Day Three. Thirty nine hours Since Infection.

It was probably time to get up. Not that he'd been sleeping. No, he'd been lying in bed fully clothed thinking about Clara all night and feeling… uncomfortable. The TARDIS had unhelpfully moved her room closer to his and he was being periodically tormented by various noises filtering through the air ducts to his sensitive Time Lord ears. And it wasn't restful. It wasn't restful at all. He didn't do much sleeping in general but he really wished he could now, fall fast asleep and stay that way until the Fungus had passed and Clara was normal again.

She'd been awake all night too that much was obvious but in the last twenty minutes or so it had gone quiet. Maybe she had finally worn herself out, maybe the Fungus was losing the battle with her immune system. He closed his eyes and willed time to pass.

And then the TARDIS alarms sounded and the lights flashed red in time with the sirens and the Doctor flung his covers back and raced for the console room. He could really do without Daleks or Sontarians or Cybermen right now. For a start his concentration wasn't at its best at the moment.

He burst into the room. Clara was leaning over the console with her hand on one of the levers and her eyes fixed on the monitor. A simple white dress was tied loosely round her middle and her hair was in considerable disarray. Her eyes looked glassy and her face flushed. Carefully, as though approaching a wild and unpredictable animal, he began to creep closer to her, hands outstretched to ward off any unsuitable advances.

'Clara?'

'Get away!'

'What are you doing? A few more paces and he tried to see what she was looking at on the screen.

'Flying your stupid box somewhere where I can get what I need.'

'What?!'

'Except she won't let me!' she cried indignantly. 'Girls are supposed to stick together you stupid chunk of intergalactic steel!'

'Where were you going?' he asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

'Rome,' she said as though it was obvious, 'For an orgy… and don't' tell me you've never done it because I know you have!'

'I wasn't under the influence of a Fungus!'

'Then that's even worse! You just went because you fancied some fun, I have a medical condition that needs treatment!'

'Clara you can't go to Rome.'

'I'm a grown woman. A grown woman with needs. Needs I can't get fulfilled on this ship because my so called friend won't help me.'

That stinging feeling inside him again. Why did her words hurt so much at the moment?

'Clara, be sensible, attending a Roman orgy in your condition…'

'…I need to attend something!' she said desperately. 'I need… I need…'

She turned suddenly and stared at him, the expression on her face made his head swim.

'What do you need?' he asked quietly.

'I need… I need a man,' she turned back to the screen and began typing, 'You won't do it so I need to find someone who will…. There!' she exclaimed.

'Where?'

'There, if I can't go to Rome I'm going here, it even sounds Roman. Pontius Civilcius….'

'No!'

'Yes!'

'No Clara you are not going there.'

'It's exactly what I need.'

'I refuse to take you to a planet whose economy is almost entirely financed by male brothels.'

'Think of the choice? The endless variety!' she squealed.

'Clara you've lost your mind!'

'Fine, I'll go to Rome then,' she snapped.

She punched co-ordinates into the navigation system and he lunged forward just as her hand tugged the lever, his fingers closing over hers. Spinning her in his arms he managed to drag her away from the controls but not before the TARDIS groaned around them. He looked up at the rotor in horror as it turned and the ship took off.

'What are you doing? I was trying to stop her not help her fly you!'

'Take your hands off me!' Clara squealed. She wriggled against him in her skimpy white dress and he tried to redirect his thoughts from her clearly erect nipples and the way they rubbed against his body. He grasped her wrists and she kicked against him like an angry little foal, cursing him and glaring with her big brown eyes. There was something incredibly erotic about her struggle and she seemed to realise it just as he did. Her movements became oddly more deliberate and provocative, they slowed against him and she ground her pelvis into his. The Doctor shut his eyes against her tantalising image as her anger dissipated and turned into desire. He couldn't keep up with the changing seasons of her emotions right now.

'Hurt me,' she whispered.

Oh Gods.

She tugged feebly against his grip, 'Oh Doctor you're right, I've been very… very bad. You were right to stop me,' she made a needy little noise in her throat, 'Oh, tell me I've been bad, tell me I'm a naughty girl…'

He wasn't looking. He wasn't listening. No, not listening, not listening to her breathy voice whispering in his ear. Not following helplessly as she walked backwards to the console her wrists still in his hands, pulling him with her, pulling him down so that he was pinning her to the control panel. His grip tightened involuntarily, and his weight settled on her and suddenly he was between her thighs, her strong little legs wrapping around his hips and her body squirming under him. She moved her arms so that they were over her head and whimpered, actually whimpered with need.

'I've been so bad, trying to steal your TARDIS,' she said against his ear, 'I should think you need to teach me a lesson for that,' he felt her chew her lip and then her tongue slid along the skin of his neck, before she nipped at him softly. He tried to will away the sensation in his groin but it was too late, he tried to pull away but she'd noticed.

'Oh Doctor, at last…' she murmured and pushed up against his growing erection, 'You're not so past it after all, that was horrible of me wasn't it, I was so mean to you,' she ground her hips into his and his breath caught, 'Tell me I was bad, tell me…'

'You were bad,' he moaned before he could stop himself.

'Oh yes I was…' the excitement rich in her voice now, 'Tell me again.'

'Clara…'

'Tell me…'

'Stop…'

She chuckled. 'Would you prefer to show me that I'm bad,' her tongue just below his ear again, where his silver hair curled against his skin. 'Would you…?'

'Yes…' almost inaudible.

She wriggled out of his grip, an easy task as he had little willpower to stop her, and reached for his belt, unclasping it quickly and grabbing the zipper of his trousers. She was fast and focused and it was only when her hand brushed against his skin, when her fingers strove to release him from his boxers that he leapt away from her and scrabbled to set himself to rights.

'Clara!'

'Oh come on!' she growled in frustration.

'No!' he stepped backwards as he refastened his belt, buttoning his jacket as an extra safety measure.

'You can't leave me like this!' she cried, half sprawled on the console.

'Can't you just… you know…' he gestured vaguely between her legs and she glowered at him, 'Just… you know… yourself…'

'It's not working! I need more!'

He hesitated. She really was working herself into quite a state, he'd never seen anything like it, all wild eyes and heated skin and desperation. It was affecting him in ways he hadn't felt for hundreds of years. Maybe… well… maybe her request wasn't entirely unreasonable. She'd be safe with him, he cared for her so much, he wanted to please her, he'd wanted to please her for so long. She'd be better with him than throwing herself at a stranger in her spore-adled state. And besides he was a Time Lord, he had stamina and skill and hundreds of years of experience in pleasuring women, he was absolutely up to the task in hand, he could do things to her that would have her coming apart in moments, begging him, pleading with him to do it again, and again. He was just what she needed, not a human male with their limited abilities but a Time Lord with superior physiology and anatomy.

He mentally slapped himself.

Think with your head not your superior anatomy.

The TARDIS made landing noises and suddenly both of them were fully focused once more. Both sets of eyes turned to the door but it was Clara who raised her fingers and snapped them. The doors flew open.

'Touch down,' she said, stepping sideways so that she was between the exit and him, 'Destination…. Rome…'

'Clara,' he said warningly.

Another slow side step and she was right before the door. He could see she was bracing herself to take off and knew that she had not only a few feet head start but youth and speed on her side. Time Lord Anatomy or not Clara could move when she needed to he knew that, she'd out run quite a few aliens, including him.

'Either you help me,' she said, 'Or…' and she cocked her head towards the scene beyond the TARDIS. His eyes followed, taking in the sandy coloured walls, an erotic mosaic and a glimpse of a sideboard decorated with exquisite ancient ceramics. But it was the noises which reached his ears that worried him most. The sound of music, laughter, general rowdiness and the occasional distinctive and punctuating moan of pleasure.

She had navigated straight to the centre of the orgy it seemed. No time to waste. He clicked his fingers and the doors shut.

Clara opened them again.

He shut them.

She took a step backwards and opened them.

'Clara!'

'Well?'

'I…'

'Coward!' she announced, 'Coward!' and she turned on her heel, hitching her skirts up and running from the ship.