AUTHOR'S NOTE: Ugh! I seriously cannot wait until November 23, and yet, I can wait to see episode because I am super positive Clara and the Doctor will reveal their feelings in some way shape or form in that episode, but it also means I'll have to be back at school! Ugh! Anyways! I have overcome my upsetedness (I realize that is not a word. It is now about the Doctor and River kissing. My dad said "Well, they are married." I don't care.) However, I was told that River was mentally linked with Clara, and that was the only reason she was still there...that and the Doctor didn't say goodbye...but any who! Technically that means by kissing River, he also kissed Clara, so WHOOP! :D Also, I have an explanation for the TARDIS not liking Clara. My friend Mitchell told me this. (That's not his actual name; I just call him that. :3) Since Clara stepped into the Doctor's timeline, she technically has known the Doctor longer than the TARDIS, since she was the one who told him to take that specific TARDIS, thus the TARDIS is jealous! Haha! The TARDIS be jelly! XD Lol! Well, anyways! Long author's note! Sorry! On with the show!
"Doc...Father!" Francesca called, correcting herself before she called him Doctor as she tried to pull away from the man holding her, but he held onto her tightly. The Doctor aimed the sonic screwdriver at the man and stepped closer as he growled, "Let her go." The man moved back and pressed the muzzle of the revolver even harder against Francesca's temple, causing the young girl to cry out softly as the man snapped, "Stay back! I'll only let her go if you leave by yourself!"
"I know people like you," the Doctor said in a low, threatening voice as he stepped forward again and continued to point the donic at the kidnapper. "You won't let her go without something in return, and just me leaving definitely won't cut it, now will it?"
The man began to raise the gun up as if he was about to strike Francesca with the butt of the gun as he yelled, "We have an intruder! Come quickly, boys, and bring-"
Bang!
A gunshot went off, causing both Digby and the Doctor to jump as Francesca flinched from the sound and squeezed her eyes shut. The kidnapper crumbled to the ground dead with the side of his head blown off as blood poured out across the floor. Digby was staring at the dead body in horror, but the Doctor couldn't see the boy since the child was behind him as he turned his attention to Francesca and called, "Fran, come here, but only look at me. Don't look anywhere else but at me, okay?" Fran was the nickname he had picked up and started calling her on their many trips and adventures; it was like the shortened version of Frannie, which Clara called her.
"O-Okay," Francesca replied as she opened her eyes and stumbled towards him. The Doctor held her close, keeping her face pressed into him so she didn't see the body as he turned around so he could see who fired the gun, pulling Francesca with him. He didn't want her to see the horrific sight as he realized that Digby was staring at the body. He didn't want Digby to see it anymore, so he pulled the nine year old boy to him, before he finally looked up to see the shooter.
To the Doctor's great surprise, Clara was standing behind him with the literally smoking gun in her shaking hands. She held onto the pistol so tightly that her knuckles were bleached white as she stared at the lifeless body of the man she had just killed with wide, scared eyes.
"Fran, hold your brother," the Doctor whispered softly to the thirteen year old girl as he let them both go but kept them facing away from the dead man, "and neither of you turn around and look."
"Yes, Doctor," both children replied solemnly as Francesca wrapped her arms around her little brother and held him tightly to her. The Doctor gave a nod of satisfaction and acknowledgement, before he turned and carefully approached Clara. He gently wrapped his hand around the muzzle of the gun and tenderly removed it from her grasp. The moment the revolver was out of her hands, Clara snapped out of her daze as her eyes brimmed with tears that would not fall, and she rushed forward, wrapping her arms around the Doctor's middle.
The Doctor stumbled back a step or two in surprise, but he quickly recovered as he encircled his arms around her and held her comfortingly. He kissed her forehead and commented, "It's all right...Now, let's get out of here." Clara nodded and took his hand as he placed the revolver onto one of the wooden crates. Suddenly, shouting filled the air as the sound of footsteps approaching them from down a hallway reached their ears.
"Run," the Doctor commented as he grabbed Francesca's hand, and she held onto Digby's hand. They ran outsidr, bursting out through the doors as Rolling Thunder neighed and raised up onto his hind legs. He stomped his front hooves and threw his head back with a snort as the Doctor slowly approached him and put his hands up to calm him.
"We can't all possibly get on," Clara commented as she looked at the Doctor, who was currently picking up Digby as he placed him on Thunder's back and replied, "Sure we can!" The shouting reached them again, and he added, "We just have to hurry!" He then lifted Francesca up on top of the horse behind Digby. The Doctor took Clara's hand and quickly helped her up as she stepped onto one of the stirrups while Francesca moved closer to her brother to leave more room for her. It was uncomfortable for her to sit straddling the saddle because of her Victorian attire as the Doctor climbed up with them, not even sitting on the saddle.
"Have you ever riden in the saddle, Clara?" The Doctor asked as he reached forward to grab the reigns, but it was too difficult for him to hold onto them and adequately control the horse and menuver them through the streets as he placed the reigns in her hands. Clara frowned as her brow furrowed together, and she replied, "No..."
"Well, I hope you're a fast learner!" The Doctor exclaimed as he gently held Clara's lower arms and made her snap the reigns. Rolling Thunder snorted and took off in a gallop right as the doors burst open and two men came running out. The Doctor instinctively wrapped his arms around Clara's middle, holding onto her so he didn't fall off as a small, almost unnoticeable smile carved into Clara's face. She knew she shouldn't be enjoying this moment since they were still in danger of being killed, but she couldn't help it. She liked the warm feeling of his arms around her waist. That's whem the gunshots started, and bullets flew past them. The Doctor looked over his shoulder and inhaled sharply when he saw two of the three kidnappers, since the third one was dead, sitting on the driving bench of their carriage and gaining on them. Fast.
"Snap the reigns!" The Doctor yelled as he turned back around so he was facing forward again.
"What?" Clara called back as she briefly glanced over her shoulder at him, and the Doctor grabbed her lower arms again half way between her elbows and her wrists as he explained quickly, "Like you did before when I moved your arms! Snap the reigns!" The Doctor wished he had hooked up Rolling Thunder to a carriage so he could get them back to the TARDIS safely. Of course, he wasn't blaming Clara for her lack of experience since he knew she had no reason to know how to ride a horse; he just wanted her and the children safe.
"Oh!" Clara exclaimed as she lifted the reigns and snapped them down, driving the horse faster. The Doctor continued giving her instructions on when and where to turn as they made their way back to the TARDIS. The gunfire had long since stopped, but now the shouts were starting to fade away into the distance behind them as Clara gently pulled back on the reigns, and Rolling Thunder slowed down as they went towards the busier streets.
The Doctor had Clara stop as he and Digby got off to give the girls more room. The Time Lord picked up the little boy and carried him as he took the reigns from Clara, leading Thunder through the streets. Not that he cared what others thought about him except for his companions and friends, but the Doctor didn't want it to look strange with all four of them on Thunder's back because standing out wasn't always a good thing, especially when you're already standing out because of how Clara and Francesca were sitting as well as because they only had a horse and no carriage.
Once they finally reached the TARDIS, the Doctor placed Digby back onto his feet, before he helped Clara and Francesca down from Thunder's back. When the Doctor went to turn away, Clara didn't let go of his hand as he looked down at her and raised an eyebrow as if to ask what she was doing.
"I know you're going back to return the horse," Clara began to answer his unspoken question as she smiled up at him, "and I'm coming with you."
"As delightful as that sounds," the Doctor replied with a grin, not in the least bit sarcastic as he squeezed her hand, "it'll be a lot quicker if you stayed here."
Clara gave a fake disappointed sigh and smirked as she waved him off. The Doctor smiled and kissed her forehead, before he turned around and climbed into the saddle. He smiled down at her and the children and added cheerfully, "I'll be back before you can say, 'Where has he got to now?'." The children looked at each other with smiles and giggles as they both said in unison, "Where has he got to now?" Clara and the Doctor both smiled, before the Doctor whipped the reigns and took off to return Rolling Thunder to his stables and rightful owner.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry that it's not as long as it usually is, I just thought that was a perfect place to end the chapter, and since it wasn't too short if I ended it there, I cut it off there! :D Well, I hope you liked it! Oh! I forgot something I was gonna put in there! Now that I remember, I might just put it in the next chapter because it could work there too...Hm...Anyways! You know the drill! Reviews are like cookies, stickers, and anything Doctor Who! I can't get enough of 'em! So please review!
If you review, I'll give you a little look into what's going to happen in this story (the idea actually, like generally. I haven't written the whole thing yet so I can't give you a random scene with details and stuff. I hope that made sense :3 Sorry if it didn't). If you're lucky, and I've written more of the story, you might get a preview of not only chapter 5 but past that. That is, if I've written it.