Chapter 9

As the Tardis drifted through space, the Doctor looked hard at his daughter.

"You can't do this, Jet. It's a big mistake."

"But dad, I love him!"

He gave a sigh.

"Oh Jet, you're too young to know what love is!"

Defiance shone in her dark eyes.

"And what is the right age to fall in love?" she demanded, "Tell me that, at which point in your many lifetimes did you decide the moment was right to fall in love?"

Her question made him think.

"Well it just happened at various points in my existence, I didn't plan for it -"

"Neither did me and Jack!"

Father and daughter looked at each other as silence passed between them, and suddenly the look in the Doctor's eyes softened.

"Well I suppose I've got twenty years to get used to the idea of it – and when you get back to your time, I'll know all about it. I'll try to be nice. I'll give him a chance."

"I love you dad!"

She launched herself into his arms, giving him and unexpected, tight hug. But he didn't freeze, instead he embraced her and laughed softly as he let her go.

"I said I'll try to be nice. Try."

"And I know you will," she said to him.

The Tardis landed.

"You'd better go now," he told her, and he smiled.

"Say hello to Jack for me."

"I will," she said warmly, and he walked her to the Tardis door, exchanged a look of deepest love with her, and then she left.

As the door closed behind her, the Doctor went back over to the console, deep in thought...So Jet was going to marry Jack? She was right of course, there was nothing he could do to stop them. And maybe he shouldn't, because she had made a valid point about how no one really chooses to fall in love, it just happened.

He threw a lever and set off once more, this time on a course back to rejoin Clara and his other self, because if they were going to have a few years together, he wanted to say goodbye properly...


The Doctor's Tardis landed close to Clara's place. He had gone forward in time by almost a year, hoping that he would find everything had worked out as Jet had said it would.

And it had.

The Doctor went up to Clara's front door and rang the bell.

She answered at once, she was thrilled to see him and her eyes lit up with joy.

"You've been gone for so long!" she exclaimed.

"I have a time machine," he reminded her as he stepped inside, "It's not been long to me at all."

Clara closed the door behind him, and then as his Tenth self joined them in the hallway he looked at him in surprise:

Jet had been right.

He looked well again...

"Keep your voices down," he said, "I've just got the baby off to sleep."

Clara smiled.

"He's brilliant with her, he feeds her, changes her, gets her ready for bed...I hardly have to lift a finger!"

The Doctor smiled.

"Good," he said, "Make the most of this time."

The Tenth Doctor nodded.

"I intend to," he replied, and then his smile faded, "I'm glad you're here, Doctor. We need to talk to you about something."

And the Doctor followed them through to the kitchen, and the three of them sat down together at the table.


The Doctor looked to Clara and his former self.

"What's this about?"

"The future," his former self said, "Me and Clara have discussed everything and we've made a few decisions."

And he looked to Clara, and she nodded.

"Tell him," she agreed.

The Tenth Doctor continued:

"We want you to be around for us – mainly for Jet. It makes sense that she gets to know you because one day you're going to take my place."

After all the aches he had felt in his twin hearts for the long wait he knew he faced before Clara was in his arms, hearing this made his hearts ache again, but this time out of sadness for his former self.

"Are you sure about this? I mean, I can get back in my Tardis, go forward a few years in the blink of an eye and come back when you're gone...I thought that was what you might prefer."

The Tenth Doctor laughed.

"That's the last thing I'd want you to do."

And he took hold of Clara's hand and placed it over the Doctor's hand.

"I want you two and Jet to be a family when I'm gone," he said sincerely, "It's my last wish."

The Doctor looked in surprise at Clara, and she smiled.

"It's what we both want," she told him, "Really, its fine. We've made our plans. And I love both of you."

For a moment the Doctor struggled to speak. He had not expected Clara to end up with him under these circumstances, but he was glad of it, even if emotion had temporarily choked up his voice as he started to speak again.

"And I love you too," he said to Clara, and he looked to his other self and felt even more choked up that his younger self had smiled warmly on hearing those words.

Then a sudden idea hit him, and he smiled as he looked at the Tenth Doctor.

"How are you feeling these days? You look well."

"I feel well," he replied.

"Good," the Doctor replied, "Because I've got an idea – and if you like the sound of it, you need to do it now, while Jet's still a baby, leave her with Clara and make some journeys in your Tardis."

He looked back at him with confusion in his brown eyes.

"Where am I going?"

The Twelfth Doctor smiled again, and that smile reached his eyes.

"Take a trip through her time line. Think about it, you can visit her in the future any time you want. You can see her get married, you can see her children, you can do anything you want to do – that way she never has to say goodbye to you."

He stared to smile.

"Why didn't I think of that?"

The Doctor shrugged.

"Because you're too busy with bringing up your baby. Take some time out to get out there in the time stream, make as many trips as you can handle."

The Tenth Doctor exchanged a glance with Clara, and they both smiled.

"I think you should do it," she said.

He got up from the table.

"I'll start now."

Then he paused to kiss Clara goodbye, and then he left the room.

Moments later they heard the sound of his Tardis leaving on the first of many journeys into the future, and it was then Clara looked down and realised she was still holding on to the Doctor's hand.

"I do love you," she told him.

He smiled as his twin hearts warmed through with love.

"And you're worth waiting for," he promised.


After that day, life changed in every way as the Doctor got into the habit of making visits to Clara and his former self, and each time he saw them, they made sure he spent time with Jet. The Tenth Doctor had made many journeys into the future, so many he had lost count – but it would ensure that he would always be turning up in Jet's life, even after he was gone. He had started the journeys at the point in time when she was twenty years old, and carried on from there. The journeys made him tired, but as long as his health held up, he was determined to continue with the plan.

The time passed by, quicker for the Twelfth Doctor, who could jump forward in time by use of the Tardis, because his former self and Clara had decided to stay on earth for the time he had left.

And that time lasted for six years, two weeks and four days...


When the call came through, the Doctor was alone in space in his Tardis, feeling an itch that only an addict would understand as he longed to go off in search of danger and adventure, because long ago when she had asked him that question, Clara Oswald had been right – his love of danger was an addiction. But it was an itch he dared not scratch, because he knew life was about to change forever...

The peaceful hum of the Tardis was broken by the sound of his phone ringing.

And as he picked it up and saw Clara's number flash up, he felt sad, even though his former self had enjoyed many more years of life than he had ever been meant to have, and he had spent six years with Clara and their daughter, and for most of that time, his health had been good.

But he knew it was bad news before he answered the call, he felt it as only a Time Lord could, that his other self was dying...

"Hello," he said as he answered the call, and the tearfulness he heard in Clara's voice made him want to weep.

"Doctor," she said, "He's losing the fight. Nothing works for him any more, not even the pain relief. It was so sudden. He's dying."

"I'm on my way," he replied in a hushed voice, and he stayed on the line as he threw a lever and the Tardis began on a journey back to earth.


When the Doctor arrived at his destination, he let himself into Clara's place with a key she had given him a couple of years back, and then he closed the door behind him and walked up the hallway.

The house was in silence.

He didn't call out, didn't bother to look around – his former self was dying, and he knew where he would be...

He went through to the bedroom, the Tardis was in a cramped corner of the room, and the door was open.

The Doctor walked through the console room and then down the corridor, and opened the door to the bedroom quietly.

Clara looked up from her lover's bedside, and as their eyes met, in that moment the Doctor swore that when this was over, he would love her so much and so deeply that he would never see such pain in the eyes of Clara Oswald ever again. She looked devastated as she sat on the bed, cradling her lover in her arms as he rested his head on her shoulder. His eyes were closed and his breathing was coming in short, sharp bursts as he struggled to hold on.

"Where's Jet?" the Doctor asked quietly as he walked over to the bed.

"Asleep in her room," Clara whispered, and she held her lover tighter and stroked his hair as he continued to breathe with difficulty.

"Here in the Tardis ?"

Clara shook her head.

"In her room – in the house."

"Good," the Doctor replied, "When he dies, the regeneration process will start slowly, you won't even see it happening at first. But when it does happen, the Tardis will take off. You and Jet need to be out of here. That's the time to walk away to preserve the time line."

Then he stepped back and turned away, closing his eyes as he drew in a sharp breath and so many memories hit him at once it was overwhelming:

The Tenth Doctor had enjoyed so much happiness with Clara. And Jet had made their lives together perfect. This time around, he would have a peaceful death, in Clara's arms...

"I have to wait outside," he said, and he left the room and closed the door behind him, where he waited, leaning against the wall as he tried to hold back the tears that had suddenly stung at his eyes.


The Tenth Doctor was resting in Clara's arms, his breathing grew easier and he opened his eyes and met her gaze.

"It's been great," he whispered, "I had six years I never should have had. And those years have been the best."

Clara ran her hand over his hair again as she looked into his eyes.

"Don't start saying goodbye -"

"Clara, I know its the end for me," he said weakly, "But you will see me again and so will Jet. I made so many journeys into her future I'll never stop showing up. And you haven't lost me. The Doctor is outside, waiting to take you in his arms and promise you that you'll never cry again."

Her eyes were filled with tears.

"I know that," she said, "But it doesn't make this any easier. I wanted you to live forever."

He thought of his daughter and smiled.

"When I kissed her goodnight, she didn't realise I'd be leaving. But I think the other Doctor will do a fine job of explaining it, she'll see me in him, she'll understand."

Clara held him tighter as he caught his breath and she saw a flicker of fear in his eyes, but then it was gone.

He drew in a slow breath and let it out, then took in another as he looked up at her.

"Thank you," he said warmly.

"What for?" Clara asked him.

He smiled again.

"For everything, Clara, everything," he whispered, and then he closed his eyes and breathed out for the last time, and as his body relaxed and fell heavy in her arms, she buried her face against his shoulder and gave a sob.


Clara was still weeping when she was aware of someone standing behind her. He spoke her name and she raised her head from her dead lover's shoulder, and as she did so, the Doctor sat down beside her, placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her towards him, as she let go of her lover's body Clara slid into the Doctor's embrace, and he held her tightly as she wept, her tears soaking through the dark fabric of his jacket, all the way through to its crimson lining.

The Doctor let her weep, he just held her until her sobs began to slow down, and then he ran his hand over her hair as he spoke to her softly.

"He's going to regenerate. He's going to become my Eleventh self, and then eventually, that man will become me. You haven't lost the Doctor. I'm right here."

"I know." her voice was muffled as she pressed her face against his jacket.

The doctor helped her up, and Clara's eyes were red with tears as she looked up at him.

"What now?"

She sounded so lost.

"Say goodbye, and then leave this Tardis. I'll take you back home, you need to get out of here, Jet could be waking up soon."

She nodded, wiped her eyes and then leaned over the bed, looking at the Tenth Doctor for the last time.

"I love you so much," she whispered, and she kissed his cheek. Then she stared in alarm as, deep below the surface of his skin, an amber fire began to faintly swirl.

"Its starting already," the Doctor told her, "It's slower than it should be, because of all the toxins he's had fed into his body. But he's regenerating. We have to leave."

And he held his hand out to Clara.

She hesitated, looking back at the man she had loved for six years.

"Clara," the Doctor reminded her, "Jet needs you."

And then she caught his hand, and he breathed a relieved sigh, and then he led her out of the bedroom and down the corridor, through the console room and out of the Tardis.


He closed the door firmly behind him and kept a tight hold on her hand as they left her bedroom, crossed the hallway and went into a pink bedroom, where six year old Jet was sleeping soundly.

As Clara stood over her child's bed, the Doctor was still holding her hand.

"She's going to have an amazing future," he reminded her, "And she hasn't lost her father. All those trips he made into the future means she'll see him again, we all will."

And then she heard the groan and whoosh of the Tardis engines as the police box took flight, and she gave another sob.

"He's gone."

"Yes he has," he replied, "He's regenerating now. He's gone, but I'm still here."

And Clara turned to him and threw her arms around him and they stayed there together for a long time as she clung to him, holding him tightly, reminding herself that he was the Doctor now, and she had indeed not truly lost him...

As he held her, the Doctor longed to tell her how deeply he loved her, and to kiss her until the pain in her heart melted away – but it was too soon, she needed time, she needed time to heal the pain of her grief before they could enjoy the life they were destined to share together...