Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who, nor do I know what the mystery of Clara is. This is just a fun story meant to be taken as a possibility or an AU.
Once Angie and Artie had been tucked up in rather convenient bunk beds to sleep off the effects of a very trying trip, Clara finally allowed herself to relax. She had been deliberately walling herself off all day, forcing herself to act as logically and commanding as possible and it was exhausting. She slumped onto the stairs in the control room with a sigh. "The kids are in bed." She informed The Doctor as he appeared from underneath the console room's floor, holding what seemed to be a children's book.
He seemed unbothered as he adjusted his bowtie, but Clara wasn't fooled. "Right, of course." He said, patting down his hair. "I was just…found some junk under the console room."
Clara smiled sadly at him. "Maybe some other time." She said, resting her head against the railing. "They were just exhausted."
"Not exactly the outing I had planned." The Doctor admitted, sitting next to her and opening up "The Explorer & The Key of Time".
"It rarely is." Clara said, peeking over his shoulder at the picture book. "Next time you come over you can read them something if you like, as long as you don't end up giving them nightmares or make them afraid of the dark."
The Doctor laughed at that. "No tales of the Vashta Nerada, I promise. I learned my lesson the first time."
Clara nodded. "Good." she said simply. Somehow, she thought she should ask what the Vashta Nerada were, or what the 'first time' had been, but it felt silly, like she should already know. "I'm just going to sit here for a few minutes." She said with a yawn, leaning her head onto his shoulder and closing her eyes. "I'm done being the boss for the day."
The Doctor nodded, and then turned his head, watching her fall asleep. In a quiet voice, he read aloud the picture book, smiling to himself.
