Bound
'Stop staring at it,' Clara snapped uncomfortably from the other side of the console. 'It's not doing any harm.'
'Then why can't you take it off?' he asked.
'I don't know!' Clara huffed and folded her arms, 'Why did you have to put it on me in the first place?'
'Well you wanted it!'
'I didn't know at the time I'd end up wearing it for life,' she said. The Doctor programmed her home co-ordinates into the TARDIS and then wandered up to her, eyes still trained on the blue-brown gem. 'I feel like you keep staring at my chest,' Clara said.
'That's because I am… staring at it…. The necklace that is.'
'Well it's unsettling. You. With your eyes. There.'
'I've seen your chest before,' he bent a little and peered closer at the jewel, 'But I haven't seen one of these, at least I don't think so.'
'You know how to make a girl feel so special.'
'Oh stop being so pouty,' he straightened, 'It seems a harmless enough trinket, must be some way of getting it off.'
The Doctor pulled out his sonic and pointed it at Clara.
'Careful what you do with that,' she warned.
'I'm just going to try a few low settings see if it springs the clasp, must be some sort of basic electromagnetic field holding it secure…' the sonic buzzed and the necklace stayed on. He tried another setting, and another. 'Hmm.'
'I need to get home,' Clara called as he disappeared down the steps into the space under the console and started rummaging there.
'Yes, yes, all in good time, it is a time machine Clara it's not as though you are going to be late.'
'I don't like it when you drop me off the day before I left it gets me all confused,' she replied, 'Sometimes I end up going to work on the wrong day, or I drink the wrong milk from the fridge…. Or is that the day after….?'
'Must be so taxing being human,' the Doctor quipped as he returned waving a tool.
'What's that?' Clara shifted in alarm as he approached her and slipped the jaws of what appeared to be wire cutters around the chain of her necklace.
'Well if the sonic won't do it, maybe the old fashioned way will.'
'Fine, just be careful,'
'Oh I will, I don't want it damaged it's too interesting.'
'I meant be careful with me, that's my neck!'
'Yes… yes…' he clamped down on the handles of the wire cutters. 'Argh!' The Doctor sprang away the tool flying from his hands and clattering onto the TARDIS floor. He rubbed at his palms and flexed his fingers painfully.
'I take it, it didn't like that,' Clara said smirking. He shot a glare at her.
'Apparently not.'
'Look just take me home, I need to wrap presents, I promise I'll come back later…'
The Doctor looked up at her from where he had been staring at the wire cutters. There was a faint skein of smoke rising from them and their place on the floor.
'You'll come back?' he asked.
'Yes, of course,' Clara said, 'couldn't leave you in such a state of wonderment about the necklace, it would drive you mad. I'll come back later, or you can drop by after I've wrapped things and you can poke at it all you want then.'
He just looked at her.
'Doctor?'
'So we're… back to normal?' he queried.
'I… yes I suppose so,' Clara frowned. 'That was a bit easy wasn't it? I feel like we should have some big deep discussion about it.'
'I say we skip that,' the Doctor said hurriedly. 'I'm not very good at those.'
'No you're much better at taking me to see alien markets where I end up with gold nuts, ridiculously long scarves I could never wear and necklaces I can't take off. Still you didn't get me nearly killed this time so I think we're heading in the right direction.' She smiled at him and was rewarded with one of his rarest most genuine and shyest smiles in return. He pulled the TARDIS lever and the engines fired in the direction of home.
'You go and wrap things I'll do a bit of thinking about your… problem,' the Doctor said.
'Ok,' she bounced over to him. 'Hug.'
'What?' he retracted in horror as the TARDIS made landing noises and Clara held her arms out for him. 'I thought you agreed we're back to normal, this isn't normal,' he protested.
'I'm starting as I mean to go on,' she flung her arms round him, 'There wasn't enough of this before, I'm changing that, stop wriggling.'
The Doctor stood rigid for a moment then relented and tentatively returned her clasp. After an agonising few seconds Clara pulled back and smiled up at him, 'See that wasn't….'
The light from the necklace glowed bright between them, reflecting in their eyes so that each of them took on the tones of the other for a moment.
'Wow that's sort of…' Clara breathed.
'Beautiful,' the Doctor finished looking deep into her eyes. His embrace suddenly felt a lot less stiff and Clara found it hard to look away from where she could see the colours swirl in his pupils. He raised a hand to her hair and brushed it gently behind her ear.
'Beautiful,' Clara echoed.
The Doctor broke the trance first looking away quickly and extracting himself from her grip. Clara staggered back a pace feeling distinctly fuzzy. 'Ok… that happened,' she said in confusion.
'It did,' the Doctor remarked and clicked his fingers, the door of the TARDIS opening onto her living room. 'Run along, wrap things, I have to think, that thing doesn't seem as harmless as I first thought.'
'It didn't do anything nasty… it was a bit intense but…'
'Off you go,' he instructed as he climbed to his bookcases, 'Go on,' he heard the rustle of Clara lifting her bags and her muttered 'OK!' and looked back briefly to see her en route to the door. The necklace was still glowing. She had just taken her first step into her flat when he was hit by an almighty pain.
'Ah…. Clara…'
'What?!' she squealed in shock and reversed her last step, poking her head back round the door.
'Don't move,' he panted from where he was now doubled up over the railing. 'Actually do move, but in this direction.'
'Are you alright?' she asked, worried.
'Come here!'
Clara took a hesitant pace forward and watched as he flinched a little.
'Clara!'
'Ok, ok… coming,' she dropped the bags and trotted forward again and as she did so the tension leeched from the Doctor's face until by the time she reached him he was leaning over the railing panting but no longer pained. 'What was that?' she asked.
'That,' he said catching his breath, 'Was agony.'
Clara stared at him, 'Nuts disagree with you?'
He raised his eyes heavenwards, 'No, this thing,' he jabbed at her necklace, 'is emitting a force field.'
'It is?'
'It is. Try it… move towards the door again… slowly this time and for heaven's sake stop when I tell you.'
Clara backed down the steps and edged towards the door. For a few paces nothing seemed to happen and then suddenly the Doctors face went pale again and he gripped the railing harder than ever. 'Stop!' he cried. 'Now come back.' She did as she was told and the colour returned to his cheeks.
'It doesn't want me to leave?' Clara guessed. The Doctor came down the stairs and walked past her to the door testing a theory. As he reached it he seemed to buckled and grasped at the wall for support.
'It doesn't want us to separate,' he corrected, 'That's something quite different… that's….' his eyes suddenly lit up and he scurried back over to her, 'That's something I've seen before,' he grabbed her hand and dragged her to the console, 'Sorry can't risk you being too far away at the moment, selfish of me but it's quite painful, here!' he pulled the TARDIS monitor towards them both and began calling up data. 'I said at the market the gems were very like those from the Kaltragian sector?'
'Yes,'
'Well that's because they are, sort of, technically they are from ancient Kaltragia, thousands of years old, carved by the primitive tribes before they were all wiped out by their version of the black death. I'd seen the modern remakes if you like, things carved in tribute to them, but the original stones were lost eons ago. Over the centuries various legends were built up about them. You know the sort of thing, gems imbued with great abilities, to control the weather, to affect the seasons, to bestow great power…'
'One ring to rule them all…' Clara said.
'Quite. Well there was also mention of a type of stone used in ceremonies of the time, binding ceremonies…. Between er… couples…' he looked momentarily awkward.
Clara's eyes widened a little.
'There,' he gestured at the screen, 'The Kaltragian Coupling Stone… oh…'
Clara looked over quickly at the image and managed to see it just as he swiped the screen to one side hiding the erotic pose of the couple involved in the ceremony. 'Doctor!'
'It's just an artistic interpretation of the legend Clara.'
'It had better be, I don't think I bend that way,' she said blushing, 'So you think that's what this thing is, one of these Coupling Stone thingies?'
'I'm fairly certain.'
'Harmless?'
'Oh yes, harmless.'
'Well that's good.'
'Yes…' he said hesitantly.
'What? What do you mean 'yes? You mean 'no' don't you? That's what you mean when you say yes?'
'It is harmless,'
'Good,' Clara pushed away from the console.
'It's just rather difficult to remove the binding. Couples were reputedly bound for life Clara, and I can't say I'm entirely sure how the thing works, I mean it doesn't make much logical sense. You can't take it off, I can't break the thing off you, we're stuck and how did we bind it in the first…. wait don't walk out the… ah!'
Clara stopped in the doorway and sighed, 'You said it's basically harmless? Well it's Christmas and I have things to organise so the harmless thing can wait and well you'll just have to follow me until you figure it out,' she turned and looked at him doubled over by the console, 'Come on! I've things to do!'
'But…'
'I'm walking out of this door,' Clara said.
'Wait….' He moved towards her one hand still on his stomach but his pallor diminishing. 'Just give me some warning next time,' he moaned.
'Relax as long as you stay within a few metres of me you'll be fine. I can wrap presents and you can research the necklace and we can both be happy.'
'This is so restrictive,' he grumbled, 'I'm used to travelling all space and time when I want and you expect me to watch you wrap presents?' he followed her into the kitchen where she dumped her shopping bags on the table and extracted wrapping paper from one of them.
'Make yourself useful and get us some tea,' she instructed, 'there's quite a lot to wrap.'
'Don't you think it's slightly more important to say… go back to that planet and sort this out?' he asked.
'Do you think they do refunds?' she asked suddenly business like.
'Somehow I doubt it.'
'Well it won't have a twenty eight day warranty will it so we're in no rush, we'll go but later. It'll do us good to spend some time together…'
'It will?' he asked uncertainly.
Clara sighed and looked at him, grabbing his hands and making the decision to at least partially address what she had discovered that day. 'Yes it will. I'm going to say this because I know you're completely incapable of it, but I missed you. I really, really missed you, and this, and the time we spend together. I'm glad you're back and I want more of that time and for us to do the silly crazy things we used to, like go to planets and buy ancient carved gems that have magical inexplicable powers. But maybe we can balance it and do some ordinary things too like have coffee and go shopping and not get too caught up in the sadder side of life because, quite honestly I had quite enough of that last year and it was awful and I'm tired of crying.'
She squeezed his hands and turned back to the table to wrap the first gift. The Doctor hesitated behind her.
'So am I,' he said softly.
'I know,' she said just as quietly, and it was enough for now, 'Make the tea.'
XXXXXXXXX
The Doctor was beginning to wonder if Clara's shopping bags were programmed the same way as the interior of his TARDIS. Every time he thought she must have extracted the last present another emerged. After an hour or so on the kitchen table she suggested they move into the living room where he took up position lying on the couch and she knelt on the floor with paper spread out where the coffee table usually sat. The edges pinned down with the sellotape holder and kitchen scissors, Clara bent over and carried on her relentless task. The Doctor stared at the ceiling ruminating on Kaltragian Gems.
'This is killing me,' Clara groaned from the floor.
'Hmm?'
'Wrapping…'
'Well don't do it then.'
'It has to be done, I'm nearly there.'
The Doctor glanced at the enormous pile of shiny boxes she had created. He had to admit they looked quite pretty if you liked that sort of thing. She'd even added ribbons and bows. He still didn't quite understand the point of wrapping gifts just to have them unwrapped but he could appreciate design.
'Who are all these for anyway?' The Doctor asked.
'Oh everyone. Dad, Gran, her,' she said a little coolly referring to her step mum, 'Friends at work, friends from uni, friends from school…'
'Friends from your time as an embryo….'
Clara lifted her head and caught his eye about to protest. He winked at her and she burst out laughing.
'OK so maybe I don't need to get everyone presents but I like to, I'm nice remember.'
'How could I forget,' he said without a trace of sarcasm.
Clara stuck a last piece of sellotape on her package and then sat back on her heels groaning and rubbing her neck. 'I hurt,' she complained, 'My back is sore.'
'I suppose you want me to move over,' he said but he already had and she clambered up onto the sofa and tried to find a comfortable position. 'It's late you should get some rest. We have things to do tomorrow.'
'You mean the necklace…'
'Yes.'
'What's the plan?' Clara tried flexing her back and grimaced as it made a crunching noise.
'Well we could go back and have a word with that vendor, find out what he knew if anything about the gems, but I suspect that will be a dead end. Street vendors pick up what they think is junk from all over the… Clara…'
'I'm listening,' she said rubbing her lower back absently.
The Doctor sighed and rather too firmly turned her in her seat until her back faced him.
'Ouch!' she squeaked.
'As I was saying,' he continued, his hands resting on her shoulders, 'street vendors often pick up 'junk' from all over the place, and they don't keep records. The most likely thing is he saw something pretty and thought he could make some money so I don't think we're going to get very far tracking it down.'
He squeezed her shoulders and then began running his long fingers gently down her back, searching her muscles for tight spots. As he found them he pressed lightly with his thumbs and rubbed in small circles. Clara breathed out contentedly as the tightness began to leave her. 'So I thought we might go directly the Kaltarian Sector itself and do a little research into the old ways. They have museums there dedicated to it all, great historians and mythologists. We're bound to find some clues to these Coupling Stones. As I said before I'm still not entirely sure how we triggered the Binding in the first place or how these things work but once we find that out we can reverse it I'm sure…' he pressed his thumbs firmly into her lower back and she gasped as his hands gripped her waist, pulling taut along her muscles and easing her discomfort.
'You're really good at that,' Clara commented.
'I'm two thousand years old I know how to massage muscle. I've been to various gurus over the centuries who enlightened me in techniques known to…'
'Shut up.'
'Right.'
'But keep doing that.'
'OK.'
He silently continued his manipulation of her back, loosening off the stiffness that had built up along her spine, gently caressing the soft flesh he could feel rippling slightly under the pressure of his hands. He shifted a little closer to her until his inner thigh touched her hip and let the scent of her wash over him. His fingers crept up to the back of her neck, wound themselves into her hairline, stroked down her cheek with each pass and Clara turned to him slightly, just enough so that he could see her lips slightly parted as her breath came relaxed and warm over his hand. On her chest the Gem glowed again brightly and the Doctor felt himself drifting as though he were dreaming. He wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her towards him, there was only her, only him. His hand now on her belly, the other still touching her lower back, straying to her hip. She turned a little more and her lips looked so inviting then, all he had to do was lean forward, just a little and they would be on his at last.
The Gem flickered, enticing him forward, its blues and browns swirling urgently to where he somehow knew he would be accepted utterly. He closed his eyes and breathed her in, something dark and needy wakening in him from dormancy.
'Doctor,' her voice sounded distant, dreamlike, she was pushing back against him and could feel her temperature rising in arms. 'Doctor…'
His eyes snapped open and he stared directly at the Gem before pushing her a little roughly away from his body. Clara's body language went straight from relaxed to angry and then seemed to swerve into confused.
'Um…' she said. The Doctor covered his mouth with his hands and breathed out slowly. Clara's huge brown eyes stared at him in concern. 'What was that?' she asked.
'I'm assuming it's something to do with that glowing thing round your neck rather than my incredible massage technique.'
Clara plucked at the necklace with her fingers, its light dimming. 'Whatever it is it seems to have er… turned itself off again.'
'Good for it,' he grumbled.
Clara swallowed and smoothed down her skirt where it had ridden up. 'Ok maybe a good time for me to go to bed.' She said awkwardly.
'Yes.'
'Alone,' she added.
'Obviously.'
'Yes. Ok. Bed,' and she quickly made her way to the door.
'Wait! No... you can't, stop!'
'What?'
'You can't,' he said, getting off the couch and closing the gap between them.
'Why not? It's been a long day, we have to travel tomorrow and there's weird stuff going on with this necklace and us… and your hands…' she flapped.
'Forcefield. Pain.' he ground out. 'I can't be more than about three metres away from you at the moment.'
'Oh.' Clara looked round the flat as though calculating distances. When she couldn't find one that satisfied her she looked back at the Doctor. 'Well don't do anything weird. Weirder.'
'What?'
'We'll have to share.'
'We can't do that, what if that thing starts glowing again?'
'Well I'm not staying up, I'm tired. Just… control yourself…' she hissed.
'It wasn't just me!'
'I'll be asleep.'
'You're more likely to control yourself if you're awake.'
'Nonsense I'm perfectly controlled when I am asleep.'
'Of course you are Clara because you are such a control freak that you even control your subconscious dreamscape,' he said rather bitterly.
'Shut up!' she headed for the door and then turned back reaching for his hand and pulling him after her. 'Shut up and lie down and… behave.' They emerged in her room. 'And turn your back I want to get changed.
The Doctor dutifully turned on the spot and folded his arms listening to the soft whoosh of clothing being removed and replaced.
'I'll take the floor,' he said.
'No you won't,' she replied with a little grunt of effort and she put on her pyjama top, 'You're so old if you lie down there you'll never get up again.'
'I wasn't the one who stiffened up from wrapping a few presents.'
She sighed behind him and he smirked. He had missed her. He'd missed this. She made him laugh, at least on the inside, he didn't admit to it too often on the outside. The bed creaked and he took this as a sign to look round. Clara was tucked under the covers, the duvet to her chin, she looked very small, smaller than normal and it gave him an unusual protective feeling.
'Lie down,' she instructed.
'I don't need sleep,'
'No but I do and I don't want you pacing around all night. Lie down. And have some covers or you'll be cold and twitchy and keep me awake.'
The Doctor circled the bed, taking off his jacket as he did so and hanging it over a chair. He slid under the duvet and looked across at her. Clara stared resolutely at the ceiling. He could just see the edge of the necklace under the covers.
'It's not glowing,' he remarked.
'Good, hope it stays that way.'
'Go to sleep.'
Clara shut her eyes. After a moment the Doctor adjusted his position so that he was lying flat on his back hands folded over his abdomen. He closed his eyes and ran through images from the day all the while aware of Clara's presence, her warmth, breath and scent. How he had ached for just a glimpse of those things again as he had floated in space these last few months and now here she was. His Clara. He opened his eyes and looked at her, unable to resist, aware that she had drifted into sleep. His gaze roamed freely over her face, her long eyelashes and oddly shaped little nose. He would commit each feature to memory, he would lie there all night doing so in all probability, and it would be one of the most precious nights of his long, long life.
