A/N: So, in honor of the 10th Anniversary of New Who, I'm starting a brand new fic unlike any I've written before! It's gonna be pretty exciting, so make sure you stick along for the ride! :D I know a lot of these kinds of fics can be really awful and cheesy, but mine will not be that way, I promise. Here we gooo!

Clara Oswald stacked up her finished marking with a satisfied sigh. It was only eight o' clock, but she had nothing left to do. Her lesson plans were all done, flat tidied, dishes washed…

She drummed her fingers on her knee as she thought. There had to be something she could do, because she certainly couldn't stand not doing anything. Settling down and reading a book or watching some telly might be nice in a couple hours, but the night was still young and she wasn't even tired yet.

Something buzzed against her hip and she pulled her phone from her pocket hopefully, frowning as she saw it was only a text from a fellow teacher. What had she been hoping for? The Doctor?

Clara sighed. Of course she had. She wasn't sure what her life away from the Doctor amounted to anymore. Without Danny, it seemed almost…pointless. She had been staying on board the TARDIS for days on end now, though always getting back in time to teach.

A smile came to her lips. If there was one thing her normal life was for, it was teaching.

A grating noise tugged her from her thoughts. Clara looked up in time to see the materializing form of the TARDIS, slowly becoming solid right in front of her. Finally it settled and the noise stopped. The door swung open and the Doctor rushed out, his eyes immediately locking onto her.

"Come on," he said, waving her toward the TARDIS. "I need you for a thing."

She had no argument. She had been waiting for him, and he probably knew it too. "Okay." She jumped up and walked into the familiar space and time machine. "What sort of thing?" Clara asked over her shoulder as the Doctor followed behind her.

"Not sure. That's why I need you." He ran to the console and set the TARDIS into motion, staring at the monitor. "There are some strange readings coming from Cardiff. Could be bad. Potentially. Well, probably."

Clara laughed. "Cardiff? Seriously? All of time and space and you want to go to Cardiff?"

The Doctor looked at her with wide eyes, gesturing to the screen. "I can't just ignore these readings! They're huge and potentially catastrophic!"

"Let me guess: world threatening?" Clara leaned her arms on the edge of the console, raising her eyebrows at him.

"From experience, I'd say yes." He nodded as the TARDIS groaned and wheezed, landing with a thump. "But now we can know for sure." He dashed to the doors and flung one open. Clara followed just behind him, but before she could get out the door, the Doctor ran back in and slammed the door behind him.

Clara paused and took in the Doctor's shocked expression. There wasn't much that could ruffle him like this. "Doctor…?" she asked, hesitantly reaching out a hand to help.

His back against the door, the Doctor inhaled a deep breath. "We should go."

Clara reached out and grabbed his arm as he tried to make a run for the console. "Wait, Doctor-"

But then there was a series of three knocks at the TARDIS doors. The Doctor stiffened under Clara's grasp, his head turning toward the sound as a frown settled deeper into his expression. "Go away," the Doctor said as he wrenched himself from Clara's grip. "No one here." He went to the console, but he wasn't fast enough. There was a click from the door, and it swung open with that familiar creak.

"How did you get into my… Oh." The stranger swallowed, his eyes roaming around the room, coming to rest on Clara. "This isn't my TARDIS," he added, his lips barely moving as he spoke.

Clara couldn't tear her gaze from his even if she had wanted to. She hadn't realized just how much she had missed him until just now: the bow tie, the floppy hair, his hands that were always moving about.

She blinked hard. Dream. It has to be a dream. But he was still there when she opened her eyes, looking just as awestruck as she felt. Her throat constricted as her vision blurred with tears. There was only one thing she knew to say.

"Doctor."