The doctor leaned back in his chair and took a long sip of the blue beverage that had been set in front of him. Clara had insisted it was delightful, so he'd agreed to try. New body – well not that new now – new tastes. He hadn't been here since he'd regenerated. Hell, he hadn't been here since long before that. He hadn't been here since….
He pushed that thought away (although it didn't go far) and focused on Clara. She was standing near the bar, laughing with one of the planet's purple skinned natives. He'd never planned on coming here again, one of many places he'd planned to never visit again. But Clara had heard about the Sunrises at a nearby trading post and had begged him. He'd finally agreed, simply because it was good to see her smiling again. After Danny Pink and after that disaster with Santa she'd been hesitant, willing but afraid. The fear alarmed him more than anything.
And there was none of it here.
And it was hardly as if she'd asked him to go to Darillium. He'd been happy here. Lots of flirting and touching as the darkness had dissipated around them. And somewhere between the fifth and sixth suns rising River had led him to their room and they'd missed the conclusion of the planet's claim to fame. He doubted a blue star rising in the sky would have been more impressive than his wife.
And now he'd get to see it, have another memory to tie himself to here. It wouldn't be enough though. Nothing ever was. But this place didn't hurt. Overall, the hurt was fading. It wasn't gone. He was starting to think it would never be gone, but it was nice to think of her without his chest aching. He liked to remember his wife, even now.
He took another sip of the drink, disliking it as much as he had the first time he'd come here. He hadn't felt the need to finish it that time though. River had seen the distaste on his face as soon as the liquid had touched his tongue. She'd thrown her head back, laughed, and drank it down for him.
Clara would be disappointed though. Clara liked when he liked things, so he drank.
"Grievie says it'll be any minute now. Are you coming onto the balcony?" Clara asked, suddenly appearing in front of him and grabbing his hand, but he wiggled it free.
"Go," he said, taking another sip showing her he liked the drink she'd chosen. "I've seen it, just stars in the sky. Go be in awe."
She frowned for just a moment, before nodding. She reached and squeezed his fingers quickly before grabbing glasses from a passing tray and running to catch up to her new friend. After all the time they'd spent together it amazed him that she was still awed by so many things.
"The first sun will rise in less than two minutes," said a voice to his right. He glanced up to see a young woman, a girl really, standing next to the table. Long fingers of one hand were playing with the back of the chair opposite him as her attention was focused towards the balcony. Her long blond hair was swept over one shoulder. Human he thought, or something similar. He wasn't so good at recognizing this go round.
A pair of sunglasses appeared in her hand and she pushed them across the table towards him, still not looking at him.
"I've never seen it," she said, her voice barely penetrating the sound of people rushing towards the doors.
"It's beautiful apparently," he said, trying to ignore the annoyance he felt at the intrusion of his moment. He didn't like strangers and he certainly didn't like strangers interrupting his outing with his friend, even if she was with a purple skinned hermaphrodite watching suns rise.
The girl nodded, keeping her eyes on the windows as the blackness started to turn purple. He reached for the sunglasses and slipped them on. "My mother told me about it. Dad brought her here for one of their anniversaries before– well before she died." She paused fingers starting to dance across the back of the chair again.
There was something about her, he realized. Something that unsettled him, made his hearts beat faster. He didn't like that.
"She said it was simply stunning." The words rung somewhere in his head as the first bright rays started to penetrate the horizon. The Doctor watched as they spread over the young woman's face. Her flawless skin, her glistening hair. The woman smiled and took a step towards the window, something dropping on the table in front of him.
He stared at it, the long cylindrical object that reminded him momentarily of his screwdriver.
"It extracts data," she said and he wondered if she was truly in awe of the sun or she was being deliberately obtuse. He suspected the latter. "All kinds. When connected to a transporter it can retrieve biological information and recreate it – it isn't even a clone really, more of a resurrection of the original information."
He snorted and pushed the object away. "It's too small to be a replicator," he growled, having no idea what she was saying.
"It isn't," she said, shrugging her shoulders.
"I'm not interested in buying it," he said, tiring of this and wanting the girl to leave.
"I'm not selling," she answered quickly. He glared at her but she didn't turn, seemingly unaware of his annoyance.
"Then why," he said louder than he intended, "are we still talking about it? This," he poked at it, "not-replicator that you've dropped on my table. You've interrupted by sunrise viewing for something that sounds worthless. And like it's impossible and doesn't work. Why would someone bother with it?" he asked. He took another sip of the blue drink and pushed it away. He'd wait for Clara in the Tardis. There were plenty of books to read where he didn't have to interact with lunatics with crazy tools.
"Who wouldn't?" she asked, face lighting up with the orange light as the ball in the sky finally broke the horizon. "You help people. Save them. Heal them."
His stomach sank and anger swelled in his chest.
"Who are you?" he asked, recognizing the personal reference. She snapped her head around, for the first time looking at him head on. The glasses swallowed her face, resting low on her nose. She was younger than he'd first thought, much younger. She frowned at him and snatched the wand back, tucking it into the bag hanging off of one shoulder.
"It doesn't matter," she said, taking a step backwards and moving away from him. He reached for her arm, but she dodged him. "None of it matters," she said. "Enjoy the sun rises…" she paused moving towards the door as he moved around the table to follow, "Doctor."
"Wait," he said as a strange green light permeated the room. The second sun rising in front of the first, its own closer rotation making it appear to move faster. She turned as he moved past where she'd just been standing, and started to run.
He heard a door open, Clara's voice following him across the room.
"Doctor you shou… Doctor?" He picked up the pace as the girl moved through a doorway, swinging quickly to the left.
"Doctor?" he heard Clara behind him. He turned to the left, seeing the young woman ahead of him. The hallway was long, she had nowhere to turn. He sped up, he should be able to catch her. He heard Clara turn down the hallway and glanced over his shoulder, completely missing the silver disk that had been dropped onto the floor.
There was a flash, a bang, and the young woman was gone.
"Bloody hell," he said stopping as Clara caught up with him.
"Doctor?" she asked. "What's going on? Who-?" She leaned over, trying to catch her breath, sun glasses still on her face.
"Time bubble," he said, kicking the silver disk. It bounced across the hall slamming into a wall and shattering. He cursed again. He shouldn't have damaged it. "Get in and get stuck for a few second. Nothing drastic or exciting. Kids game really." He shook his head again. "Played with them on Gallifrey."
She frowned and walked over to it. "Time Lord technology?" she asked and he nodded
"But not unique to Gallifrey. They aren't particularly complicated."
"We don't have them on Earth." He rolled his eyes, Earth was hardly a technological powerhouse. He picked it up and started back down the hallway, not bothering to run. She'd have had plenty of time to get away, get lost.
He pulled out is sonic and searched, following her path.
"Who was that?" Clara said moving into position behind him.
He shook his head. "I don't know."
He could feel her confusion. "Then why are we following?"
He didn't know that either, but didn't answer. He didn't know why. She knew him. She'd taunted him.
And there was something about her.
"Shut up," he said, moving down a small staircase and entering another hallway. He followed where the sonic led him and wasn't paying attention to anything else.
"Doctor!" Clara exclaimed as he moved to open the door in front of them. "Isn't that the room where we parked the Tardis?"
A wave of panic swept over him as he looked up. He didn't recognize it, that's why he made Clara remember them, and he believed her. He soniced the lock quickly and popped the door open. His blue box was on the other side looking just like he'd left it. There was a palpable wave of relief between the two of them as they made their way towards the Tardis.
"Doctor?" Clara asked, still confused. He opened the door and stepped inside, stopping so suddenly Clara ran into his back.
The damage was in here. "Oh my god," Clara said, moving around him and into the Tardis.
"How?" She paused, kneeling to look at the drawing closest to them on the stairs. "It's almost like…" He moved closer studying it over her shoulder.
A children's drawing, two stick figures one male, one female. His stomach dropped again. Clara continued talking as he moved to the next one. Similar picture, different artist, obviously still a child. The Tardis along with a two suns shining in the distance. That could be anywhere.
"Look for a name or dates," he shouted over his shoulder, climbing up the stairs and staring at a bookcase.
"Why would the Tardis let someone do this? Why would she let someone vandalize her?"
"She didn't," he said over his shoulder. Another drawing, one of the Amilock beast on Baslik Prime. Horrible ugly creates, but ridiculously sweet, especially to children. Unbelievable parental instincts that could sense when a child was in danger. And for reasons passing understanding children loved to cuddle with the ungodly beasts.
"Doctor, here," Clara said pointing at something under the console. He plunged down the stairs and ducked underneath to look. "I... Is that Gallifreyan?"
He dropped to his knees, easily reading through the perfect circles. His name, his birth name. He heard it in his head the way River used to whisper it to him when they were alone. Her tongue rolled the sounds perfectly – he pushed that away and read the coordinates below it. He swallowed, recognizing them immediately. He shook his head. He couldn't go there. He wouldn't go there. There was something else…
He closed his eyes as the console came to life above his head. Clara looked up, alarm showing on her face. But he knew. He understood.
He didn't have a say.
"Where are we going?" she asked, reaching for the lever to stop it. Stop the momentum. Stop the machine. She couldn't move it. The Tardis wouldn't be stopped.
"The largest library in the universe," he said, looking up at her and trying to fight the burning in his eyes.
She frowned, understanding what that meant. She looked up, watching the ceiling above them spin.
"What does it say?" she asked, finger pointing towards the Gallifreyan words. He glanced at them again. Glanced at his name. His wife's resting place. And the command so clearly laid out in front of him. He decided it was best to summarize.
"Visit her," he said, voice catching despite his best efforts. Clara's hand dropped to his shoulder and squeezed and the Tardis started to wheeze around them.
They'd landed.