Spoilers
A/N: Hey guys, this idea just came to me when I was re-watching Clara's 'death' and River's final night with the Doctor. Something about it made me wonder if River pulled a little trick that no one realised.
"I was mentally linked with Clara, if she's really dead, then how I am still here?"
"Alright I give up, how?"
"Spoilers."
Clara strolled around the console of her TARDIS, enjoying the comforting sounds of whirling and wheezing but it wasn't the same. She missed THE TARDIS, not that hers wasn't great. The old diner had been good to them, especially since they had rescued it from storage and was taking it on lots of adventures. Ashildr had gone to bed but Clara stayed up, being frozen really meant that everything about her was frozen. No heartbeat, no sweat, no exhaustion. It was strangely humorous to her that she was now more suited to travel with the Doctor than ever before. She even understood the Doctor's restlessness, wanting to go on the next adventure immediately but having to wait on a companion's need to recharge. Ashildr may be immortal but she still needed to rest. Suddenly the console beeped and River Song's face popped up on her screen. "Hello Clara."
"Hello River." River had never contacted her before but the archaeologist did know about her situation since they had run into each other some time ago.
She hadn't been deliberately looking for anyone; just visiting a museum to do a little counting for herself. Ashildr was currently laughing herself silly over the 67th century's interpretation of the Viking Era while she amused herself with the accepted history of Zygon-Human Relations. She was about to check on her friend when a hand touched her arm, "Hello Clara."
"Dr. Song!" Clara jumped. "It's nice to see you again."
"You've met me before?" River raised an eyebrow and Clara made a noise.
"Right, timelines out of order," Clara waved her hands. "Hang on, if we've never met, how did you recognize me?"
"I recently spent some time with the Doctor," River explained. "He told me about what he remembers and the TARDIS caught me up on the rest. I know all about Gallifrey and what happened. How long has it been since…?"
Clara shook her head, "Don't know, don't want to know."
"I don't blame you," River patted her shoulder.
Clara sighed and moved on, "What are you doing here?"
"Research, I've been called to do some work at the Library and I wanted to look into a few things."
"Did you find what you needed?"
"No," River replied. "I'll have to call the Doctor to meet me there."
"Lucky you," Clara's mouth trembled but she quickly pulled herself together. "But if you need me for anything don't hesitate to ask."
River smiled, "I'll remember that."
"What can I do for you Professor?" Clara asked.
"Madame Vastra is calling a telepathic conference and I was hoping to mentally link with you. It would give me the chance to go beyond just the conference and keep an eye on things."
"That's right, you were uploaded to a database," Clara recalled. "I'll be at that conference; you could keep the link with me open there."
"Yes being on a database leaves me rather immobile but an open link with this version of you might just be a little more stable don't you think?"
"Of course," Clara breathed. "That makes so much sense."
"Well I am rather brilliant myself," River quipped.
"No I meant – oh never mind," Clara dismissed. "How do I link with you?"
"Just tap into your TARDIS's telepathic circuits and I'll do the rest," River instructed and Clara went over to that portion of the console. Unlike the Doctor's jelly-like interface, she had two spherical objects that she could hold on to. She carefully grasped both and closed her eyes in concentration, "Ready."
"Keep your mind open," River told her and she took several breaths to keep everything blank and suddenly she was in front of River in a comfortable but clearly expensive living room in what appeared to be a mansion. "Welcome to my home," River greeted.
"This is the database," Clara asked awed.
"Yes the Doctor fixed the core with a few upgrades. It's been nice," River sighed. "Still feels like I'm -"
"A book on a shelf?" Clara guessed and River nodded.
"Exactly." River agreed. "Well we're linked and I'm running late for the conference."
"Not by much I assure you," Clara said wryly.
"You would know," River chuckled. "It's not often I meet someone, other than the Doctor, who is ahead of me. I should be off, goodbye Clara."
"See you in a few moments Dr. Song, don't forget the champagne," Clara stepped back and River was gone. One blink and she awoke back in the control room except she was on the ground. She also seemed to have hit her head really hard. She sat up and went back over to the screen, planning the next adventure. The whole experience made her feel a little nostalgic maybe a quick trip Trenzalore was in order.
A/N: Hey guys, I hope you all liked it. So here's my reasoning: River knew that Clara had never really died but she was as good as dead when she jumped into the Doctor's timeline. That being said, how was River still able to maintain a link with her? The answer, River linked with the frozen Clara just before coming, that's why she was late. I mean come on, it's not like River was doing a whole lot on the library computers. But River didn't know how Clara had survived this so she fought the Doctor about going into his own timeline. Personally I hope we can get like a mini-episode about this because I think that's the only loose end left from River's timeline. Okay then folks, I hope you all check out my ongoing series, right now we're on 'When Universes Collide' and things are getting good! Until next time, ENJOY! R&R PLZ!