Part Two
The Doctor would never know just how Clara had managed to have herself assembled at the door of the Tardis in under ten minutes, clad in a red spotted tea-dress, her make up perfectly applied and her hair arranged in neat victory rolls. Generally, she was the most extraordinary bathroom hog and, no matter what manner of adventure beckoned, she spent so long getting ready to face it that the Doctor had considered more than once simply abandoning the idea of going out at all. However, he supposed excitement could be a wonderful motivator, and Clara appeared nothing if not thrilled by the prospect of meeting Captain America back in his original timeline. The Doctor himself had to admit that there was something almost romantic in nature about the 1940s, despite the burdens of war and oppression that had tainted the globe, and he found himself fixing his arm just a little tighter around Clara's tapered waist as the Tardis arrived at its destination.
Clara bounced on the balls of her feet, grinning like the Chesire cat as she peered up at the Doctor and clapped her hands together.
"We're really here!" she giggled, her eyes sweeping his amused expression.
"Yes," he replied, doing his utmost to maintain a gentlemanly air and refrain from bursting into laughter at Clara's childish glee.
"On the other side of that door is the Captain Steve Rogers!" she continued, punctuating her sentence with a thoroughly girlish squeal. "I'm going to meet Captain America... Cap... Leader of the Avengers..."
"Ah, well, remember, not just yet," the Doctor interjected, his smile somewhat nervous as he surveyed Clara, who he only hoped could manage to compose herself sufficiently so as not to betray her knowledge of the future.
Sensing his unusual nervousness, Clara smiled weakly and reached up to smooth down her hair. "Sorry. I'm a bit over-excited aren't I?!"
Unable to contain the smile that twitched at his lips, the Doctor allowed a similarly enthusiastic countenance to envelop him, and he shrugged nonchalantly.
"Not every day you get to meet a superhero, I suppose."
Thinking back on her travels with the Doctor, and the adventures the two had had together, she narrowed her eyes and tilted her head playfully as she looked up to regard him.
"Selling yourself a bit short there, Doctor."
Slipping her arm though his, she grinned as she saw a very pleased yet very self-conscious blush taint his cheeks.
"Well..." he cleared his throat, adjusting his bow tie with a clearly delighted flourish. "I do what I can."
"And a sonic is much cooler than a vibranium sheild anyway," Clara stated, winking mischievously at the Doctor before she flung open the doors of the Tardis, which let out a soft whooshing noise of indignance at such rough treatment.
"So, quick brief, it's 1943, Captain America is involved with not only the US military but also the SSR, a government agency who are entrusted with protecting the public from information of a... Shall we just say, sensitive nature," the Doctor explained, flashing Clara a grin as he gestured to himself. She nodded, her mouth open in a small 'o' of understanding.
"If my calculations were correct, which obviously they always are," the Doctor scoffed, recovering quickly in order to continue, "we should be at the UNIT headquarters in London... Not the ones under the tower, the other ones... just in time to see Captain Rogers meet with the director about a top secret mission into enemy territory."
Clara nodded, suddenly frowning as she placed her hand on the door of the Tardis in her haste to meet with one of the greatest heroes of the twentieth and indeed, twenty first century.
"Hang on. Won't they notice us sneaking around?"
The Doctor grinned, pulling an ID tag from his pocket that looked like it had seen better days, and possibly a couple of centuries.
"Now Clara, who do you think was one of UNIT's most trusted strategic advisers?"
"What... You?" she blinked, once again bemused by just how frequently the Time Lord seemed to pop up in pivotal moments in Earth history. Perhaps humans weren't quite as smart as they'd like to think, since it seemed some of their greatest military campaigns as well as works of literature were somehow inspired by a bow tie wearing alien.
"So you won the war then eh, Doctor?!" she teased, smiling at his bashful grin and the suitably self-deprecating shrug he replied with.
"I merely assisted. The good men and women of the Allied forces secured victory. I was just an... Educated bystander," he pushed open the door of the Tardis and grimaced, "although according to the Americans, John Wayne seems to have single-handedly won the second world war. And don't even get me started on 'U571'. A cinematic travesty!"
"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about," Clara commented through an indulgent smile, tapping the Doctor on the chest before she added, "time to go."
Nodding, the Doctor pushed open the doors of the Tardis, then offered his arm to Clara, who grinned at the gesture. It never failed to delight her that she had managed to secure herself one of the very few remaining gentlemen in the world, even if she had had to explore inter-species dating in order to do so. She was fairly certain that said a lot about the majority of young, human males.
"This is so exciting," Clara trilled, although her voice was barely a whisper as the Doctor closed the doors of the Tardis and locked them securely, before dropping his key into his breast pocket.
Turning slowly on her heel, she scrutinised the hallway they found themselves in. She took in the dark wood panelling, framed oil paintings of previous prime ministers lining the walls, and luxurious maroon carpet underfoot with an expression of complete and utter awe. From somewhere nearby, the soft strains of a jazz song could be heard playing on a gramophone, and Clara felt a tiny shiver course through her body as the romantic nature of her setting sunk in.
Reaching out to his side just as Clara did the same, the couple joined hands as they were always inclined to do on such occasions.
'Hold hands. Keep holding hands, and don't let go.'
It was a mantra the love-struck Time Lord liked to live by in regards to his Impossible Girl.
Two heavily armed soldiers strolled past the pair, pausing to nod with obvious reverence at their alien visitor. The gesture didn't escape Clara, and she glanced up at the Doctor and arched an eyebrow pointedly.
Adjusting his braces more out of affectation than need, he simply shrugged, "Well, you've either got it or you haven't."
Giggling quietly to herself, whilst remembering the solemnity of their surroundings, Clara led him with slightly more urgency toward the end of the hallway. Approaching voices suddenly caught the Time Lord's ear, and he held up a finger as recognition set in.
As if on cue, Steve Rogers rounded the corner of the furthest doorway, lost in conversation with a tall, rather statuesque brunette at his side.
"Oh my God," Clara whispered excitedly, her nails now gripping into The Doctor's arm with an alarming degree of strength. "It's him! And that's Peggy Carter! Sorry, but I'm about to have a total fangirl moment. I'm about to meet Captain America and Peggy Carter!"
"Yes, well, you might want to perhaps tamp that enthusiasm down a little," the Doctor suggested in a whisper, "remember, at this point in time, Miss. Carter is still just another intelligent and, uhm, capable young woman attempting to succeed in a male dominated world, so..."
"Got it, not a murmur about S.H.I.E.L.D. or any of that super spy stuff," Clara agreed quickly, fixing a wide smile on her face as the object of their discussion drew closer. Her body was aligned at an angle just so with Captain America's, so that as the couple walked in step, their arms and hands brushed together gently. Peggy herself seemed to be wearing a wide smile, the apples of her cheeks rather tellingly flushed in addition.
Clara narrowed her eyes, suddenly tugging at the Doctor's hand and forcibly dragging him into the shelter of a nearby doorway. The Doctor found himself following his girlfriend wholly unexpectedly into a secret hiding place, releasing a startled cry as Clara pressed his back flat against the wall, one finger pressed to his lips to demand silence.
"Clara, what are you...?" he mumbled around her finger, his eyes widening as she slapped her entire hand over his mouth.
"Investigating a theory, now shush, there's a good boy," Clara hissed, suddenly turning her back on the rather startled Doctor and gingerly poking her head around the door frame.
Once certain that he wasn't about to make any undue noise or squeal of protest, Clara lifted her hand from his lips and widened her eyes imploringly as she mimed a 'shhh' motion against her index finger.
"Clara!" the Doctor mouthed frantically, watching as she crept down the hall in the wake of the impossibly glamorous couple, and came to a stop outside the door of what looked to be a changing room. There was no sign to denote a male or female changing room, and Clara assumed that was more an indication of the patriarchal society she currently found herself in, when it had been thought that most women would not be undertaking the kind of 'work' Agent Carter had immersed herself in.
Hearing hushed voices coming from inside the room, Clara stole a peak inside and was immediately validated on her earlier suspicions. Steve Rogers sat on the bench beside Peggy, their hands entwined and her head resting on his shoulder. Clara couldn't see Steve's face, but from the adoring gaze Peggy held him in, and the tender manner in which he stroked the back of her hand, it wasn't difficult to see that they were quite obviously besotted with each other.
Yet in their gentle touches and lingering glances, there was something more; something Clara realised with a sad, sinking feeling descending on her, was love. And it had been lost to them, and the young woman suddenly found her heart breaking for the pair.
The loneliness and loss in Steve's eyes lived on in him even in present day. He would never stop missing the woman he left behind, or the life they could have spent together.
"I knew it," Clara murmured, as she stole away from the doorway, no longer wishing to intrude on such a private moment when she was aware that there would be precious few more afforded to the pair.
"Knew what?" the Doctor demanded, thoroughly bemused as he followed down the hallway in Clara's wake, noting the sudden melancholy slump of her shoulders.
"Captain Rogers and Agent Carter," Clara stated, as though the answer should have been evident. "They were in love."
The Doctor gazed at his girlfriend for a moment, before understanding suddenly dawned, lighting up his features with a huge smile.
"That's what that was about?" he inquired, chuckling as he patted Clara's hand, before bringing it close to where his two hearts beat in unison. "You could have just asked!"
"You knew?" Clara pressed, and suddenly her tone was far less soft and gentle, and far more accusing.
Looking evidently flabbergasted, The Doctor's eyes widened and he looked down upon her in bewilderment. "Well, yes. Everybody knew that."
"Not... everybody!" Clara punctuated each word with a short, sharp, punch to the top of his arm.
"Oi! Oi!" the Doctor stepped back, instantly realising the cause of her upset but upset by the mild assault no less.
"It's not fair, Doctor," Clara lamented, her eyes brimming with tears, perhaps both for Steve and Peggy, but also for the tragedy that had also threatened to separate her from the man she loved. "They lost each other... Seventy bloody years apart, and... it's just really sad."
Immediately the Time Lord's resolve broke, and he gently pulled his companion against his chest and pressed a kiss to her temple.
"There, there, Clara. It's history, my love. I'm afraid it happened, and... there's nothing anybody can do to change it. Not even a Time Lord."
"Why?" Clara challenged, lifting her gaze to his with a decidedly accusatory glare that made the Doctor blanch.
"Well, because... time lines, and... you know... and... I'm not supposed to meddle!" he hissed in a whisper, suddenly looking up and almost standing to attention as two UNIT scientists came toward them, a warm smile in place upon identifying their visitor.
"Doctor! How splendid of you to make it, old chap. Wasn't sure if you got my message or not."
"Oh uhm, yes, yes, of course," the Doctor replied with a suddenly beaming smile, hardly appearing to notice that he was beginning to babble, "I never fail to pick up a message. Love messages, in fact."
"Indeed," the scientist replied, a somewhat bemused smile appearing fleetingly on his lips.
"Indeed," the Doctor echoed, chuckling as he added, "So, um... What was the message again?"
Placing his hand on the Doctor's shoulder, the older of the two scientists began to walk their visitor down the corridor towards the labs, allowing Clara to only make out brief snippets of the conversation. She thought she deciphered the word 'gun' somewhere along the way, and judging from her boyfriend's skittish and wholly uncomfortable demeanour, she was quite comfortable in that assumption.
However the Time Lord had assisted the Allies in defeating the Nazis, it had not been connected with weaponry.
Almost as soon as they had reached the UNIT laboratories, a pile of blue prints, sketches, and engineering designs had been flung onto a table before the Doctor, and he flipped through them with a cursory arch of his eyebrow.
"Sorry chaps, but I'm not really the person to ask about... You know... Guns," he said the word as if it left a nasty taste in his mouth, but he recovered quickly, "but I'm sure with those specifications and the alterations Dr. Greene here has suggested it'll work out quite...um... Yes."
He ran his fingers through his hair, at a loss for further words. This was not the type of technological advance that UNIT usually called on him to advise on.
Noting Clara standing beside him as she craned her neck to get a better look at the apparently top secret design, he pointed to her with an smile and much needed explanation.
"Ah, gentlemen, this is my assistant, Miss Oswald."
"How'd you do," Clara nodded, smiling politely as the two men eyed her with a slightly disparaging expression on their faces.
The older gentleman - who sported a pair of wire rimmed glasses, a waistcoat, and an air of superiority that exuded from every pore - regarded the Doctor with surprise.
"You have a female assistant?"
Scratching his chin thoughtfully, and mindful of the daggers Clara was likely to be glaring right about now, he bobbed his head.
"Yeah, well, you know. Got to move with the times, eh boys?"
Seeing the blank-faced stares he was rewarded with, he cleared his throat. "Or... Not."
A commotion further down the lab suddenly demanded all of their attention, and a tall, fair haired man stalked toward them, a pistol grasped in his hand.
"Agent Haller? What on earth are you doing?" the chief scientific officer demanded, rising from his seat and bustling towards the man with a horrified expression on his bearded face.
"Hand over the blueprints!" Agent Haller demanded, all pretence now gone, along with his mid-western American accent. In its place was the harsh, clipped tones of a German officer.
Looking around the room, eyes wide, the Doctor pointed his finger accusingly as he swept the lab, unable to recall this incident happening during his WWII service.
"Okay, so... Definitely wasn't around when this happened before, pretty sure I would have remembered."
"Doctor!" Clara whispered, "what do we do?"
He reached out slowly to usher her behind him, yet the motion caused the now unmasked Nazi spy to turn sharply in their direction.
"Nobody move!" he snapped, stepping back precariously as he checked that those behind him were complying. The older scientists posed little threat to the physically fit, not to mention armed, assailant, so he trained his gaze on the Doctor.
"You! Put the blue prints in the bag. No sudden movements, or I shoot her!" he snarled, training the barrel of the gun on Clara, whose eyes were wide in panic. Even after facing off against the Daleks, Cybermen, and a host of other-wordly threats, having the gun of a German spy pointed at her was possibly the most terrifying circumstance she had been in.
Nodding, the Time Lord began to carefully roll up the papers, his ears picking up the sound of creeping footsteps in the hall, and he winced as he anticipated the intruder who was about to upset the dynamic of the fraught situation currently playing out around them.
"You don't want to do that, son..." Steve Rogers drawled, his tone calming and easy, as he strolled into the room, his hands held up in a gesture of surrender.
"I think this is exactly what I want to do," the man spat, his narrowed eyes fixed unblinkingly on the man who had just entered the lab. Steve frowned, shaking his head as he glanced at Clara momentarily, ascertaining her well being. When he observed the frightened look in her eyes, he offered her the tiniest encouraging smile before his face once again straightened out and he returned his attention to the man wielding the gun.
"Let's leave this nice lady out of this, shall we?" Steve suggested, although his tone was ringing with a kind of authority that not many would have the nerve to disobey.
However, the former Agent Haller merely scoffed, his finger twitching over the trigger of the weapon in warning.
"Hydra are not so sentimental, Captain," the man replied, a snake-like grin twisting his lips as he added, "you should know that already. My condolences on the loss of your friend."
If Steve was affected by the man's cruel taunt, he didn't let it show, and the steely determination in his blue eyes was unwavering.
"I don't wanna have to get physical with you, kid. But if you're gonna threaten these people, here, you're not gonna leave me with much choice," Steve reasoned, suddenly noting with concern how the scientist directly behind the spy seemed to be reaching for the paperweight on his desk with unwise intent.
"Let's not do anything hasty," Steve reasoned, hoping against hope that the scientist would heed his words as much as the German operative. Casting his gaze carefully toward the back of the room, Captain Rogers noted the rear exit was ajar, and he let out a slow, deep breath as he prepared to bring the incident to a hasty conclusion.
Standing in her stocking feet, so her heels had not alerted the man to her presence, Peggy Carter stood poised to strike, gun drawn and adrenalin racing through her veins.
She nodded once at Steve to indicate that she was about to make her move, however in that moment, the scientist also decided to try to play the hero, swinging around with the paperweight aimed at the spy's head.
Later on, the Doctor would comment that it was almost as though Captain America sensed the bullet about to leave the gun before the event actually occurred, but at that moment he found himself incapable of any kind of intelligible thought. His two hearts simply stopped beating as the bullet whizzed towards Clara's chest, certain to strike its mark and certain to be deadly.
"No!" the Doctor managed to yell, although there was very little else he could do to aid his girlfriend given the distance that separated them.
However, Steve Rogers was gifted with a strength and speed that, despite being an alien, the Doctor had never been afforded. As the German spy spun around to grapple with the scientist that had tackled him, the fired shot already forgotten, Steve dropped his shoulder and charged forwards.
He ploughed straight into Clara with bone jarring force, flinging his arms around her and pulling her into his broad chest, just as he turned his back to the oncoming path of the bullet.
They landed on the ground with an audible thud, and as the sound of the bullet striking the wooden panelling of the wall rang out, Clara found herself wrapped protectively in the Avenger's arms.
The commotion continued, as Peggy removed the scientist from the fray and managed push the man to safety. The Hydra officer fought hard against the assault, but with a well placed kick in a particularly sensitive region, the man crumpled to the ground, leaving Agent Carter to swiftly disarm him and plant him face first on the floor, his arms pulled tight behind his back.
"You okay over there, Peg?" Steve called out, helping Clara to her feet and checking her over with a hurried gaze.
"Quite all right, thank you!" she called back, beginning to cuff the snarling Hydra agent, even as tears of agony streamed down his face. Hauling him to his feet, she frog-marched him towards the door just as a team of SSR and UNIT soldiers arrived, guns at the ready.
"A little late to the party, boys," Steve remarked, watching with a small smile as the Doctor gathered Clara into his chest and rocked her in a gesture Steve knew was more for his own comfort.
"Well, I think that's more than enough excitement for you gentlemen, today," Peggy began, leaning on the nearest counter as she stepped back into her shoes and regarded the shaking and clearly terrified men with a wry smile.
The scientists, completely awestruck by the display they had just witnessed and the part that the formidable woman standing before them had played in it, merely nodded. Smirking, Peggy simply waved her hand in their direction somewhat dismissively.
"Do go and fetch yourselves a cup of tea. I fear you need it," Peggy said, her amusement evident as the scientists continued to stare. Turning her back, Peggy hurried over to Steve and the small, slight brunette woman who was visibly trembling in the arms of a man Agent Carter had not seen in a long time.
"Doctor! My goodness, what a surprise," Peggy stated, finally drawing up to Steve's side. Her eyes slid surreptitiously in his direction, scanning his body for any signs of injury and finding none.
Clara, however, was sporting a rather impressive blossoming bruise and a gash on the side of her face, where her cheek had hit the cold cement floor on her descent.
Finding himself humbled and awe-struck by their actions, the Doctor smiled weakly at his old acquaintance. "Agent Carter..."
"I'm almost certain I've told you before to call me Peggy," she stated, casting her brown eyes down toward Clara with genuine sympathy. "I imagine you could do with a good, strong cup of tea too? Doctor, do let me take your friend to get her cleaned up, that's a rather nasty bruise and I'd feel much better if I could put some ice on it."
Still slightly dumbfounded, and also devastated by his inability to save his beloved companion, the Time Lord nodded. Holding gently onto Clara's arms as he examined her for any sign of serious injury.
"Oh, Clara" he exclaimed shakily, pulling her back in for another fierce hug.
"My Clara," he repeated, stroking the back of her neck as he kissed her cheek gently.
"I'm fine. I'm okay," she insisted, wincing as she gingerly touched the corner of her eye.
Still smiling as though they were old friends, Peggy wordlessly slipped her arm through Clara's and offered the younger woman an encouraging wink.
"Let's leave the boys to the mess," Peggy suggested, although Clara noted how almost every word that left the woman's mouth seemed more akin to a command, as everyone around her simply fell in line. The Doctor flashed her a smile, beneath which Clara could easily detect his self-reproach. She made a mental note to discuss it with him later on, when her head was no longer spinning and her heart no longer racing from the heady combination of mortal peril and meeting two historical heroes.
On shaky legs, Clara walked at Peggy's side, realising quickly and with a sudden jolt of guilt that they were in fact heading in the direction of the changing room she had earlier spied on the Captain and his sweetheart from
Peggy made sure Clara was comfortable before disappearing for a few minutes, returning promptly with a steaming cup of hot, extra sugary tea, a First Aid kit, and an ice pack.
"There we are," Peggy said kindly, handing Clara the cup and saucer, which she took gratefully with slightly trembling hands. Placing her own hand in a comforting gesture on the young woman's shoulder, Peggy opened the First Aid box and quickly soaked a cotton ball in a strong smelling anti-septic.
"Might sting for a moment, I'm afraid," Peggy winced sympathetically, quickly cleaning up the cut on Clara's cheek and then gently holding the ice pack out to her new friend with a pointed smile.
"Thanks," Clara said quietly, taking another sip of tea before she took the old-fashioned ice bag and held it to her cheekbone.
"A rather nasty surprise for all concerned," Peggy said diplomatically, "still, you're in one piece, and I'm sure that's all that matters to our friend the Doctor,"
"How long have you known the Doctor?" Clara inquired, peering over the rim of her teacup at Peggy with obvious interest.
Peggy's smile was wide and immediate, her eyes twinkling, no doubt with the memories of many a colourful encounter with the Time Lord.
"Only a year, but that really is quite long enough to squeeze in a good adventure or several," Peggy quipped, bringing a soft chuckle tumbling from Clara's lips.
"He always struck me as rather a lonely sort," Peggy continued, her words almost a lament as she gazed sadly at Clara, "it seemed wrong to me that someone who cared so much about so many had nobody to return those feelings."
Clara nodded, her own thoughts drifting to the man she loved as she considered not for the first time how he suffered when alone.
"It's wonderful to see that he's found someone to share his life with," Peggy added, her voice soft and awed as she finished, "and what a magical life it is."
Clara smiled wistfully and chanced a glance up at Peggy, "He makes it magical."
Peggy crossed her legs and Clara could see the tension in her body as she was silent for a moment and then replied. "Well, I suppose the people we love make our lives magical... For however long we know them, and perhaps even after that."
Clara felt her heart seize just a little, and she decided they must change the subject if she weren't to defy the laws of the universe and time travel and just blurt out the terrible details of the future to the woman beside her. Yet somehow, Clara wondered if maybe Peggy already knew that her time with Steve was to be brief. The sadness in her eyes and quiet resignation seemed to confirm Clara's suspicions.
"I must look a proper fright," Clara began, reaching up and hesitantly touching her hair.
"Nonsense, nothing a bit of lipstick and a few hair pins won't fix," Peggy shook her head, standing up and walking over to one of the lockers, which she opened and rummaged in for a few moments.
Sitting back down beside Clara, she opened her hand out and offered the woman the gold cased lipstick and several hair pins she had salvaged from her own belongings.
"Oh, it's fine, really, I..." Clara protested, sensing that her protests were in vain as Peggy firmly shook her head and closed Clara's palm around the beauty products.
"Keep them. I have plenty more, I assure you," she promised, adding with a conspiratorial smile, "one of the few perks of working in the States. No shortage of lipstick or stockings!"
"You're really very kind," Clara stated, her eyes sweeping Peggy's face and deciding that the old black and white prints she had seen of the woman in her biography really did not do her justice.
Peggy only smiled patiently back in return.
"Now, let's see what we can do about that hair."
x-x-x
The Doctor had found in all his hundreds of years of to-ing and fro-ing from Earth that he was very rarely awed in the presence of a supposed 'hero'; however, the exception to that rule was most definitely proving to be Steve Rogers.
Although the Doctor had always considered Captain America to be a kind man at heart and truly worthy of wearing his mantle, the act of saving Clara when he himself could not had well and truly cemented him in place as one of the Time Lord's favourite people throughout the history of the entire galaxy.
Standing outside the Tardis, the Doctor shook Captain Roger's hand repeatedly, explaining over and over how he could never thank him enough. Steve only smiled in response, genuinely happy to have assisted his old acquaintance and his sweetheart.
"Well from what I hear, you've saved the whole planet on more than one occasion, so... This one's on me," Steve said patiently, watching as the alien blushed and seemed for once at a loss for words.
"I assure you, Captain Rogers, you saved something today so much more precious to me than the entire universe," the Doctor said sincerely, breathing out yet another relieved sigh as he saw Peggy and Clara approaching, the latter now smiling widely as the two women chatted easily as if old friends.
Looking only briefly at Peggy, Steve nodded in understanding, "I know what you mean, Doctor. So let's call it even, huh?"
The Doctor smiled, clapping Steve on the back with one hand whilst holding out his other arm to Clara, who moved into his embrace with eagerness. Their foray into the 1940s hadn't gone quite as she had anticipated and, although everything had ended well enough, she was secretly pleased to be returning home to just another Saturday night in front of the television. Not that she would ever acknowledge as much to the Doctor; indeed, he'd be insufferable if she did.
"Time for us to be leaving, I'm afraid," the Doctor stated, stepping forward and planting a friendly kiss on Peggy's cheek. Offering the woman a wink, he added, "Keep up the good work, Agent Carter. I'm sure it will all pay off in the end."
"One would really hope," Peggy replied drily, before turning her attention and her smile upon Clara. "It was quite lovely to meet you, Clara. I do hope we're to see you again. Preferably before I'm old and grey, Doctor."
As the time travelling pair stepped into the unassuming looking police box, Steve suddenly stared thoughtfully at Clara, as if troubled by a recollection. "Say, you look awful familiar. Have we met before? You haven't been to Brooklyn?"
Appearing suitably baffled, Clara shook her head, watching as Steve shook off the apparent case of mistaken identity and stood at Peggy's side.
The doors of the Tardis closed behind them, and Clara let out a troubled sigh, leaning back against them, her arms folded across her chest and her chin lifted in defiance.
The Doctor knew that pose; he'd come to both adore and dread it in the two years Clara had been at his side.
"We have to help them," Clara stated, leaving little room for resistance. However, having been prepared to have to argue her corner, she blinked in surprise as the Time Lord stood before her and lifted his palm to her cheek. Bending his head, he planted a kiss against her lips, and ran his eyes over her face.
Reaching down to clutch her hand in his, he lifted it to his lips and repeated the kiss against her palm.
"Yes, Clara. I believe we do."
Her counter-argument dying on her lips, Clara paused. "Okay. So not what I was expecting."
The gratitude that swelled both of his hearts could not be ignored, and despite the fact his actions were about to contravene every law of time travel he could recall, it was quite simply the right thing to do.
Smiling to allay her fears, the thousand year old Time Lord prepared once again to travel the furthest reaches of time and space for love. Although this time, not to search for his own lost love; this time, it was to reunite two more souls who should never have been parted.
Turning on his heel, he reached the console only moments before Clara and, as his hand reached to set the dials, levers, and cogs in motion, he offered his companion a jubilant wink.
"Geronimo!"