Last time, he'd chosen to go back and see her. Wanted to make sure his tenth set of eyes saw her again, before he changed. This time, he was sure he wasn't going to see her. But his mind - or maybe it was the TARDIS, who knows - made sure his eleventh eyes saw her.
The first face this face saw. It was always the last face.
When his body is new, he's getting used to how the hands move and what the eyes can see, it looks for something to focus on. Rose. Amelia Pond.
Clara Oswain Oswold.
This was the first face this face saw. This face was an older face, an older body. Things didn't move like they did before. Every time he regenerated he had to get used to how his new body worked. But somewhere in his hearts he imprinted the face. There was always something of his previous imprinted face on his new body. Seems like, this time it would be the voice. The first time he spoke with his new voice from his new mouth, he realised he'd picked up her voice. Amy Pond. Which he liked, as every time he spoke he could hear her. It was like he still had a small part of her with him.
He'd been afraid that she would disappear. With Rose, he felt it change. When he gained his eleventh body, he didn't feel the same way. His mind focussed on Amy. Rose was there, she would always be there, but now it was Amy. And this time, Amy seemed to be stored away in that faraway place in his mind, ready for the new face.
Clara's face.
The impossible souffle girl.
From the moment he stared at her, looking at her with new eyes as the TARDIS spun out of control, he felt it happen. Like it had with Amelia, like it had with Rose. That feeling of a face, a person, imprinting on his hearts. Imprinting herself on his soul. Now when he thought, it was Clara that was in the front of his mind.
For she was the first face his twelfth face had seen. Each of his faces had a companion. His tenth face had Rose Tyler. His eleventh face had Amelia.
And now his new, twelfth face, had Clara.