This has been a idea that I have had for a while and I have slowly written it over the last few months (in between writing my multi-chapter stories). I actually had this idea as a multi-chapter idea but soon realised I wouldn't have enough ideas for a number of chapters so has ended up as a one shot.
Hopefully you will enjoy it.
Red Velvet
It wasn't the most rational decision Clara had made but she had to make a statement against it rather than just sitting there in silence. It was a mixture of anger and grief that had caused her to runaway rather than to just talk to her dad about how she felt.
How could he do that to her? How could he move on so soon after her mum's death?
She remembered how her parents were when they were together and she was sure that if her mum hadn't died, they would have stayed together forever. Her dad's new girlfriend wasn't like her mum at all. She was the complete opposite.
There was one thing that Clara knew she didn't need, and that was a new mum. The one that she had was enough. She had taught her everything. She had handed her down the soufflé recipe that she was yet to master.
Her dad did not need someone else. They would have just been fine just them two.
She rounded the corner as she carried on her journey to get as far away from home as possible. She had no idea where she was going to go. She had thought about going to her Gran's just to try and give him a shock but she knew as soon as she got there, her Gran would just persuade her to go home.
It had become an impulse decision and now she wished she had thought it through a little more. If she had, she probably would have brought some money for her. She would have had to have waited until morning but she could have easily jumped on a train from Blackpool to Manchester and then worked out something from there. Blackpool was big enough to get lost in but also small enough that her dad would be able to find her soon.
"Alright lass? You look a little lost."
Clara turned to the voice and got her keys out, remembering what her taekwondo instructor had said in one of their self-defence lessons.
"Wooh, I am not going to hurt you." The man said as he held up his hands, his eyebrows high on his head.
"Just because you say you aren't doesn't me you will."
"I am sorry to disturb you then. Just you look a little young to be out on the streets on your own at this time of night and by the backpack, I could guess that you have runaway from home."
Clara placed her keys back in her pocket. "Does it look that obvious?"
"Look lass, you don't want to be on the streets on your own because the next person to find you won't be as kind as me. Come on."
She was left with the choice to follow him or not. With his words ringing in her ears, she jogged to catch up with him. They walked in silence. Clara wondered where they were going but never asked. They walked down a few alleyways before stopping at a run-down old shack.
"After you." He said as he pushed open the door.
She smiled at him before entering. Her hand went back into her pocket for her keys.
He sniffed before he sat down on the floor. He retrieved a camping light from his bag and placed it in the centre of the room.
"Sorry I can't do any better." He looked up at her. "You can sit down."
Clara sat down in front of him and took off the backpack she had been carrying, using it to lean against.
"What's you name and story?" He asked.
"Why should I tell you?"
He shrugged. "You don't have to but I might be able to help. If you are thinking about properly running away, I think it should be at least for the right reasons. Plus you don't look very prepared for it."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Do you have any money?"
Clara dropped her eyes to the floor.
"Thought so." He held his hand out to her. "The Doctor."
"The Doctor?"
"That's my name. Well the name I gained after being on the streets for so long."
"Clara." She said, shaking his hand.
"Go on then Clara. Tell me your story."
"Will you tell me yours?"
The Doctor looked over at her. "If you want."
"My mum died about six months ago."
"I am sorry to hear that."
"Thanks." She sighed. "My dad … he has this new girlfriend. I don't like her one bit but I just … I never expected him to move on so soon. Him and my mum were just so close and such a perfect match. It probably wouldn't be so bad but she is nothing like my mum."
"Have you spoken to him about it?"
Clara remained quiet. "I don't know how to. I used to go to him with everything. I thought I could always talk to him about stuff. Just he has changed and she has made him change. He isn't the same person."
"Or he is still grieving like you?"
"What?"
"Grief is a terrible thing, trust me on that. It makes people do stupid things and it does change people. Your dad probably, like you, thought that he would have a lot more time with your mum. No he probably isn't the same person because part of him died with your mother."
"Are you trying to justify his actions?"
"Slightly. You're what? 15? 16?"
"16." She confirmed.
"You know running away isn't the best option you have. You do have other options. I think it would be best for you to go home stick it out for two years, get really good grades and go to uni … in London if you really want to get away or Glasgow."
"Why?"
He leant back against the wall. "Because I bet you are an insanely bright lass that has just had your world turned upside down by your mother's death. You can do a lot better than throw away your life by living on the streets. You wanted to make a statement. I think you could have made it."
She sighed. "It was a rather impulse decision."
"So you'll go back home."
"What's your story?"
"My story?" He chuckled. "My story is not interesting in the slightest."
"I told you mine."
"I suppose you did." The Doctor shuffled around a bit. "I know how your father feels because I have been through a similar experience. My wife died only a few years into our marriage."
"I'm sorry." Clara said.
"It was years ago now. I was a doctor. She died and I couldn't keep my life together. I don't do alone well. I lost my job, then my house. I only had the streets to go to. I was only young, 30 at the time. Only really started my career and I had already blown it. I think that is why I am the Doctor. I care for anyone that I come across."
"You could have rebuilt your life."
"Only until a certain point."
Clara looked at him. A man that had lost everything from his wife dying. Maybe she should just be grateful that her dad didn't go totally and utterly off the rails by her mum's death.
She could remember falling asleep but she woke as the sun hit her eyes. She was quite thankful for the blanket over her but she frowned as she looked over to see that the Doctor had already left her. What if he needed the blanket?
She was even more upset by the old coffee cup of money left by her bag. He had given those up for her. She felt so selfish for thinking that runaway was the answer. She felt guilty for thinking that he would hurt her last night.
Clara tipped the contents of the cup out to quickly count it. There was enough for a bus fare at least. She could get a bus home and be back in no time at all.
But there must have been better things that he could have done with the money. That was probably his food for the day or some other essentials that she was going to go home to.
She placed the money in her pocket before picking up her backpack and exiting the shack. It was still early for the streets to be empty but it helped her a bit. She knew what she was going to do but it still gave her time to think over what the Doctor had said to her.
Clara walked for a bit before realising that she hadn't actually got that far. Home was only a 20 minute walk away. Her stomach rumbled as she passed a bakery. She quickly nipped in a brought one of the fancy looking red velvet cupcakes. As she carried on her journey home, she placed the rest of the money the Doctor had left her in the cup of another homeless man. He needed it more than her.
She was quite surprised to find the front door already unlocked and even more surprised to see the policeman in the living room.
"Clara." Her dad said as he shot out of his seat to bring her into a hug.
She hugged him tightly but couldn't help but notice Linda sitting there, telling the policeman that they were sorry to waste his time. She knew that she would probably get a lecture from her later.
10 years later
She had never forgotten about him. There were times when she thought about the Doctor and what he was doing. She thought about him when she made her application to university, taking his advice and moving away. She thought about him when she gained her degree. She thought about him when she took her first job.
One of her students was reading the chapter of Pride and Prejudice. Clara had been listening until she looked out the window of her classroom to see him leaning up against the gate. She quickly spun around and looked up at the clock.
Technically they had five minutes left of the class, but letting them go early just this once wouldn't hurt. She had always hoped to see him again to thank him and repay him.
"Okay. Thank you Jamie. Please finish reading that chapter at home and make sure you understand it because I will be asking your interpretation of it." She said as she walked towards her desk.
"Miss, there is still five minutes left of the lesson."
She looked up at him. "And I am letting you go earlier." She grabbed her bag and exited her classroom.
It was school policy that the teacher was the last to leave the room but she had to leave. He could leave any time soon and she had to see him. He had contributed to her life. She owed him. She could have carried on her plan but she didn't because he had talked her out of doing so.
She turned the corner and bumped into her boyfriend, Danny.
"Aren't you meant to be teaching?"
"I have let them go early."
"Why?" He questioned.
"I need to see someone." She said, trying to get around him.
"Who?"
"There is a man standing outside the gate who made an impact on my life and I really want to thank him and repay him." She said before she started to make her way towards the exit.
She sped up her pace and jogged from the entrance of the school to the gate. She looked left and right down the path but couldn't see any sign of him. She cursed as she made her way back into the building to get the rest of her things.
"What was earlier all about?" Danny said as he handed her a cup of tea.
"I ran away from home when I was 16. It wasn't for very long. I didn't make it 24 hours. I met a man. He said his name was the Doctor."
"The Doctor?"
"He was once a doctor. He looked after me for one night. I told him my story of how I didn't like Linda and how I was angry at my dad for seemingly moving on from my mum's death so soon and so I was just making a statement. He convinced me to go back home and focus on school, getting the grades I needed so I could move away and leave them behind in Blackpool. He was right and I just feel like I need to repay him." She sighed. "Danny I doubt I would be here if it wasn't for him."
"Do you not think you would have gone back home on your own accord?"
"I really don't know. I was angry. I was thinking about going to Manchester just because I didn't want to be found easily." Clara took a long sip of her tea. "He gave me probably all the money he had so I could get home. He sacrificed that so that I didn't end up like him."
"How do you think you will repay him?" Danny asked after a while.
"I don't actually know."
She hoped to see him again. She hoped because she had seen him once, he would still be in London.
It was the weekend and Clara thought that she would treat herself to a bit of shopping. She had done most of her marking and there were just a few things that she wanted. She also wanted to go out to try a few things on that just ordering them online just to sent them back because it didn't fit.
She thought that she deserved it. A bit of retail therapy.
She was surprised to see him as she walked to the tube station. She quickly crossed over the road so that she didn't miss this opportunity.
"Doctor?" She said as she caught up with him.
"What do you want? Are you one of those plain clothed officers? Look lass, I am not begging. I am just trying to find somewhere to sleep tonight and no, I don't want a cell to sleep in. If this was because of yesterday, that woman gave me that money as a gift. I was not begging."
Clara couldn't help but smile. "I'm not a plain clothed officer."
"Then what do you want?"
"I want to repay you."
"Repay me?"
"Don't you remember me? I'm Clara."
He creased his eyebrows. "Clara? Oh Clara. The girl from Blackpool who ran away from home because of her dad's new girlfriend."
"The very one."
"You're far from home."
"I was given some good advice." Clara looked at him. "I never forgot about you. Everything you said to me that night has said with me. Every decision I made was because of what you said."
"That was for free. Now leave me alone."
"You gave me money to get back. You shouldn't have."
"Why?"
"Because you needed it."
He turned to her again. "Do I look like I need money?"
"Look, if I had gone along with my plans, I wouldn't be where I am now. I am a teacher, sure it doesn't pay what it should do, but it is what I want to do. If I went along with what I wanted to do, I wouldn't have done anything like that, I would have probably turned into you. Look I know it doesn't seem like you did a lot, but you did. I want to repay you for you kindness 10 years ago."
The Doctor stopped and looked at her properly. "You aren't going to leave me alone until I do are you?"
"Nope."
He rolled his eyes. "Come on then. Lets get this over and done with."
He didn't take her money. He didn't take her offer of food. The only thing that the could agree on was that he needed a new coat. The one he was wearing had a number of holes in it and after arguing with him, he finally admitted that he did get cold because of it.
He wouldn't allow her to walk into a high street shop. He told her that if she wanted to help him, she could help someone else as well. Clara walked down the aisles of the charity shop. This was the third one that they had entered due to the lack of men's coats. It made her note that the next time Danny was going to throw out a coat, she was going to tell him to take it to a charity shop.
She actually liked being in the Doctor's company. He had managed to relax in her presence and she found him rather chatty, like he had been in Blackpool.
"What do you think?" He said.
She turned to look at him. She smiled when she saw the red velvet coat he had on.
"I was the only one that fitted." He added.
"It looks perfect."
He stood there and smiled. She wondered if he would take her up on the offer of going back to hers to have a wash and a shave. She could just remember him being cleanly shaven but she couldn't deny that he did suit a beard as well.
The coat did suit him as well. She could imagine him wearing something like that in his youth, a suit underneath it, probably taking his wife to a party or a ball. It made her upset that he allowed his life to become like it had.
"Come on." She said as she moved towards the till.
He took off the coat to give to the woman behind it. She starting making small talk with them, which Clara could tell that the Doctor was not enjoying. It was mad how quickly she could read him.
When she offered her bathroom to him, he did accept it. He told her that he only wanted to get rid of the beard. It wasn't particularly him. Clara could have argued with him but decided against it.
Once they were back, she put on the kettle while he shaved. She could hear the splashing of the water as he cleaned the razor. She wondered how long she could make him stay. A cup of tea, a few biscuits, make him feel like he had a place to come. She knew it wouldn't work. She could probably not be the person to make him get his life back on track, even though he had got her life on track.
To her surprise, he did take up the offer of tea. He told her that it is hard to get a good cup of tea when you are on the streets. She opened a packet of biscuits and she could only smile when he helped himself to a few. They chatted, mainly about her. She had explained everything that had happened after he left her and what she had done with her life because of him.
It was starting to get dark when he said that he had to go. She supposed that it was hard to find somewhere to sleep in the dark and probably all the best places have been taken up. She walked with him to the top of the stairs where he told her he could let himself out. She threw her arms around him and he stiffened up immediately.
"Thank you again. It may not seem like you have done much but you did."
"Thank you for the coat." He paused. "Clara, I'm not a hugging person."
She laughed. "At this moment, you don't get a choice." She let him go. "If you ever need anything, you know where I am."
The Doctor just smiled at her before he made his way down the stairs. She watched him from the window, walking off, cleanly shaven and in a new coat. Even though it was only a small gesture, she had felt like she had paid him back. She would still never forget about him. She wouldn't be where she was without him.