Chapter 6
Clara Oswald blew into the world on a leaf, and blew into Iowa in a blue box.
It was an accident, they weren't supposed to be there. Clara had gone with the Doctor to stop some new race of smiley aliens from destroying earth in ancient Rome. She'd been quite proud of herself, actually. The entire adventure had been a success and Clara, a large part of it. The Doctor set the TARDIS back to home, and in a rush, pushed Clara out, and set off again.
Except they hadn't gone back home.
It wasn't even the right year. The year was 2012, and Clara found out she had been trapped in Northern Iowa, over in The States. To top it off, the Doctor had been in such a rush, he zipped out before Clara realized what had happened. It was horribly unfortunate. As the days wore on, Clara found the small town to be quite quaint. She didn't have to worry about any of the drama in her life, she didn't have to make a decision on Danny, no one needed her. For the first time Clara found herself on an unexpected vacation. She knew the Doctor would eventually return, and when he did she could just pop back into her life, with barely minutes escaping. But now, in Iowa, she had time to relax.
It wasn't hard for Clara to get work. It began with a small waitstaff job at a local Deli, which gave her enough to rent an apartment. By this point, three months had passed without any sight of The Doctor. Clara was worried, but worst-case scenario involved waiting until she caught up with her timeline and buying a ticket back to London. Two years seemed like an awfully long time to wait, but Clara was always up for an adventure.
Soon enough, Clara was able to collect her identity, and being very careful not to notify her other self which taught thousands of miles away, Clara used her past teaching to secure a visa and get a job at the local high school.
Clara had missed teaching in the year she had been stuck in Iowa, and the smell of a classroom energized her senses. She quickly set about decorating her room, remembering old student she had in classes, who she just-now may be meeting a few thousand miles away. The entire paradox fascinated Clara. There were two versions of her walking around, teaching, doing Clara-esque things. The concept wasn't too unsettling, after all, Clara was the Impossible Girl, she had split into a thousand pieces, each one scattered along a timeline. At any moment multiple doppelgangers existed. Clara thought about that. How strange and unique that concept was, to know there were genetically identical versions of yourself in some other location on the globe.
Then she saw her.
Not herself, but someone else, someone that shut down Clara's thinking process. She pulled open the side door to the school and as she walked in, the sun created a gold lining to her silhouette. The entire scene felt memorizing, like one of those artistic films Clara would watch on Cork Street. Clara tried not to stare, knowing it was rude, but the way her dark curls fell across her shoulders, the way she seemed to walk around with a smile, despite there being nothing particular to smile at, the way she looked like a mess carrying three bags into the building.
Clara was crushing hard.
Clara turned away. She tried to think of Danny, tried to get her mind off of this teacher she hadn't even said a word to yet. Then it hit her. She hadn't met Danny yet. Technically they weren't dating yet, she was in a different country, months before she would meet Mr. Pink.
Spinning on her heel she let a smile cascade her face and walked towards the stranger.
"Would you like some help?" Clara asked.
"Yes!" The woman in curls said.
Clara grabbed a bag and threw it over her shoulder.
"I'm Clara, Clara Oswald." She introduced herself.
"Jennifer Fitzsimmons." the woman said.
Clara marked the name into her memory.
"You're British?" Jennifer asked.
"Very observant," Clara laughed, "Lets hope the accent gave it away and not one of the less flattering British stereotypes."
Jennifer laughed. "No, definitely the accent." Jennifer said. "Sheldon isn't known for cultural diversity, so you are pretty noticeable."
"I try to be noticeable even without the accent." Clara winked, shocked at her own flirtation.
Jennifer laughed again. "So what brings you to Sheldon?"
"Would you believe blue boxes and slightly senile old men?" Clara said.
"Well, Sheldon is definitely not short on slightly senile old men, so I'll buy that excuse."
They came to a class room and Jennifer set her bag down and looked for her keys. She checked all of her pockets before a look of defeat stretched across her face.
"Shit," Jennifer said, "I lost my keys. I swear this never happens."
Clara smiled. "Well, I can't complain." Clara said. "It just means we have more time to become friends."
Jennifer stopped and for the first time looked into Clara's eyes. Truly looked. Clara felt a chill ride up her back. She looked up at the slightly taller woman.
"I would love that." Jennifer said.
"Well, it's settled then," Clara said, "we're going to be best friends, Jennifer Fitzsimmons."
Jennifer smiled, "You don't have to call me by my full name, it's a little bit of a mouthful."
"I know, I just haven't assigned a nickname to you yet." Clara said.
"You could always call me Jenn, it's what a lot of my friends call me." Jennifer said.
"I could, but then I would just be like a lot of your friends, and I think I already announced we'll be best friends, so I have to be different." Clara said.
Jennifer leaned against the locked classroom door. She had a smile that broke right through Clara's defenses and seemed to smile at the real her, the one beneath the overly-confident facade she puts forth.
"So, what department are you in?" Jennifer asked.
"Department?' Clara asked confused, "Oh, yes, what am I teaching? My subject is English, and it looks like you are a history teacher."
"Yes, I just love the stories of the past," Jennifer said. "We have thousands of years of rich stories of actual people's lives and we often ignore them, but they were real people. They lived and they made an impact. They made enough of an impact to be placed in a book. Maybe it's my small-town up-bringing but that is inspiring. Doing something so magnificent that books are written about you. The worst thing I can think of is simply being a nothing story, simply being forgotten."
Clara listened intently, soaking up Jennifer's passion. With each flowery word, with each bit of imagery that Jennifer laid out, Clara became more and more infatuated with her. She was passionate, and kind, and adorable. Clara sighed audibly. It was unintentional, but it happened none-the-less. Clara would be upset with her lack of tact, but she was too wrapped up to give a damn.
"I'm surprised you haven't shut me up." Jennifer said. "Greg never lets me rant this long about history."
"Greg?" Clara asked, a warm sinking feeling appearing in her stomach.
"My boyfriend." Jennifer said, confirming Clara's fear.
"Oh, yes, of course." Clara said, mentally reprimanding herself for thinking diverse sexuality might be common in small-town America.
"It's good to have someone to talk to about my passions." Jennifer said with a smile.
Clara knew she had become invested too quickly. However, she really did enjoy talking to Jennifer and she did have a boyfriend back in England. Atleast she would, at some point in the future. The entire rationalization gave her a headache. Either way, Clara was happy to have a friend.
The caretaker appeared from around the corner, and for a second Clara expected to recognize him. She didn't, however, and he unlocked Jennifer's classroom door.
"Finally." Jennifer said as the door opened. "I have so much to do today. Thankfully school doesn't start for another week."
"Well I'll let you get to that. It was nice meeting you, Fitzy." Clara said.
"Fitzy?' Jennifer asked.
"I'm trying it on for size," Clara said, "we'll see if it sticks."
Jennifer smiled. "It was nice meeting you, Clara, don't be a stranger."
Clara walked away. Oh, I won't be a stranger, she thought, You'll be seeing a lot of me, Jennifer Fitzsimmons.
The Doctor eventually returned, stumbling into the school one afternoon in mid-September, haggard and lost. Clara had to direct him to a closet.
"What are you doing?" Clara demanded.
"I've come to rescue you!" The Doctor declared. "What are you doing working at a new school?"
"I've been here sixteen months, did you think I would just sit cutely on a rock and wait for you?" Clara said.
The Doctor stood silently.
"You did!" Clara said, baffled.
"Sixteen months? I just dropped you off thirty minutes ago." The Doctor said.
Clara rubbed her temple. "You're not going to make me explain time travel to you, are you?"
"No, Clara, I don't think I will." The Doctor said. "Well, let's go, come on, back in with you." The Doctor pointed towards where the TARDIS had been stashed.
"I am not a little puppy, you know." Clara said. "If you could kindly stop shooing me into strange boxes, that would be fantastic!"
The Doctor looked towards her, dumbfounded. "I'd think after sixteen months, you'd be more excited about going home."
Home. The word nuzzled into Clara's mind. Conflicting thoughts of dinner with her parents in a London flat, replaced with a nice dinner date with Danny, before thoughts of laughing with Jennifer. Clara looked around her, trying to make a choice between two invisible people, two different versions of herself.
"We're only about a year from when we originally left?" Clara asked.
"I don't know." The doctor replied. "It looks like the same time to me"
"Except it's not. Remember," -Clara pointed to herself- "sixteen months" -Clara switched her hand to point at The Doctor- "thirty minutes."
"Yes, I told you, I understand time travel, Clara, I've been doing it much longer than you." The Doctor said.
"Yes, and yet you still left a rather cute companion of yours stranded in a foreign country for sixteen months, so how much do you really understand time travel?" Clara asked.
"Ah," The Doctor said, "it's going to be one of those conversations."
"How exactly did you expect this conversation to go?"
"Not like this." The Doctor said.
"Well, it's exactly like this." Clara said as she put her hands on her hip.
"Can we not carry on this conversation in the TARDIS?" The Doctor asked.
Clara stood still, quiet. If she got on the TARDIS, she would be leaving. The realization suddenly hit her. She had grown attached to Sheldon High School, to her students, to Jennifer.
"What if I stayed here?" Clara asked.
"Here?" The Doctor asked. "The place you just verbally harassed me about leaving you in?"
"Yes, that exact place." Clara said.
"For how long?"
"Maybe allow time to catch up with itself. I don't know. I am enjoying the time away, time to do some self-evaluation, and in less than a year I'll be caught up with my timeline and can simply travel back to London like nothing happened right?" Clara said.
"Theoretically you are correct, but we could also jump in the TARDIS and be there in a few minutes." The Doctor said.
"How about you come back here on Wednesdays, and I'll still go on your adventures." Clara said.
"What's gotten into you, that seems like a silly proposition." The Doctor said.
"It is a silly proposition, but one I like. Let's just say I have a new hobby." Clara said.
Clara seemed to have sated The Doctor's curiosity. He left on his way, and Clara went back to teaching the students of Sheldon High School. Everything seemed simple, and relaxed, until one day when Clara attended a swim meet, and found her life much more complicated. In a good way.
Two teachers sat together in a classroom. It was off-period and they were grading papers while sharing conversation. Clara was pretending to be professional, but taking every chance she could to flirt with Jennifer.
"Clara." Jennifer said in a serious and straight-forward tone.
Clara looked up, concerned at the sudden seriousness in Jennifer's tone. "Is everything ok?" She asked.
Jennifer seemed to be contemplative. "I've come to a decision." Jennifer said.
"What do you mean?" Clara asked. She raced through her mind the possibilities that Jennifer might be deciding. The realization of what she meant hit Clara. It was a decision between her and Greg. It was a decision on if Clara had a place in her life. It was a decision on if Clara had chosen to stay in Sheldon in vain.
"Oh, you mean..."
"Yeah,"-Jennifer blushed-"I know off-period isn't the best time, but it just came to me, and I dunno I need to talk it out."
Clara placed her pen on the table. She sat up and gave all attention to Jenn.
Jennifer smiled. Clara loved the way she smiled. It was genuine, not forced at all. She smiled in a way that brightened a room, but more than that, she smiled in a way that seemed to only be for her. Clara honestly felt like Jennifer had one smile that she only gave to Clara, a smile she tucked way, a gift.
Jennifer took a deep breath. Clara felt nervous, leaning in as if to receive the news a microsecond sooner.
"I choose..." Jennifer paused. Clara's heart beat hard against her ribs, sending a pulsating thump to her ears.
"I choose, you" Jennifer said.
Clara squealed, all of the built up anxiety raging out and a scream. She suddenly felt a wave of emotion, a tear in her eye. She ran forward to hug Jennifer.
Then Jennifer coughed. It was abrupt. It was a succession of coughs, deep and guttural, Clara stood shocked and worried.
Jennifer pulled away her hand, and there, in her palm, was a small amount of blood.
"Jennifer are you ok?" Clara asked.
"I think so." Jennifer said. "I don't know, I've never had a cough that bad. I wonder if this cold turned to walking pneumonia or something."
Clara could tell Jennifer was more worried than she was putting on. Clara was scared herself. "Do we need to get the nurse in here, or go see a doctor?"
"No," Jennifer said, "I'll set an appointment for this week. I didn't expect it to get this bad."
Clara walked forward. "Well, it isn't all bad news." Clara said. "If you need to put an emergency contact down, you can always put your girlfriend's name down."
Jennifer looked up, taken out of the shock of the cough, of the blood. "Girlfriend?" Jennifer asked.
"I was thinking the name fit." Clara said.
Jennifer smiled. "Yeah, yeah. Clara Oswald, my girlfriend." She said aloud.
"Oh, I really like that, say that again." Clara said.
"Shut up and kiss me." Jennifer demanded.
"Here?" Clara asked, incredulous.
"Yeah," Jennifer said, "I like to live dangerously"