A/N: Back with another chapter!
Hope you enjoy it!
The time lord sat up from his bed immediately as he heard the sound of her desperate scream. He had just finished taking a shower after giving the old girl a check-up and had retired to his bedroom, wearing casual trousers and a warm dark brown holey jumper, reading Einstein's 'lost' papers.
But as soon as he heard the companion desperately screaming out his name repeatedly accompanied by other screams of denial, he couldn't help but feel his hearts skip a beat. He felt a heat flush taking over as adrenaline started to travel through his veins, ready for anything. The time lord immediately threw the papers on the huge double bed, ran out of the room in search of his companion's.
The shouting had abruptly stopped, and that was when he ran faster than before, fearing the worst.
He burst into her barely lighted room, seeing dimmly her form; sitting in the middle of the bed, cupping her hands to her mouth, her eyes bulging and filled with tears. "Clara." He simply breathed and in mere seconds, he was sitting on the bed, wrapping his arms around her. Her eyes wouldn't budge from looking at the fixed position on the wall in front of her. "It's ok. It's ok." He mumbled into her hair, playing with her short locks.
The Doctor didn't care about the fact that he had problems with social interactions (or even having the large eyes which he totally aborrhed). When it comes to his Clara, he remembers everything she had told him on how to be kind, gentle, and caring.
And on how to be a Doctor.
He tucked her damp hair behind her ear, and slowly removing her hands from in front of her lips and pulling her in a hug. "It was just a dream... just a dream..." He breathed in her ear, rocking her side by side to calm her from the screaming thoughts in her mind. But his companion was still very very shocked, and so he pulled back, still seeing her with eyes wide open in fear, filled with tears to the brim. "Clara, what's wrong?" He asked as the Doctor let his long, thin fingers pass through her short hair. The companion double breathed, her bottom lip trembling slightly. The Doctor kissed her temple, and it was only then when Clara turned towards the time lord slowly, who forced a weak smile of comfort.
"You... You almost died, Doctor." She double breathed. "I was... I was watching from Bonnie's eyes and I felt so helpless." Clara sniffed. "You almost got... You almost got..." She couldn't continue. She wept and bawled, holding her face in her hands. He almost gasped. He couldn't believe she was blaming herself for something which she actually helped avoid.
"You saved me Clara." He said, still letting his fingers pass through her silky hair. "You saved me and Osgood. It was you who let Bonnie fire in the wrong direction." The girl's sobbing decreased, letting the shield down, revealing her large bloodshot eyes. "And you gave me and Osgood enough time to grab out parachutes and escape." The Doctor smiled as he cupped his hand to her cheek, delicately wiping away the tears. "I would have died a long time ago if it weren't for you, Clara. The timestream, the new regeneration cycle..." He sighed. "And when I was going to burn Gallifrey, you, Clara Oswald, saved me from myself... quite literally. " He grinned, and Clara let out a weak laugh. She could barely hold it together when the Doctor showed his teeth... it was just something that he rarely does, especially with his solemn, rebel character.
But he would do anything to see Clara smile again.
The air soon turned sombre again, as Clara's remorse returned to haunt her. Tears reformed in her eyes as she shook her head, but the Doctor was quick to pull her in another embrace, letting her shout and cry in his chest. He kissed her forehead, tried to soothe her with calming words, with no success. She was too stubborn to listen to him. "I know how it feels Clara. But I was never going to leave you alone. Not even dead. I would have regenerated or something but I would have never left you alone. Not this time." He said. "So you're stuck with me." He could feel Clara's smile had returned, even if for a short period, before sniffing.
"You trust me, don't you Clara?" He heard her sniff in his shirt.
"It's not the point, Doctor; of course I trust you. But I'm still so scared of losing you. I only let you go once, after Danny died, and I almost couldn't get myself to do anything. But as long as I thought that you were happy, I would have done anything."
"If only I'd known." He breathed in her hair. After a while, the pair pulled away from each other. The Doctor looked into her huge orbs. "I promise you Clara, I will keep you safe. Cross my hearts and hope to die." The time lord said as he made an ''x" sign on both sides of his chests.
The companion smiled lightly. "And I shall try my best to stay out of trouble." He smiled at her innocence and kissed her forehead, cupping his hands on her cheeks wet with tears. He then dried them with the back of his hand, feeling his skin caress her softer, unblemished skin.
"Go back to sleep, Clara. It's only been 3 hours and you humans spend so much of your life asleep." He told her with such love and sweetness.
Clara broke the eye contact, her voice weak and raspy, "I'm not tired anymore." She couldn't bare to look in his eyes, so she just played with her fingers.
"I'm still here, Clara." The Doctor reassured her once again.
"I could say the same to you, daft old man." Clara said as she continued playing with her thumbs. The time lord swallowed thickly. His only reply was pressing another sweet kiss to her hair. That sweet smelling hair which reminded him of Gallifrey so much. Of a particular nanny who used to take care of him when he was just a time tot; always playing with the sophisticated toys. The woman imprinted so vividly in his memory used to take care of him...
He never knew what happened to that time lady. But now he was definitely sure that she was Clara -her echo- who had taken care of him and patiently taught him how to love, how to save...
And how to be a Doctor.
But he had to try... With his own method, of course, to cheer his human up. Just then, he had a light bulb moment. "Do you remember that time when you convinced me to dress as Rudolph for the kids?"
She bit her bottom lip before the companion started laughing. "Oh my goodness Doctor, I thought you'd never mention it again." Her arms curled around her stomach as she continued laughing, leaning forward. "You didn't even need any red blusher to make your cheeks a little redder." The Doctor really didn't want to recall that memory, but he looked at his Clara with a sad smile and he saw her laugh, it changed to a giggle. He had to admit... Her laugh was extremely contagious.
And so they stayed laughing. "And remember when the Year 2 children ran after you when they saw you dressed with costume and all." Clara continued laughing and the Doctor was trying to gather some breath to reply.
"Don't you ever tell me to do..." He laughs yet again, before recomposing himself. "... to do it again." And they continued rocking with laughter and tears of happiness in their eyes, before it started to calm down.
"I really really needed this." Said Clara, still slightly hysterical. "Thank you." She breathed, wearing a bright smile.
"Still not tired?" The Doctor asked, but Clara's smile faded.
"Are you going to do more TARDIS maintenance?" The time lord did his best to decipher the meaning of what she had said, the weak and slightly trembling tone she said it in, before he understood, and a gentle, empathetic smile formed.
I don't want to be left alone again, Doctor.
"If you wish, I can stay near you." Clara's heart lightened and her eyes shone bright once again, as so did her smile. They stared at each other for a while, but the Doctor was soon able to shake himself from the moment. "Then come on, chop chop, it's past your bedtime." Clara giggled before lying down in the bed again. The Doctor, who was still sitting on the bed near her tucked the edge of the quilt under her chin before sitting down next to her, his back upright against the headboard. His palm travelled over her forehead and hair. Clara, of course, began humming contently, but still didn't have the urge to sleep. So the Doctor started humming a beautiful song, his voice so soothing and deep, to which Clara couldn't help herself but close her eyes and imagine nature. Not just any old nature on Earth, though.
It was Gallifreyan nature.
Orange planes, open fields of red grass... Vast mountain ranges with caps of snow... The suns shining upon the planet... It was beautiful...
Remnants of her echoes were still there, even if the bulk of the memories such as Gallifreyan itself were hidden and locked deep within her mind.
And the Doctor continued humming, changing tone after a few seconds, and went from smoothing her hair to drawing circular patterns on her forehead. Clara could just hear the wind howling on Gallifrey, some fireworks in her mind here and there... Before gradually falling asleep, accompanied by the Doctor's mellow voice.
The time lord looked at his peaceful companion. Thank goodness she didn't understand gallifreyan anymore. Clara would have thought it was a lullaby which his echo used to sing to him to sleep. But oh, no no... Of course, he had sung it to her before when she needed to sleep.
Yet, this was a more... intimate song...
It consisted of the solemn wedding vows that the gallifreyan newlyweds would sing to each other during their wedding.
To love, to protect and to care for you, my sweet flower, my eternal wife, now and ever more.
I shall care for you all my lives, honor you in every way, every day of our lives. And even if I shall pass into the halls of our fathers, I shall never leave you alone. For you, my flower, are mine, and I am yours, for eternity.
But this was for time lord weddings...
even if I shall pass into the halls of our fathers... The haunting reality returned to him. She would leave him one day. And it would hurt so much that he won't be able to breathe.
But till that day comes, he will continue to protect her and lay the Universe at her feet, and making every single day with her count.
Because she was his Universe and he would always protect her; at all costs.
Both their days were numbered.
A/N: hope you enjoyed this chapter! Feedback appreciated as always!