Title: When Time Stops
Author: Flydye8/Heintz571
Pairings: 12/Clara
Rating: T
Summary:Clara receives a watch from a mysterious lady at a carnival which counts down time. Once it reaches zero she will know she found her soul mate.
Author's Note: This was a fan fiction prompt from peterdcapowldi on tumblr. I hope this satisfies your request sufficiently.
It is not beta'ed so all mistakes are my own.
Clara walked along the carnival's thoroughfare while she munched on some popcorn she recently purchased from a local vender. The lights from all of the rides reflected in her eyes as she breathed in deeply. The smell of popcorn mixed with the smell of cotton candy gave her a sense of nostalgia, as she remembered the many times she and her parents visited the carnivals when she was a young girl.
Breathing a sigh of contentment she smiled, it had been a tough final semester at the university, but with persistence and perseverance she made it to graduation day. She now had two weeks off before she started her new job, as a governess, for a pair of children named Artie and Angie Maitland. The job didn't match her degree in English literature, but it would pay the bills till she could find a place to teach in one of London's schools.
The one thing that was missing in her life was someone she could love and possible share her life with. She wasn't looking for a husband currently, but she longed for someone to hold her and who she could hold in return. Was it too much for the universe to grant her such a person?
A voice called out to her interrupting her thoughts; Clara searched for the source and smiled as her friend Nina approached. Glad for the distraction she raised her hand and waved to her friend.
Breathlessly Nina arrived next to her; she weaved her arm through Clara's before speaking, "I'm so glad you could make it. I thought you wouldn't show up."
"Sorry I'm late I had to finish some last minute packing before heading out." Clara explained.
"Well I am glad you're here now. Come on there's a place down the way that I want to show you." Nina said as she practically dragged Clara down the path toward their destination.
Clara giggled at her friend's enthusiasm and when they stopped outside a small building with the word Psychic embossed over the doorway. She sighed and pulled her friend's arm, "Seriously, Nina you want to go in there?"
Nina's eyes sparkled, "Yeah, it will be fun. Let's see what type of future we are going to have." she said as she entered the threshold of the building.
Rolling her eyes, Clara followed her inside. Immediately, her eyes began to water as the earthy scent of incense sticks invaded her nose. She brought her hand up to her face with the hope of stifling the scent as she looked and saw gadgets of all types littering the walls and shelves. In the center of the room there was a circular table.
Clara shook her head when she noticed Nina was already seated on one side of the table. Directly opposite of her was a woman who didn't look like your typical psychic reader. Her dark hair was piled on top of her head, her bright blue eyes were lined heavily with charcoal eyeliner, and her lips were colored with a red lipstick.
But what surprised Clara the most was how she was dressed, instead of scarfs and flowing garments the woman wore a nicely tailored purple coat over a white shirt and a long tailored purple skirt. It was almost like she stepped right out of the movie Mary Poppins.
When the psychic spoke to Nina, Clara heard a distinct Scottish accent, "So my dear." the woman began, "You want to know what your future entails."
Nodding Nina replied, "Yeah, I want to know if I'll find love and marry? Will I find a good job? How many children will I have? You know stuff like that."
When the psychic smiled at her friend, Clara felt her skin prickle with nervousness. There was something abnormal about the women but she just couldn't figure out what it was.
Clara watched as the woman's eyes rolled back behind her eyelids her voice becoming light and distant, "Your timeline runs true and straight in a linearity of life's rites of passages. You'll marry have two children, a job that gives you funds and fulfillment. Your descendants will do a great many things." As she finished her voice returned to its Scottish accent, "Your future is bright my dear."
Nina smiled broadly at her friend, "Clara did you hear all of that?"
"Yeah I did. It sounds lovely." She commented not wanting to dampen her friend's mood by pointing out the vagueness of the reading.
Nina stood and gestured to Clara, "Now it's your turn."
"Nah, I don't think so. Let's go and enjoy some carnival rides." Clara suggested wanting to be far away from the mysterious purple clad woman as possible.
"Ahh come on be a sport. I did it and so should you. Please!" Nina begged.
Shrugging her shoulders, Clara sat in the vacated seat, "Alright." then she looked at the woman and continued, "I should warn you, I don't believe you can see the future."
The woman just smiled and said cryptically, "You will." then holding out her hands she continued, "However, since you're a skeptic I'll need you to take my hands so I can give you an accurate reading."
Clara grabbed the woman's hands and was surprised to find them much colder than her own. She watched as the woman closed her eyes before speaking again, "You will see wonders with a man who has two hearts and two faces. One face showing a childlike fascination, the other stern creased with the burden of many years of time. Your soul will be scattered throughout time with one purpose, and that purpose will be written in the stars and beyond."
As she spoke Clara felt a tingling sensation up and down her spine, with the acute awareness of destiny and fate. Wanting to shake the unwelcomed feeling she said acerbically, "Oh this is rubbish."
The psychic met her eyes and smiled slyly, "No my dear, your fate was decided the moment you were born, but there is a positive aspect to your timeline, you will be loved and love deeper than any other human in this universe."
Clara yanked her hands away from the psychic, her heart pounding in her ears. Taking deep breaths she observed the purple clad woman rise from her seat and walk over to a shelf that held many different types of clocks, watches, and time pieces.
The woman picked up a watch and traced it with the tips of her fingers before she turned and handed it to Clara, "Here wear this."
Clara looked down at the device and noticed the numbers on the face counting backwards, "What's this?" she questioned curiously.
"That my dear is a countdown, once it reaches zero you will be in the presence of the man who will love you unconditionally. What you do after that is up to you, but if you reject his love you will never truly be happy and content. You will wonder through time and space unfulfilled and unhappy."
Not believing a word that the psychic said, Clara tried to hand the watch back to her, "So sorry but I think I'm in control of my fate and destiny and not some silly watch."
Deftly the woman grabbed Clara's wrist and attached the watch to it, stating factually, "You're wrong."
"Why me?"
"Because you have been chosen my dear."
"Who has chosen me?" Clara continued to question.
"I've chosen you." The woman in purple responded with a menacing laugh.
Fear surrounded Clara as she heard the laugh ringing in the small room; she rushed to Nina's side and grabbed her hand, "We need to run."
They hurried out of the building and into the night air and moved quickly toward the Ferris wheel. Once they were high in the air Clara finally breathed a sigh of relief. Glancing down at the watch on her wrist she tried to take it off only to find it locked tight.
Nina watched as Clara fiddled with the watch and commented, "Just bring it to a locksmith shop they will get it off."
Clara responded, "Yeah, I think I will do that."
Time progressed and Clara found herself in the presence of the Doctor, the watch hidden away in her jewelry box. She tried to throw out the infernal thing but each time she hesitated and then placed it back into its drawer.
The adventures she shared with her bow-tie wearing alien friend filled her Wednesdays and the children under her care filled the rest of the week kept her from thinking about the countdown on the watch.
It wasn't until Christmas, after she was sent home from Trenzalore, that she withdrew the watch from its hidden confines. She sat on her bed and through her tears she noted that the numbers were close to zero. In a strange way she felt comforted as she watched the numbers decrease steadily.
On a whim she placed the watch in her pocket when she suddenly heard the distinct sound of the TARDIS echoing from outside her building. She ran outside and toward the welcoming blue box a smile on her face. However, when she entered her smile faltered as she saw Tasha Lem at the console of the ancient ship.
Standing at the console of the TARDIS, Clara reached for the Doctor as he arched back and then suddenly change into someone new.
With a shocked expression she stood immobilized as this new Doctor expressed his dislike of the color of his kidneys while the TARDIS twisted and turned uncontrollably as it crashed in the Jurassic period of Earth's history, soon after they found themselves in Victorian London fighting robots from the dawn of time.
When they arrived in Glasgow, Clara pulled out her phone and when doing so the watch in her pocket fell to the ground. She listened to the previous Doctor beg her to accept the new aspect of himself, and after the call was disconnected she lowered her head. It was then she saw the countdown on the watch reach zero, her breath hitched with the knowledge that all the things the psychic had told her, many years ago, had come true.
She turned and faced the new version of the Doctor and decided to embrace her destiny and do her best to love the man standing before her with the hope that someday he would reciprocate her love.
Author's note: Let me know what you think of this little short one shot. I love getting feedback