Chapter 3: Criminal tragedy
Warning, I may cause much feels within this chapter
ENJOY!
The TARDIS landed with a gentle thud, the rumble of the machine faded into silence, leaving the ship tense and apprehensive, the Doctor looked at the door with a mixture of foreboding and excitement in his ancient eyes, wondering yet again if what he was about to do was necessarily right or wrong.
He ignored the bustling bubble of questions and doubts forming in his head as he walked over to the display on the console; '24-12-1938, Earth, Milky way galaxy' He stared at the screen for a few moments and punched the air in delight, he was just outside New York, so he'd avoided all the time scar tissue and paradoxes, but he was close enough to get to the Ponds quickly. "Perfect!" He grinned. Now he had to go and get Clara, well that was if she wanted to go, or could even.
He walked down the TARDIS corridor slowly, his gait lacking its usual bounce and excitement, it held more dread and heaviness of pressure and perhaps anxiety, he found Clara's room quickly, leaning on the door frame as he looked in. Clara was lying still on her bed, the covers wrapped around her tightly, as she gripped onto them with tremendous force, her mid-length chocolate brown hair was cascaded over her pillow, eyes still shut in slumber, her face was tight, jaw clenched and her whole body was tense. The Doctor rushed over to her, concern growing steadily, he knelt beside her, brushing her messy hair away from her small face, keeping his hand on the back of her head protectively. "Clara" he whispered, nudging her shoulder slightly but with extreme care to wake her up gently. "Clara, wake up.."
Her eyelids fluttered, and she let out a slight murmur as her brain waded its way out of slumber, the Doctor's concerned frown evaporated as her hands loosened their grip on the covers, and he smiled kindly as Clara's wide brown eyes locked on his own, somewhat surprised and hazy. "Doctor?" She murmured, a smile did not grow on her face, making the Doctor's falter.
"Morning Clara! I've got somewhere we could go, for you to rest." The Doctor pushed, trying to keep a happy smile in the hope her own scared face would become more like his own.
"Who says I need to rest?" Clara snorted, as if to prove the point she climbed out of bed, and got to her feet quickly, the Doctor was pleasantly surprised by her strength, that was until she suddenly collapsed, legs buckling and fingers outstretched, she would have fallen to the ground if the Doctor, being so intent on her, caught her with ease.
"I do Clara." The Doctor murmured, lifting her into his arms, he carried her bridal style to the console, much like he had done the previous night. He rested her on a chair that had appeared due to the TARDIS, and leant on the console to face her. "So, where is this resting place chin?" Clara asked, a glimmer of her old flirtatious cheek evident in her brown eyes.
After frowning at her from the 'chin' remark, he wrung his hands together wondering what she would say to his suggestion. "Well…Vastra suggested I take a visit to some old friends! Let us recover for a little bit, then once we're fine and dandy we can head back to the TARDIS and well… do whatever."
Clara frowned at him, making him gulp immediately. "So, you're suggesting that we are going to dump ourselves of some of your friends? That's so rude!" She protested, hands on hips.
The Doctor sighed, and knelt down beside her, facing her with a pleading half smile. "Clara, you know you're not ok. You can't even stand! You need to rest and have some time to get all these memories sorted out!"
"Why can't you help me with that hmm? What's bothering you?" Clara asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. The Doctor's eyes lowered, not wanting to meet her stare, she knew, she always did, and he was terrified that she would look in his eyes like an open door and see what really was motivating him to go to the Ponds. The fact that he was damaged too.
"Clara, I had to go into my own time stream, for one it took a great amount of energy to do so, and to be honest I'm knackered, but I had to relive everything that happened to me again…" His voice faded away, and his head bowed in shame of his lack of heart. The soft touch of a hand on his shoulder made him slowly look up into Clara's eyes, his breath faltered at the amount of understanding and kindness in her dark brown eyes.
"Doctor, the moment I touched the leaf you sent, I saw it's whole journey in a flash, I saw my Mum and Dad and the leaf's journey up to me, I relived my Mum's death, and I understand. You have lost so many and to see that again must rip you apart. If seeing your friends will help then that's fine with me." Clara warmly, it was a bittersweet moment, both of them relishing the fact they could reach on each other for understanding and comfort, but both of them knowing the other was suffering deeply inside. "So.." Clara said after a long pause. "Who are we visiting?"
"Oh, Amy and Rory, the Ponds, you remember them of course?" The Doctor sighed, while getting back up to his full height.
"Well yes, but..you can't go back to them. You said so." Clara reminded him.
"Rule 1?" The Doctor smiled. "Technically I can't land in New York, too much scrambled timelines, much like scrambled egg but a bit more…timey…" He rambled, looking up and his eyes a haze as he became lost in thought. Clara coughed quietly to bring him back on track. "Anyway! That doesn't mean I can't land outside New York and get there some other way! The reason I said I could never go back was partly the timelines but, I had their graves at my feet and once you read time it's fixed in stone, this time quite literally, that was their destiny from now on. Besides, I'd screwed up their lives too much already…" He stopped, looking at the ground awkwardly.
"Come on then." Clara said eventually. "You do know where they live don't you?" Clara asked.
"Of course!" The Doctor replied, taking her hand and leading her out of the TARDIS with an excited step, but still maintaining a slow pace for Clara's sake.
…..
After a considerable amount of time, jumping from one mode of transport to the other, the Doctor, and an exhausted and irritable Clara made their way to the street that the Pond's lived on. They had been a mixture of transport to get to the location, including a slow car drive, (cars weren't that advanced in the 1930s) and the pair of them were relieved to see their destination was tantalisingly close. Clara suddenly stopped, wobbling slightly as her arm unlinked itself from the Doctor's. "What if they're on holiday or something?" Clara queried.
The Doctor laughed. "Trust me Clara, my TARDIS wouldn't bring us here on this date if they were on holiday. Well possibly if it was just you, since she doesn't seem to like you…" The Doctor smirked.
Clara's face evolved into a scary pout. "Hey! It's been getting better!"
Before the Doctor could reply to ridicule her more, a large zipping sound streaked past the pair, leaving the street in a hushed silence as the two time travellers both realised a bullet had flown past them.
"That was close!" The Doctor whispered, still quiet from shock. He looked at Clara checking she was ok, he scanned her over, and she seemed fine. Well she was until her wide, frightened eyes dilated and rolled back into her head as she fell to the ground with a whimper.
"Clara!" The Doctor screamed, plucking her off the floor and cradling her in his arms, his hearts hammered franticly as he ran in the direction of Amy and Rory's apartment, throwing caution to the wind as he sprinted loudly down the darkening street, the setting sun casting an ominous blood red shade into the stormy clouds above. His ears picked up no following footsteps, and he continued running despite laboured lungs and the stray tear forming in his eyelids.
After what seemed the most painful lifetime, he reached the door where Amy and Rory's flat was, he ripped the door open, slamming it to avoid any pursuers, and leapt up the stairs, the number of the flat he needed so much ringing in his head like a mantra. When he reached the door, panting like an exhausted Labrador, he slammed on it, causing a huge racket to get his oldest friend's attention as soon as humanly possible. He didn't dare look at Clara, he could tell from the wetness of his cheeks that he was already in despair, one look and he didn't know what would happen. Is she dying? Is she injured? Did it hit her heart? Oh please oh please no. She can't die, not Clara, Not MY Clara….
The Doctor's eyes closed as he let a tear roll down his cheek, he hated how emotion controlled him, he always hid them, always, but it seemed with Clara's life on the line it was too much to bear, it pained his hearts to ask why she affected him so much. The sound of creaking wood made him open his dark green eyes, they locked on that of his oldest friend for this incarnation. Amelia Pond, the girl who waited, the girl from a fairy tale.
The pair gaped at each other for a few moments, lost in the realisation they were facing each other. "Raggedy man.." Amy whispered, long ginger hair slightly messy and in her pyjamas, she stared at the man she never thought she'd see again. But then after the pure shock of his presence subsided, she noticed the tears in his eyes, and finally the small girl wrapped up in his arms, and the blood clinging to her leg and his purple tweed coat.
She moved out the way and pulled him inside, shouting Rory's name and slamming the door. Numbly, the Doctor listened to Amy's instructions and placed his precious burden on the sofa, he knelt down next to her, clutching her hand like a lifeline as Rory examined and worked on her. For the first time the Doctor appreciated Rory was indeed a doctor, a proper one, that knew all humany things.
He felt rather dazed and unfocused as the commotion played out around him, focusing only on the faint beat of Clara's pulse throbbing against his hand weakly.
It was when the tiny pulse faded away when the Doctor finally let out his inner torture and screamed.
As I said, feels XD
However, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE FOLLOWS, FAVES, REVIEWS AND ALL THE WONDERFUL JAZZ, THANK YOU SO MUCH I NEVER EXPECTED SO MUCH AWESOMENESS!
AND WE'RE ONLY ON CHAPTER 3 :o
Also I hardly described how they got to New York cause well, they don't exactly teach 1930's New York at school :/
Oh well, please forgive me :D
Merry Christmas and a Happy new year everyone!
Till next time
Neon xxx
