Author Note: The summary for this was probably rubbish, sorry, but this is a little AU for when Doc goes to say goodbye to Clara. I think we need more Doc and Clara fic's. It's a nice ship and it isn't recognised as much as it should be. Also, I need a better title. Any suggestions, please review or PM me with suggestions.
The Goodbye
Emmett Brown walked slowly towards Clara Clayton's door. He had no idea what he was going to say to her or if he was going to be able to figure out what he needed to say. Marty had been right, he could hardly tell Clara that he had to go back to the future. She would never believe him. As he approached the door he looked through the window and spotted her working at her desk.
"God, she looks beautiful." He thought
He was here for a reason though. He might as well get it over with. Taking a deep breath he knocked on the door.
"It's Emmett, Clara." He called out to her, and the door opened instantly
"Emmett, won't you come in?" she seemed happy to see him
"No, I better not…" he trailed off
"What's wrong?" she asked
"I've come to say goodbye."
"Goodbye?" she seemed confused "Where are you going?"
"I'm going away and well I'm afraid I'll never see you again." He managed to say
"Emmett?" her confusion grew as she watched the man in front of her trying to explain
"Clara, I want you to know that I care about you deeply but I realise I don't belong here and I have to go back where I came from." He started his speech
"And where might that be?"
"I can't tell you." He insisted
"Well, wherever you're going take me with you."
"I can't Clara. I wish I didn't have to be this way but just believe me when I tell you that I'll never forget you and I love you."
"I don't understand what you're trying to say."
"I don't think there's any way you can understand it."
"Please Emmett, please, I have to know. If you sincerely do love me then tell me the truth." She pleaded with him
"All right then." It's now or never, he thought "I'm from the future. I came here in a time machine that I invented and tomorrow I have to go back to the year 1985."
"Yes, Emmett. I do understand." She started softly "I understand, because you know, I'm partial to the writings of Jules Verne, you concocted those mendacities in order to take advantage of me." Her hand flew towards him and made sharp contact with his face "Oh! I've heard some whoppers in my day but the fact that you'd expect me to entertain a notion like that is so insulting and degrading!" she marched towards the door but turned back, just before she was going to shut it "All you had to say was I don't love you and I don't want to see you anymore. That at least would have been respectful!" Clara shouted before slamming the door
"But that's not the truth." He called through the door
He could hear her sobbing from inside and it pained him to know that he was the cause of her anguish. His back hit the door and he sank down to sit on her porch. He had gone and ruined it. Emmett had at least, liked to have parted with her on good terms. Now though, he had gone and broken her heart and his own. He felt sleep weighing on his eyelids and ended up closing his eyes, promising that it would only be for 2 minutes.
...
Clara had sunk down onto her bed in tears. He couldn't even tell her the truth. How could she have trusted a man who didn't tell her the truth? Now she wished that someone else would have rescued her from falling into the ravine. If she had just had the sense to walk to the town. It would have saved all this heart ache she had been through. It hurt that he would lie to her. She thought that for once she had mattered to someone. They had so much in common. Now she wasn't sure that they had anything in common. If he had lied to her about this time travelling, then what else had he lied to her about?
She sat up and dried her tears, her sadness replaced with anger. She threw a coat on and marched towards the door, if she rode fast enough she could still catch him and demand a proper explanation. As she opened the door, she gasped and jumped back, when Emmett Brown fell through the doorway. Before her sense returned to her, all she did was stare, but when she had collected herself she managed to pull him inside.
…
He groaned as he opened his eyes, sleeping against that door was one of the worst decisions he had made. Suddenly he realised that he wasn't sitting against a door, instead he was lying in a bed and staring at a ceiling. He sat up and looked around. There was a candle by the bed and the gas lamps were flickering on a low light. The last thing he remembered was falling asleep against Clara's door. How did he end up here?
The door opened and Clara walked in. As she entered she avoided his eye and set a glass of water on the table beside the bed.
"You've been out for hours." She pointed to the water "Drink."
"Clara-"
"Just drink the water," She cut him off "Then get some sleep. You had a large bruise on the back of your head from where you fell against the floor."
"Clara, please," he grabbed her arm to stop her leaving "let me explain properly. I'll tell you the truth. I can show you the truth."
She turned back to him.
"The question is, what is the truth?" she asked
"Exactly what I told you! Just let me show you and explain properly." He pleaded with her
"How are you ever going to explain, or make me understand? You said yourself that there wasn't a way I could understand it."
"Well I can at least try. Even if you don't understand at least you won't hate me like you do now. I'll know that I haven't lied to you."
She sat down on the end of the bed. "I don't hate you," she told him softly
She lightly touched the bruise on his head and he flinched away from her hand.
"That'll take time to heal. Rest for a little while." She took hold of his shoulders and pushed him back onto the bed
"Let me at least say I'm sorry." He implored
"Apologise, once you've had a rest." Clara repeated. With that she went to leave, but turned back at the final moment, "Remember, we have to get you back to the future tomorrow."
What do we think? Stop there , or would you like a little more.