Warning: the Doctor gets kind of physically abusive near the end of this fic, please don't read it if that makes you uncomfortable. I don't think it gets too bad, but I don't want anyone to feel too uncomfortable reading this so if you can't handle that kind of stuff please don't read.

AN: okay I have no idea where this even came from, the idea just popped into my head and I had to write it. I know this isn't what twelve is going to be like, but hey, that's what fanfiction is for. I'm on vacation so I didn't have time to proofread this, so sorry about any grammar/spelling mistakes. Please tell me what you thought of this after reading it, I'd really appreciate it!

"Clara. Don't move." He warned, his voice filled with fear and pain. "Keep your eyes on that statue and don't blink. I'll be right back, I'll save you."

"You're going to leave me here?" Clara kept her eyes on the stone angel that was dangerously close to touching her, but he could tell from the sound of her voice that they were wide with fear.

"I will save you." He promised. "I need to get back to the TARDIS, then I can- " He never got to finish the sentence. From behind him came a blue ray of electricity that zapped his whole body, making him cry out in pain.

Clara turned just in time to see him collapse on the floor. "Doctor!" She only had time to yell out his name, and then she was gone.


She found herself in the 1940s, right in the middle of a London air raid. Alarms were blaring all around her, and she could see people running for cover, but she couldn't bring herself to move.

"Doctor! Doctor!" She called out into the air, but she couldn't hear the sound of the TARDIS engine materializing next to her. She had no way of knowing if he was safe.

Someone bumped into her, hard enough to send her sprawling to the ground. And that's where she stayed, with tears falling down her cheeks and her face in her hands. She almost wished one of the bombs would hit her, it would be less painful than never knowing if he'd lived. "Doctor, my Doctor, please be okay. Please be okay."

It felt like hours before anyone stopped to help her, but it must have only been a couple minutes. "What are you doing? Are you crazy? You're going to be killed!" A panicked voice yelled at her as rough hands pulled her up to her feet and pushed her harshly toward an ally way.

"Stupid girl! What are you doing out in the open in the middle of an air raid?" The man pushed her against the wall, and for a second Clara was afraid. His eyes were filled with rage and fury, but she knew them. They were a different colour, they were below different eyebrows, and his face was definitely older. But they were still his eyes.

"D-Doctor?" Relief washed over her as she realized what this meant. He was okay. He was different, sure, he even had a Scottish accent now. But at least he was alive, she didn't care what he looked like.

"You didn't answer me! You have to stay safe! What if I'd lost you!" His grip rightened on her arms, making her gasp out in pain.

"Ow, Doctor you're hurting me." Tears were welling up in her eyes again, this time for a different reason. Her words only caused him to hold her tighter, and she let out a small whimper. The relief was gone, now replaced by fear.

He stared at her for another second before letting go of one arm, pulling her along with the other as he started walking further into the ally.

When they turned a corner, Clara finally saw the TARDIS in front of them. The ship was burnt in places and scratched up in others, and one of the windows was completely shattered.

"What happened?" Clara asked quietly. "It looks like you went through war."

"They tried to take you away from me, then they tried to kill me. I had to kill them all. Every last damn Weeping Angel and member of The Silence." The Doctor replied bluntly, opening the doors to his beloved ship and pushing Clara inside.

Finally inside, he let go of her, and Clara took a couple steps away from him as he walked straight to the console and began pulling levers and pressing buttons.

"What happened to you?"

For a moment, the Doctor didn't respond. But finally, the familiar engine sounds filled the room, and he looked up with cold, hard eyes. "Regeneration."

Clara shook her head. "You've changed more than just your body." She said angrily. "What happened to you? The man you were before wouldn't have grabbed me like that. Especially not if I told him he was hurting me."

"The man I was before is dead." He told her. "The man you loved is dead. But the man who loves you is still here." His eyes softened, if only for a second. But soon they hardened once again, his gaze cold as ice.

"Is that how you treat someone you love?" She asked, her voice breaking. She couldn't cry. Not in front of him. Later, when she was alone in her room, then she could mourn the loss of the man he'd been before.

"That's how I treat someone I'm trying to keep safe!" He raised his voice now, anger seeping into his words. "It's not my fault you were being idiotic! Why in the world did you think it was a good idea to stay out in the streets? You stupid, stupid girl! You need to learn to stay safe!" He stormed over to her, one hand up as if he was going to hit her.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking!" She stepped away from him, until she could feel the railing digging into her back.

"That much is obvious." He spat. Slowly, he lowered his arm, stepping back just a little.

A few moments passed before Clara had the nerve to speak again. "I want to go home." She told him, trying to sound as sure as she always did. But her voice came out small and shy.

Her words only seemed to anger him. "I went through all that trouble to get you back. And now you want to leave me?" He turned around to face her with anger burning in his eyes. "You're not going anywhere. You're going to stay right here. With me." He didn't raise his voice this time, in fact, he sounded strangely calm. But that only made Clara more afraid.

Who was this man? He definitely wasn't the Doctor. Not anymore. "Please, I just want to go home."

"I said, you're not going anywhere!" He took a step forward, making Clara flinch.

For a moment, Clara thought she saw regret in his eyes. He hadn't meant to make her afraid, he only wanted to keep her safe, and with him. But as fast as it had come, it was gone again, and Clara couldn't be sure she hadn't just made it up.

"Just go to your room." He told her, sighing. "I'll come get you when I need you."

She didn't know what else to do but obey. She left as quickly as she could, letting the tears flow as soon as she was out of his sight. This wasn't the man who'd shown up at her door dressed as a monk, the man who'd shown her the universe, the man who'd made her feel like she was everything. This wasn't the man she had fallen in love with.

The man she had fallen in love with was dead.