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"Clara, will you marry me?"
The Doctor's face blanched as he stared, dumbfounded, not believing what he just heard. And as Porridge started listing compliments, the Doctor had to admit, they were not entirely untrue. But how could she marry the Emperor? She had him! He still had to show her all of time and space and he just found her! He was not going to lose her again!
Without a second thought, the Doctor intervened.
"This sounds like an actually marriage proposal. Now, if you want my advice-"
"You, not another word," Clara told him, pointedly, "This is between me and the uh…Emperor."
The Doctor waved her off in a "Whatever!" sort of gesture. He knew he was being rude, remaining where he was next to Porridge, but he didn't care. He would give his advice when the time came.
"Porridge," Clara began, "I…don't want to rule a thousand galaxies."
The Doctor gave her a thumbs up, trying and failing to hide his pleasure, though feeling a little bad about Porridge's disappointment.
"….however, with you, it wouldn't be so bad. I don't think you really want to rule a thousand galaxies either. You are strong, friendly, and just a great leader in general. We would make a great team! I humbly accept!"
The Doctor's jaw dropped as he blanched again. Porridge grinned wildly, Angie was saying, "I knew you couldn't resist," while Artie was saying, "But Clara, what about us?"
"I think I'd still be able to drop by from time to time to visit you guys. I still love you! But your father will have to get a new nanny, so-"
"Right! Clara, a word!" the Doctor recovered himself, jumping up, grabbing her hand, and dragging her so fiercely through the TARDIS doors that she stumbled a little, shouting, "H-Hey! Doctor!"
When he was inside, he threw her into the TARDIS after him, slamming the doors. Clara stumbled up the ramp. He had never been so furious at anyone in his life. He stormed up to her, grabbing her arms. She struggled with "Hey! What are you doing? Let go!"
"Are you insane?!" he shouted at her, Clara still struggling in his grasp, "Why would you accept his proposal?!"
"Oh, what? I can't make my own decisions?!" Clara shouted back at him, glaring at him, "You don't get to dictate everything I do!"
"You can't marry him! Do you realize what you're doing?! He's an emperor!"
"If I didn't know any better, Doctor, I'd say you were jealous!"
The Doctor stuttered in his anger.
"W-What?! Me, j-jealous?! Don't be so stupid!" he exclaimed, pushing away from her and pacing around the console. Clara chased him, not letting him get away that easily.
"You think you're so important, that I can't have anything else in life! You wanted me to travel with you every day! And now, when someone bigger than you comes along, you get all in a huff!"
He gave a humorless laugh, "Bigger…"
"He's a bigger man than you'll ever be!"
The Doctor whirled around and glared at her. Clara froze in her spot, but glared back.
"While you were playing your stupid chess game, Porridge and I were plotting how to defeat the Cybermen-"
"So was I!" the Doctor interrupted, "The Cyber Planner-"
"-was just a parasite inside your head!" Clara finished for him, "I fought with those people on that planet, Doctor! I was their leader! I watched them die!"
"You were only their leader because I made you one! Oh, look at you…" The Doctor trailed off, shaking his head, "I give you one moment to be a leader and suddenly it's all gone to your head!"
"Were you paying attention to anything I said to him?! I don't want to rule a thousand galaxies!"
"Then why are you marrying him?!"
"Because he loves me! And I love him!"
Clara's last words echoed throughout the TARDIS, ringing between them. The Doctor stared at her, stunned. Clara was breathing deeply.
He took a deep breath, "No, you don't," he said softly, "You don't love him."
"How would you know who I do and do not love!" Clara said, more quietly this time.
"You only just met him."
"A lot can happen in five hours."
In his mind's eye, Reinette appeared, followed by Rose. "How long were you waiting?" "Five and a half hours!" "Good, always wait five and a half hours!" Well, it felt like more than half an hour had passed since they'd been teleported here.
The Doctor took a seat calmly near the TARDIS console, smiling a smile that didn't reach his eyes. Clara became a little afraid of the glint in his eye. It was almost deranged.
"You don't love him," he stated, confidently, "I know you don't."
"Oh, yeah? And what makes you so certain, Mr. Clever?" she sneered.
The Doctor's whole expression darkened. "That wasn't me! I'm not the Cyber planner!"
"Oh, so you're not clever?"
"Shut up, Clara!"
"Oh, yes! Just tell Clara to shut up whenever things don't work out for me!" she argued, following him around as he started pacing again.
"I'm not letting you marry him!" he said, without looking at her, still walking.
"Doctor, I'm a grown woman and you're not my father!"
"I'm over a thousand years old!"
"And you're behaving like a five-year old!"
"You don't know what you're talking about!"
"What is it with you?!" Clara began again, "Why can't you let me have my own life?! Traveling with you is great and all, but it's not my whole life! News flash, my whole world doesn't revolve around you! Besides, I'm just a human! I'm going to die eventually and then you'll replace me with another unsuspecting girl you pick up off the street! And besides, you don't even think I'm pretty!"
He stopped walking in his tracks; Clara crashing into him as a result. Her words rung in the air again.
"And I'm behaving like a five-year old?" he questioned, quietly, "This is all because I said you weren't pretty? I never thought you could be so petty, Clara."
"You're blowing it way out of proportion-!"
"So, you decided to marry the next guy who gave you any sort of compliment." he continued, as if she hadn't spoken, "I bet you just love all the attention you're getting, don't you?"
"Why can't you be happy for me?" Clara said quietly, voice choked, eyes becoming wet with tears, "Why can't you just be happy for me that I found someone to care for, who cares for me, too?" She turned away from him, walking towards the TARDIS doors, "I'm getting Artie and Angie and taking them home. Then, I'll have Porridge beam me back here-"
"Clara," he said softly, pleadingly, voice cracking. He walked up to her, taking her arm, trying to hold her back, Clara didn't acknowledge his hold on her.
"Please. Don't leave me. Clara, please."
"I was always destined to die very far from home, but it won't be pointlessly. Never pointlessly." She tried to shake him off, but he gripped her arm tighter.
"If I let you go out those doors," he began, breathlessly, "You'll slip away from me. All those adventures we can never have together. My impossible girl. My Clara."
"Is that why I'm impossible?" Clara said softly, "Because, when it comes down to it, I can disobey you?"
"Don't do this, Clara," his voice cracking. He couldn't believe this was happening! "I need you."
"No….no, you don't need me."
"Now, more than ever," he proclaimed, trying to pull her back to him, but she wouldn't budge. So, the Doctor moved closer to her, leaning down, so he was whispering in her ear.
"I could give you everything."
"So can he," Clara argued, whispering, "A thousand galaxies…"
"I can give you more," he whispered. Clara suppressed a shudder as she felt his breath on her ear.
"Please," she said pleadingly, "just let me go with dignity."
"If I let dignity and pride dictate everything for me, I'd have nothing left."
"Porridge loves me," she whispered.
He grabbed her other arm, gently, and spun her around slowly. She stared at his chest, but he tilted her head up with one of his hands. He smiled at her.
"And you don't think I love you? You never once thought I could love you like that?"
"And right now, I'm starting to like you in a way that is more than just-"
"That's just the Cyber Planner in you talking, "Clara disagreed, "You don't really mean that."
"Clara Oswin Oswald, how could I ever not mean everything I say to you?"
"You can lie."
"Not this time. Not about something as important as this. Clara, I don't want you to slip away from me, not again…"
"But you don't even think I'm pretty," she said softly, looking down again.
He took her face in his hands, smiling down at her with pure love and adoration.
"You're beautiful. You're perfect to me," and with that, he leaned down and kissed her.