A/N:Thank you to everyone who read my last chapter! I got the idea for this one after I watched Clara and the TARDIS, it was such an amusing and cute mini episode. I hope you all enjoy this one! (P.S. I tend to use the "..." thing a lot, I don't know why. XD)
Chapter Two: As Long as I Live
Clara sat down on the threadbare soft sofa of the TARDIS library, for the antique-book aroma had already gotten used to. She flipped the page of the book she was reading, the once white paper fading into an antique yellow. Her eyes wandered up to the ceiling for a brief moment; she still couldn't bear the fact at how large yet beautiful the place was. She let out a tiny yawn into the soft fabric of her sweater as she lay down on the sofa, sighing at the magnificence that held a life-long cache of books.
"Ah, Clara!" The Doctor smiled, strolling in. "Lovely to see you here, um, I found your bedroom." he motioned to the entrance way behind him. "Well, just kind of ran into it, I was looking for the storage, actually." He rocked back and forth on his feet like a child. "Have you seen it by any change?"
Clara looked up at the ceiling again, folding her hands on her abdomen. "I might have…"
The Doctor perked up a little in hope.
"…three days ago." she admitted, closing her eyes in exhaustion. "I've been trying to find a decent place to sleep for days!" she sighed again. "…thanks for finding my room." She spoke under her breath; barely speaking, as if she didn't want to admit it. Clara sat up on the couch, patting the empty space next to her. "Sit with me?" she asked sweetly.
Taking the invitation, The Doctor leaned back on the sofa, eying the book that lay on her lap. "What book are you reading?"
"Oh, this?" she took the book carefully in her hands, staring at its aspects. "Tuck Everlasting; fascinating read so far," she tilted her head to the right, admiring the cover. "It's about a family that…" she trailed off quietly. "…could live forever." She finished softly; intensified in thought. "Isn't that interesting, Doctor? Seeing everything; living forever."
"Yeah, it is." he agreed. "Everything." He repeated.
"What's it like to see everything, to live for so many years, and never stop?"
The Doctor sighed, a deep train of thought running through his mind. "It just… becomes a part of your life I guess." He looked at the ceiling above them. "Sometimes you wish that you knew barely anything, so that there's just so much more to learn."
"Is that why you take people along with you…people like… me?" Clara asked. "…to show them that there's more to life?"
"I suppose so." He thought, and was a bit surprised when Clara leaned on his shoulder, sleepy, but still awake to smile a bit.
"What about the people who used to travel with you? I'm certainly not the first." She said wittingly.
"They've…left." He said quietly, as if a cold bitter rush of air had gust by with all of things he had regretted. "Some left me because they couldn't bear to see places turn into ruins. Some got left behind, lost, because of me. Some…die…because an incident was just too much of them to handle." His voice became weak, and it was silent for a few moments before Clara spoke again, this time especially quiet.
"I'm sorry." Clara whispered. The Doctor had lost many people, too many to count, yet he still tries; he still cares. "Then what happens to me if I stop, or if I get lost, or if I… die? Would I still mean something to you?" she asked.
The Doctor leaned his head on hers, her soft chestnut hair brushing his cheek. "Clara…" he spoke in kindness and gratitude. "You've saved me so many times in ways nobody will ever imagine."
Clara sighed in contentment, for meaning something to the man who could go anywhere, who has been everywhere, who has known so much made her feel so happy. Clara Oswald, a typical girl who meant so much to someone so... incredible.
"…how long are you planning to travel with me, Clara?" The Doctor asked.
Clara thought for a moment. She had to stop at some point, that's when she wished that she could just live forever. "…as long as I live…" She spoke quietly right before sleep enveloped her and her eyes fluttered shut.
The Doctor smiled down at Clara and carefully stood up, lifting her from the sofa into his arms. He walked out of the library and into the TARDIS corridor, carrying Clara to her bedroom where she could rest and dream of places anywhere imaginable.
As long as she lived.