A/N: SPOILERS FOR FACE THE RAVEN IN THIS FIC. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
Not Even Death
The dark, sinister form of the Raven came swooping towards her. It's flight was ominously quiet, too quiet for something so deadly. All her instincts screamed at her to run, but she stood her ground and waited for the end. Her lips moved in a whispered mantra.
"Let me be brave. Let me be brave. Let me be brave."
The Raven plummeted down, and Clara opened her arms to accept its cool embrace.
She felt no pain when it first entered her chest, only a slight tickle. Soon, though, an ice cold sensation started spreading outwards from her heart to the very tips of her toes. It froze her down to the bones and it hurt. It was agony like a kind she'd never felt before. Tears glistened in her eyes and she let loose a harsh scream that was full of all the pain she had suffered.
For a brief moment the ice receded from her veins and she felt something that almost seemed like happiness. Happiness she hadn't felt since... Since Danny died. Danny. At least she would be with him again.
Clara Oswald almost smiled as she breathed her last, and her soul fled swiflty into the heavens where she knew someone awaited her.
"Clara? Clara!"
A very familiar voice entered Clara's head and woke her from her slumbers. She cracked her eyes open and found a dark shape blotting out the light. Her vision slowly adjusted and she beheld the concerned face of Danny Pink.
"What are you doing here Clara? You were supposed to have a long life, you were supposed to live. Why are you here?"
She was confused for a moment. What did he mean? Then all the pieces of the puzzle clicked together and she remembered. She remembered facing the Raven. She remembered the cold agony of those last few seconds. She remembered dying.
"I had to do it, Danny. I thought I was doing the right thing and that I would save an innocent life. I thought I could cheat death. This is all my fault." Even though she willed herself not to, Clara's eyes filled with tears and they spilled down her cheeks in lament of what she had lost. She felt Danny gather get up into his arms just like he used to and his steady hands stroked her hair as she wept.
"It's okay. Shhh. I'm here, we're okay."
Clara allowed him to soothe her for some time before she broke away from his embrace, however much she didn't want to. She realised that she had forgotten the sound of his voice, his gentle nature and his distinctive smell. All these things came to mind as she stared into his dark eyes and she wondered how she had ever let them go.
"I'm sorry," she said for about the tenth time since they had started walking.
"It's fine, Clara. You weren't to know this would happen."
"But I shouldn't have been so reckless and so stupid. I should've just let things be."
"You thought you were doing the right thing. That's all that matters to me."
"Really?" She glanced hopefully into his beautiful face and found him looking right back.
"Really." He leaned down towards her and met her mouth with his.
His lips felt soft and warm and full of love, just like she remembered. That was something that not even death had been able to take away from them.
How long they stood there for, Clara didn't know. All she was aware of was her and Danny and the pressure of his gentle kiss. The world could have burnt down at that moment and she wouldn't have cared. She was there, with him, and she felt more alive than she had done in years.
"Do you think he'll be okay?" Clara asked. They had gone to Danny's flat in wherever they were and sat cuddled up on the sofa.
"Who?"
"The Doctor. He isn't good with being alone, I don't think, and he'll be even worse because he saw me die."
"He'll be fine Clara. Remember when you lost me?"
She nodded assent, remembering vividly the torture of Danny's death.
"You were sad for while, weren't you? But then you recovered and moved on with your life."
Again, a nod.
"Right. He'll be the same, only it might take a little longer what with his long life. He'll move on eventually. It'll just take time. It was the same for me. When I died, I felt like I had lost you forever. I could have been moping around for eternity, but I didn't. And a good job too, otherwise we wouldn't be in this place now."
She giggled and rested her head against his chest. "I suppose you're right. Now, you were saying something about eternity?"
"Ah, yes. We have the rest of time to spend together now, don't we?"
"Then we'd better get started."
A/N: Thank you so much for reading and I really hope you enjoyed it. Please review, favourite and follow if you would like. Bye!