This is set soon after Deep Breath and is basically how things would go if I had control (sadly I don't).

Side note: Death And Flowers has not been abandoned, I just like to write multiple things at once.

Allons-y!

Ch.1

~Unscheduled Stop~

Devronix Alpha

The lights of the consol room flashed dangerously while a bitterly cold wind whipped Clara's hair across her face. The Doctor was pacing back and forth, like a caged animal, as he argued furiously with his ship.

Clara stood out of the way unsure what to do. The TARDIS only just stopped trying to lock her into the library every other day, so she really did not want to provoke her further. Plus she had absolutely no idea what was going on. She'd heard a series of buzzing sirens go off and then the Doctor start yelling, but when she came running in from the kitchen, thinking they were being attacked or something, Clara only found him hollering at the ceiling.

This version of him seemed to holler quite a bit.

"I'll sell you for scraps!" The Doctor pointed a dramatic finger at the ceiling.

The ship's engines let out a remarkably contemptful groan at that.

"Oh you don't think I'll do it, do you?" He shouted. His jacket was askew and his hair a mess. "I will!"

Chasing lights flashed around the room.

Cautiously, Clara slipped up beside the Doctor on the grated metal platform. "Sooo… What did you do this time?" She said airily.

The Doctor spun around as if startled by her appearance. It was times like these when it was hard for her to remember his true age. He looked like an absent minded professor caught up in the stress of finals week.

"What did I do?" The Doctor retorted indignantly. "She's refusing to let me drive."

Clara glanced behind him at the glowing piston tower. The ship didn't seem to obey his instructions all that much anyway, so she wasn't sure what the big deal was. "What do you mean?"

The Doctor frowned petulantly. "I mean, we've landed somewhere and now I can't un-land. Every time I try she zaps me with a spark of static."

He glared up at the roof with such comic indignation that Clara couldn't keep from laughing. She caught his sleeve between her fingers so he couldn't start pacing again. The Doctor seemed to automatically calm at her slight touch.

"Well, why don't we see where she's trying to take us?" Clara reasoned as the TARDIS hummed in approval.

"Oh so now you two get along."

She shrugged, and leaned her hip against the dash board with a grin. "What could it hurt?"

The Doctor raised a wild eyebrow and simply stared at her a moment.

"Okay point taken." Clara said. "But things happen where ever you take us too." She returned his level stare equally.

He looked like he wanted to argue but she was right and he knew it. The Doctor let out a huff without any real animosity behind it. "Alright fine. But don't complain to me about any of this later." He warned, barely concealing a grin of his own.

"Great." Clara straightened in excitement causing her mini dress to swish about her thighs. She dodged around the Doctor heading for the door.

"Hold up there." The Doctor sprang after her in his strange new Scottish brogue. He rushed to get to the doors ahead of her, dark coat flapping wildly. "Anything could be out there. I best go first, they might not like you."

"Who?" She demanded stopping in front of him and placing her hands on her hips. He might be taller but Clara could glare the Doctor down if she wanted.

"People." He said, that hint of a smile back. "You've a very stern face, they might take offence."

With that he spun around and pushed open the doors leaving Clara sputtering in his wake. Sometimes she just wanted to kick him in the shin. Irritated she ran after him and out into an open courtyard.

The sun momentarily blinded her and once Clara blinked her vision clear she saw why, there was not one but two suns hanging in a bright golden sky. The next thing she felt was the searing heat they gave off. A thin layer of sweat immediately broke out all over her body. The Doctor, of course, looked unaffected as always.

"I hope they have air conditioning on this planet." Clara muttered, quickly searching her dress pockets for a hair band. Thankfully she had one (and a dress with pockets) and pulled her dark locks up off her neck.

The courtyard was done is a swirling pattern of clay tiles which ranged in color from ochre to dust gray. Quaint little shops ringed around the space with glass windows displaying a whole manner of goods and wears Clara could not name. Food, jewelry, and strange mechanical instruments all, to her Earth gaze anyway, seemed both ancient and futuristic in design.

But it was the people who really grabbed her attention. They were humanoid is shape, though perhaps all a bit taller and thinner than your average Earthling. Each person skin was hued in midnight tones, from deepest purple to indigo, and their hair was a wild assortment of shades, which she could not tell were artificial or not. Pinks, blues, greens, and butter yellows, all curled and pinned in elaborate styles which reminded Clara of statues of the Flavians.

The clothing was also quite a bit fancier than she had come across on other planets, at least for day to day wear. The women were draped in rich jewel toned brocades roped in beads and ribbons, while the men wore colorful tunics and tight fitting leggings. They were a mesmerizing spectacle.

The Doctor had out his sonic screwdriver and was scanning the ground intensely. "Devronix." He said at last, looking up. "We're in the Devronix system."

"It's beautiful."

The Doctor made a noise indicating he was unimpressed.

Clara turned to him with a laugh. "Oh will you stop being such a grump. You're just mad because you didn't pick this place out yourself."

The Doctor tried to look innocent, while avoiding her eyes - which didn't work.

She took his fingers and gave his arm a little tug. "Come on, Doctor, take me exploring."

"Oi, don't go and do that wide eye thing." He reprimanded, unable to avoid her gaze any longer. "It isn't fair."

Clara merely smiled which made him groan in obvious defeat. Without further complaint he dragged her off in the direction of the shops, his blue eyes already alight with curiosity. No matter how much he grumbled she knew the Doctor was dying to explore the place as much as she was. It was his nature.

"Halt!" Came the command of a booming voice from behind them. "Stop in the name of the King!"