeping a eye and in K-9's case a high-energy laser on suspects.
Not that dear Clara is a suspect…
Though…As a mystery…I suppose…He eyed her narrow look…Well…
"Doctor? Are we going or no?"
"Uh, yes…Just have to send out a message…Then we go…"
"A message? But if you know where…She? Is…?"
"I never know where she is…But when I say where and when, she's there…Hold on." Stare…
"How do you know he or it's a she?" narrowly shrewd stare…
"The look in your eye…" she eyed him. He eyeing her a moment…
Both eyeing each other…
"Fair enough…" he shrugged, moving to the TARDIS console before him.
"So what message? To where?"
"To when is the best question…And…The answer…Is…" he tapped on the console…
"Everywhere and anywhere…" roguish grin…
"Really? Won't that take…?"
"Yowzah…There we are." he grinned at the console display…She peering to see the "yowzah, sweetie" on the display.
"Well, mustn't keep her waiting…Lets see…Yes…From the Canadian side, less clichéd, everyone does it from the American side…And 1924 should be just enough outside yet on the edges of the 30s New York City time distortion to make it…Interesting…" he threw various levers, whanged on the console… "Though the Jazz Era of the 20s doesn't require a time distortion created by weeping angels to be…Interesting."
"Weeping what?" she stared.
"Nasties…Not very fond of them, at all…Sooner or later, you'll find out why. Just a minute, want to be a bit careful setting down here…"
"You have to teach me to drive this thing…" she noted. "Are the blue switches stabilizers?"
Pause…Blink…
"How did you know that?"
"Lucky guess…And we seemed to level off when you pressed them."
"Good sense of balance, Clara…" he eyed her.
"Doctor, you're getting that look again…That 'who is she, really?' look."
"Sorry. But only one person ever knew the purpose of those blue switches…Until she told me, then more people knew."
Ah…He felt the satisfying screech of the TARDIS stop…
And River says it's better without leaving the brakes on…How else can one have that satisfying feeling...That we've…
"And here we are…"
"But…" Clara looked at the console…
"Where? When?" she came round. "Doctor? Are you deliberately…?"
She gazed out the thrown open door from the console as he stepped back to let her see…
"Welcome to Niagara Falls, Clara Oswald." Flourish…
"Niagara Falls? Earth? Earth's Niagara Falls?" She eyed the raging waters, stepping gingerly to the door…The TARDIS more or less securely set in a small bit of field near the torrent at the bottom.
Well, better here than up there…She inclined head to look up.
Knock at door…
"Not as nice as the ones on old Gallifrey at Kelnor or oh, Promos Five at Squeia…" he nodded, with sigh… "Yes…Those run up due to a natural anti-gravity field, but…These are…Oh…Mustn't forget…" he raced to the console…Pulling out a top hat from underneath.
"A top hat?"
"A little surprise. She likes me in top hat…" beam… "Oh…"
"And there she is…" he hurried to the door, opening with another flourish …
"HalloSweetie…" he hastily called… "Hah, got…" he cut off…Clara, looking over…Not yet able to see though she strained just beyond the polite bounds.
"River?" he peered out. Glancing around…
Hmmn…
"Really, love?" a woman's rich voice, dryly. "The whole infinite greater multi-universe to choose from and you pick Niagara Falls for a honeymoon?" River Song in American 20's dressy blouse, slacks, light jacket with long scarf, and flapper's long hat, materializing before him.
"Canadian side…" he noted, proudly.
"Well, I'll grant you that…Sorry, I had to find something to wear. Nice hat." she grinned, starting to step in, lifting scarf over the step…Moving to peck his cheek… "And that was my line, sweetie…" mock glare. Whoa…She jumped back…
Whoa…He jumped back as well as she sparked…Literally…And to his concealed disappointment, before the kiss…
Hmmn…Lovely…And nice color sense with that bit of red scarf around the black…But a bit…I mean, for him…Well, for his appearance at least. Clara, staring over…
Of course if she's a friend and some sort of relative, or some other alien…Who knows what age she might be.
Whoa… River Song stared…
Not that sparks don't fly each time…But…
"What? Did you turn on the forcefield and set it for selectively semi-Gallifreyian/Earth human hybrid?"
"No…I've never turned it on…" he frowned at her. "I like people and the door's always open, you know that…"
"And you forgot or didn't know your TARDIS had a defensive selective force field." River, eyeing him from the doorway, coolly.
"Oh, hello…" she eyed the approaching Clara. "You know, darling…" brittle smile to the doctor. "That's not me mum. And it's not Dad, either. Not that I expected you'd resolved the time distortion block even when you chose the outer fringes…"
"No…It's Clara…"
"Ah…" smile. "Clara. Right. Clara…" She eyed the nervous-looking but clearly intelligent girl in light top, slacks, sunglasses perched. Brunette, large brown eyes.
"Have you met her?" careful stare…
"I'm still outside the bloody TARDIS, so no."
"He means…" Clara, helpfully.
"I know what he means, sweetie." River frowned.
"Is it just my marital defense shields snapping on or do they get younger, each time…?" sour look.
"Married?!" Clara gasped.
"Married, sweetie." River, frowning…
"Are you gonna be like this with all my companions?" the Doctor hissed to her.
"I was nice to your last one…"
"Amy was…"
"I mean the last one, not my mum…"
"I didn't even know you then…"
"Not an excuse you can use this time, sweetie." Hard stare…
"Right…After you told me not to travel alone…Now can we put jealousy and discord back in the Pandorica…?" grin…
"Shut up…And why can't…"
"…And figure out why you can't get in?" he eyed her. "Right then, first experiment…Hand out…" he reached out of the TARDIS. "Good…"
"Fine…Hows about the simple solution…" she pulled at his hand…Yanking him out…
"See, the beauty of experimental data…I can't get in…But you can get out…" she noted. Eyeing him where he'd fallen… "So what does that tell you…?"
Apart from the fact that I may have just saved your lives again, getting you away from whatever is going on with this one, my dearest…
"Doctor?!..." Clara ran over…Stepped out…
River already by his side before she could move out…Carefully interposing herself…A clear "hands-off, sweetie" without words…
"Is he?..."
Clara a bit nonplused by River's rather fierce look…Which quickly relented at the obvious concern…
Sincere enough…We'll see.
OOOh… "Fine…I'm fine…" he rose a bit…Groaning…
"Milking it for all he's worth…" River frowned… "Come and help me hoist him up…Come on, sweetie…Two lovely women hauling you off for bliss at Niagara Falls, that would even arouse a Cyberman."
"Yeah…He does…" she eyed Clara's annoyed… "Now just a mo…" look. "Feisty. Hmmn…" she eyed the slight static discharge as their hands came close… "Now that's…"
The Doctor groaning for real now, collapsing to the ground in agony…
"Sweetheart!..." River, cradling his fall…
"What's happened?!..." Clara, anxiously…
"GET THE HELL BACK, DON'T YOU TOUCH HIM!..." River fiercely, Clara jumping at her harsh cry…Then, crisply, relaxing a bit. "No, no apology, dearie… I enjoyed that…I've gotten very little jealousy time and it's a rather important component in a relationship." smile at Clara as Clara pulled back, startled…
No need to mention the one person so far I've had reason, however unfair, to be jealous of was my own mother…
"But there is a reason…We're definitely generating a kind of electric or subatomic with likely temporal component field In proximity…It's defibrillating one or both of his hearts. You'd best get back in the TARDIS, it's shielded. Go! I can handle him and his damned hearts."
"But…"
"Go!" River pointed to the open door. "I'm only doing this for…" Clara began, stepping back.
"Yeah, yeah…Like you're the first…Just sit tight a mo, sweetie and lets let the professional handle things."
The Doctor trembling, groaning…
"Oh, for God's sakes, girl!…Move it before I assume you're dragging deliberately! Miss, I won't ask again." A far more threatening look in its calm than her fierce glare earlier…
"Fine…" Clara, miffed. But stepping back to the TARDIS…Rushing inside.
"Great…I'll let you know." River called…
Hmmphf…
"All thumbs, abandoned you to a stranger, and didn't demand proof I was a friend…You're pickin' em well these days, sweetie…" River, pulling the unconscious doctor back a bit…Setting him down a moment later.
"Now, just let me…" He vaguely heard her voice filtering through, fading out…He found himself afloat in an immense void…
"Doctor…" the floating shadow to his front, taking vague shape, called to the Doctor, it likewise floating in the void…
"Hello…" Clara, holding sonic screwdriver pointed Riverward from the TARDIS entrance. "Demanding proof you're a friend and not quite as all thumbs as all that."
"That's more like companion material…" River nodded, with tight smile… "But, first…You'll have to trust his recognizing me and second, we've no time for this." She showed and fired a small, palmed, ray gun at Clara, who collapsed back into the TARDIS.
"Potential there…" she sighed. "Good to see. Hey!" she turned back to the doctor, hard shake, shoving needle in his chest. "Wakey, wakey, sweetie."
"Doctor…" the shadow, taking vaguely humanoid form.
"Hello…Am I somewhere? Or just dreaming? Or…?"
"Not that easy for you, boy…" stern voice.
"Do we know each other? Care to take a proper form…And perhaps provide a little solid ground? I like solid ground…Floating about gets me nauseous. I flunked zero gravity sports back at school, several times."
"You're in a dream state, near death."
"Well, that's something concrete, thanks for telling me…Are River and Clara all right? Or are they here?"
"They are in the greatest of danger…As you so richly deserve, boy."
"Again with the juvenilization…Who are you? A dream of my dad, perhaps? A warning to keep off the ladies…Did my wife put you up to this? She's getting a bit clingy you know. Not that I don't sort of like it." Grin.
"I am thy evil spirit…Doctor…"
"Good enough…Not a particularly clear answer but a better one than I often get in such situations. My evil spirit…Hmmn…" he pondered. "Really? My own or are you being…?"
"Here to tell you that you will see me at Philippi…Boy." the shadow faded.
"Shakespearean…I like that…" beam. "Haven't met anyone with a good Shakespearian flourish since the Master, in his salad days. Hmmn…Now who…."
Oooh…
"What happened?" he hopped up, eyeing River who immediately covered a desperate relief… "Did I regenerate?..." he felt himself.
No, rather familiar…
"Still not ginger, love." Grin at his frantic search for a mirror, which she provided out of her purse. "Not that I want to ever see it on you but when are you gonna let me buy you some hair dye for your birthday sos you can see just how awful it would be?"
"When you let me donate a few lives…" shrewd look.
She suddenly blinking tears…
"River…"
She hurriedly put finger to his lips… "That's not possible…It can't be done and it would damage our lives as well as the Universe by altering your past and my future, you know that."
"It's not fair, River…You shouldn't have been robbed of your lives. Not to mention your life."
"If it meant not being with you…Screw it, sweetie. Doctor, we're here now, together." Warm smile… "And I've saved you one more time…"
"Thanks…" bow.
"And you brought me to Niagara Falls…" demure grin… "Though I still say, cliché…" chuckle…
"We deserve a honeymoon…And I like to do the traditional…"
"Since when?"
"Sometimes…" he gave annoyed shrug.
"And you brought a friend along…" sour look… "Who seems a bit of a puzzle. Where did you pick her up?"
"Actually, since you mention it…" he beamed.
She closed eyes, opened in glare…
Uh-oh…
"I can have her stay with the TARDIS while we see the Falls, find a nice little tourist trap restaurant…"
"You called me here to figure her out." Grim tone. "Though I'll hold you to that dinner thing."
"No one but you, darling…"
Sigh. Glare…
"Oh and while I was having my latest near-death…Someone called me 'boy' and told me they'd see me at Philippi. What do you think?"
"Sounds a bit more interesting than another illiterate Dalek shouting "Exterminate"…Nice someone in the universe reads Shakespeare and makes use of him."
"I was thinking it could be guilt…Perhaps thinking of my father?"
"You?"
"I had a father…I have residual guilt over my past, Gallifrey. It could happen…Probably it really is some kind of menacing calling card but it could just be a guilty dream."
"Guilt about what?" she frowned. "How many times have you stepped in for whatever god or gods the people you save worship and done the job? I'm sick of hearing any talk about you and guilt, sweetheart. Leave that to the Guardians of the Universe…They're the ones letting people down…Not you, not ever you. Love…" she seized his stricken face… Peering into it…
"Gallifrey had its day and the Time Lords made their choice and took the path they took instead of yours. You didn't fail them, they failed themselves. And you owe them nothing." She released him, sad, concerned stare.
"Supportive wife I have." Grin.
"Better than you deserve." Wan grin.
"Hmmn…" he'd looked back at the TARDIS to see Clara on the floor just inside…
"Speaking of guilt…" he frowned at River.
"Unavoidable, sweetie…" shrug… "And she pulled a screwdriver on me."
