Chapter 1
Inspired by the recent Day of the Doctor special (which was totally, absolutely, positively AWESOME!), I decided to write a short fanfic on Doctor Who. It will only be a few chapters, but I hope you all like it. Please review, and I'll be sure to return the favor!
The Doctor pulled at the lapels of his jacket, looking into a mirror of the TARDIS. Licking his hand, he slipped his fingers back along his bangs. He turned to me, smiling nervously.
"How do I look?" the Doctor asked, smoothing out the wrinkles in his trousers.
I rolled my eyes, but couldn't keep the grin off my face. "For the tenth time you look positively lovely."
He narrowed his eyes, unsure whether I was telling the truth or was growing bored of watching him fix his hair and straighten his bow tie for the past half an hour.
I strode up to him and kissed him lightly on the cheek. Pulling back, I gave him a reassuring smile. "She'll love you. How could she not?"
The Doctor's suspicion disappeared, and his face relaxed. Before I could say anything else, he whisked me into his arms and spun me around the console of the TARDIS. I loved it when he did that.
"Clara Oswald, you are brilliant! Wonderfully brilliant!" he laughed.
I giggled, but he soon slowed and set me back onto my feet. I snatched up my jacket that hung on the railing and slipped it on. I looped my red scarf around my neck and pulled on my striped hat. "Ready?"
He looked like a schoolboy on Christmas day. "Yes."
Pushing the door open, we both exited the TARDIS, the cold December wind nipping at our cheeks. Snow fell lightly from the sky, dusting the Earth in a white, sparkling beauty. The sun receded into the skyline, the sky enveloped with purple, red, and orange. London was busy with the typical Christmas Eve bustle.
He offered me his arm. Beaming, I gladly took it, and we began to wander the streets of London. People greeted us with kindness, offering wishes of "Happy Holidays" and "Merry Christmas". We gazed up at the twinkling Christmas lights, smiling stupidly. For once, it was nice not being chased. It was nice not having to run for our lives. For once, he didn't have to be clever, and I didn't have to save him. I didn't have to be impossible.
I had never seen him so excited. His eyes were now full of hope, full of life. They were young and youthful. It was strange how one silly girl could do that to him. He was nervous though. I could tell. Worried that she wouldn't like him, worried that she wouldn't accept him, his life, his past. But I had no doubt she would fall in love with him. I did. Oh, but not in the way you think.
It all started with one saying. A saying from one of his past lives. A saying he was unaware had two meanings. Two purposes. A saying that was spoken by Elizabeth I on her deathbed. The Doctor insisted on being with her at the very end.
"It's my duty as her…husband," he said.
I didn't protest.
Little did he know though, that what seemed like an innocent visit, would change his life forever. They were her last words to him. The last syllables that passed her lips. They were neither angry, nor joyful, neither scared, nor brave. They were full of love. Full of care. He was indifferent though.
"Doctor, my doting love," she whispered, pale and frail from age, sickness, and deep loneliness.
I could see the Doctor didn't share the same love that she showered him with, but he cared for her nonetheless. She was a person, his wife.
"Shhh…no need to speak. Just rest, Elizabeth," he insisted, stroking her feverish cheek.
Even though it was clear he didn't love her, I could tell it pained him to see her in such a state. He remembered her youthful and always wanted her to stay that way. He didn't like change. How the years of rule diluted the red in her hair. Her once flawless skin, plagued by wrinkles.
Stubborn, she shook her head.
"Listen carefully, my love, as my end draws near. In your absence I met a man. His name has left me in all these years, but-" she began, but the Doctor held up a hand.
"Elizabeth, it's alright. I abandoned you. I don't hold you accountable to what you may have done outside our marriage."
She shook her head again and gripped the Doctor's arm tightly. At this he became startled.
"Good husband, I pray you, let me finish. The man…he possessed the same impossibility as you. He told me that when you returned to my side with a different face that I needed to…relay the words of the prophecy. Doctor," she said, pausing as the great effort overcame her.
He squeezed her hand reassuringly. He would provide her comfort until the end.
"He wished me to remind you that you are not alone, my darling. You have never been alone. There is another. She is out there. An orphan of sorts, living in London. The date, 2013. Go to her, my love," Elizabeth said, her breathing labored and slowing with each second.
Shock commanded his features. I could tell his mind was aflutter. Oh, that brilliant mind. A smile played across his lips and tears filled his eyes.
Elizabeth gave a weak smile. "The time has come, Doctor, I must go. The words said. My purpose done. Godspeed. I love you, darling sweet."
His smile fell, and everything became solemn. "Goodbye, Elizabeth."
"Tell me you love me," she breathed.
He stroked her cheek with tenderness. "Does it really need saying, my wife?"
With that Elizabeth passed away peacefully and with a smile lingering on her lips.
"We're here," the Doctor murmured, breaking me out of my trance. We stood on the stoop of a large stone building. The shutters were tattered, and the stones were covered with moss. The orphanage. The Doctor reached for the doorknob, but I laid a hand on his arm.
"You can't just go inside. You have to knock," I said incredulously.
He rolled his eyes. "Humans are so strange." With much irritation, he gripped the brass knocker, and knocked on the door.
After a few awkward moments, the door swung open and a middle-aged woman in a large, grey sweater stood in the doorway. "Can I help you?"
The Doctor clasped his hands together and sported an excited smile. "I'm here to see Charlotte Smith," he requested.
"I'm sorry, but unless you are-" the woman started, but the Doctor cut her off by shoving his psychic paper in her face.
"John Smith. Uncle," he explained quickly.
The woman nodded, accepting whatever was viewable on the paper. "Come in."
We were quickly welcomed into the children's home. The foyer was dark and dank and the floorboards creaked under our feet. A staircase ran up the right-side of the room where we assumed the children were kept.
The woman led us into the room on the right which appeared to be a common room of sorts. It had a couple of old couches, a small TV, and a beautiful Christmas tree in the corner.
"Please, sit down," she said, motioning to a couch.
We took a seat next to each other while she sat on the couch across from us.
"I'm Katherine Denley, head caretaker of the children," she said warmly, holding out her hand for us to shake.
"Like I said I'm John Smith and this is my…Clara. Clara Oswald," the Doctor answered awkwardly, gesturing to me.
I grimaced. That was the best he could come up with?
"So you're Charlotte's uncle? Are you interested in adopting the child?" Katherine inquired.
The Doctor grinned. "Why else would we be here?"
Katherine returned a smile. "I was just making sure. But I have to ask, why now? Surely, you know she's been here since she was three," she asked.
The Doctor had to think on his feet. "Well, I didn't have the resources to care for her until now. I was hoping she would want to spend the holiday together at my house."
"Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Anyway, I'll go up and get her. You wait here," she replied, disappearing from the room.
Once I was sure Katherine was out of earshot, I turned to the Doctor. "Are you excited?" I whispered, tugging on his jacket sleeve.
He stood up abruptly and walked over to the window. He remained silent.
My eyebrows furrowed. "What's wrong?
The Doctor rubbed his hands together. "What if she thinks I'm…strange?" he said softly.
"You're quirkiness is endearing. Who knows? Maybe she has an obsession with bow ties and fezzes too," I laughed.
"I'm serious!" the Doctor yelled, slamming his hand on the dusty window sill.
I startled at the sound, stammering, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."
He rubbed his face and sighed. "No, I'm sorry. It's just I haven't seen her in years, and I'm…I'm-"
I knew that he'd never let the word surpass his lips. It was a word that was barely in his vocabulary.
I rose up from the couch and walked over to him. His eyes followed the snowflakes that toppled toward the ground.
"Doctor," I murmured.
"We shouldn't have come here. I'm not ready," the Doctor stuttered, starting to pull away from me.
"Hey, look at me," I demanded, directing his chin to face me, "Are you listening?"
The Doctor nodded.
"You're scared. I get it. Anyone would be. But trust me, it'll be okay. She'll love you for every bow tie, every fez, every weird quirk," I whispered.
A smile returned to his features. "You are amazing, Clara Oswald. Absolutely brilliant."
I winked, but at that very moment another voice joined us.
"Charlotte, this is John Smith, your uncle, and Clara Oswald," Katherine stated, gesturing to the two of us. "I'll leave you three alone."