A/N: Flattery works on me, so all of your reviewing encouraged me to write faster! Another conversation heavy chapter, I hope you don't mind. The next few chapters will have a more equal balance, even leaning towards more description and narration. I just want to thank runyoucleverboy-remember for giving a wonderful idea which is written into this chapter. (I've changed it slightly, just for humour purposes) Just a little reminder that I can't reply to Guest reviews, and I would love to reply to you, so if you have an account please sign in. Reviews would be greatly appreciated, and if there's plenty, I'll be sure to update again in the next few days. Thank you, enjoy!
Chapter Nine: Unusual Distractions
"What's the plan?" Joshua asked. He walked over to the food pile and grabbed three small bread rolls, passing one over to the Doctor and Clara. The Doctor muttered thanks and Clara nodded her head, unsure if she could stomach to eat anything right now.
"I don't have a plan yet, I'm just saying it's time for a plan," the Doctor told Joshua, as if he was acting a little bit too slow to keep up.
Clara smiled fondly up at him. "His plans are mainly made up as we go along."
"Eat," the Doctor instructed pointing at her. He started to pace up and down the extent of the small lair. "Not this time, Clara. This time your life is at stake. I'm not taking any chances, I promise you."
Cautiously, Clara pulled off a small piece of bread and started to chew. The Doctor was more concerned about this than she first anticipated. He was taking this absolutely seriously. Thinking this through, Clara took another bite and watched as the two men started to ramble off ideas to one another. Each one growing more ambitious as time passed by.
"How about we try and convert people over to our side? I've wanted to do that for ages –"
"No, no way. We don't know who we can trust and who would betray us in a heartbeat."
"We could try and break into the castle where Simeon stays."
"Only two of us? We'd have no idea what we're doing."
Clara raised her hand and waved it in the air, trying to catch their attention. "Hello, I'm right here! Don't you mean three of us?"
Instead of replying, the Doctor tore his bread in half and stuffed one half of it in Clara's hand. She raised her eyebrows, completely bemused. "What are you trying to do, Doctor?" she laughed, in jest. "Fattening me up for the slaughter?"
She didn't mean those words to sound bad, but in the current context, they did. He gave her a dark glare and said nothing. He bit off a piece of bread a little more roughly than intended and sat back down on the hard floor. Tiredly, he rubbed his eyes and stared into the distance, perfectly glazed over. "All I want is Clara safe. After that I will help you and Vingols, Joshua. I give you my word. But my priority is to get Clara out of here without a scratch on her head."
"I want to help too," Clara added quietly. She rolled the small segment of bread around her hands as she felt uncomfortably vulnerable in the presence of these two overly protective males.
"No," the Doctor answered simply.
Clara glanced up at him at that. "Why not? The other me managed quite well, don't you think? Single-handedly!"
"And the other you ended up dying from a bullet wound!" the Doctor snapped back. He was facing her now, overcome by a sudden irretrievable anger. "I'm sorry Clara, but just this once – just for now, you are going to do what I say, no questions asked!"
Any other time, Clara would've stormed away in anger or shouted back an angry retort. But then again, they would normally not be in this situation and the Doctor wouldn't have cause to say those words. Still, Clara wasn't going to bow down to his authority that easily. She crossed her arms and glared at him defiantly. "And what if I don't?" she questioned, a little softer than she would've liked.
The Doctor leaned forward, his hands balling up into fists and his expression still pulled back in fear and fury. "Clara, what part of 'I can't lose you' don't you understand?!"
Clara fell back, stunned into silence. She closed her mouth, only to open it again. Realising she had nothing to say – nothing she could say – she pressed her lips together in a small pout as she concentrated on his face and the meaning behind his words. Curious brown eyes met beseeching hazel. Neither partner broke off the stare. So many unsaid words passed between them in that moment. It was like a silent confession and, in return, a quiet understanding. The Doctor's hearts were pounding against his chest and he was acutely aware of how his fists were still squeezed tight, but the impact behind their significance was gone.
It was at that moment Joshua gave a low chuckle from directly in front of them. He was leaning against the wall, chewing on his bread roll, his head slightly tilted to the ground. The Doctor and Clara both jumped at the interruption, like they had been caught in a dishonourable act. The man gestured to the space between the two travelling companions, a smirk etched onto his face. "It just occurred to me that Clara and I – my Clara – had this exact same conversation once," he told them, his ice blue eyes twinkling as they melted into reminiscent tears. "There's no use, Doctor. She can be absolutely impossible when she wants to be."
Usually, Clara would have objected towards his remark. But she was too lost in the Doctor's words as she rested her head on her knees, her eyes staring poignantly at the bread he had given her. As if everything was slowly making sense, clicking into position. He cared for her – not in the way he always had. He was acting differently. Almost as if he –
"Impossible," she heard the Doctor repeat. He grinned and flicked his fringe out of his eyes. "My impossible girl."
Taking matters into his own hands, Joshua stood up straight again and started to fiddle around with a device on his wrist. Clara thought it was just a normal leather strap until now, but it seemed to be beeping and emitting small flashes of multi-coloured light.
"I'm contacting Vingols," Joshua told them. "I think we need his advice. Let's just hope he's already heard the news."
"Are there other Revolutionites in this town?" asked the Doctor.
"No. No, just me now. But perhaps he can put a new light on the situation." Joshua clicked one more tiny button. A faint ringing sounded from his communications device, like a ringer on a telephone. They waited for an answer.
Around five rings later, Vingols answered.
"I was expecting you to call, Thompson," sounded a quiet voice from the other end. Joshua clicked the device onto loudspeaker. "Don't worry, I've heard. What's the situation like in the town?"
"Complete lockdown, sir. They've given us five days. But, sir, I have more important information to tell you. Are you alone?"
"Yes… yes, I'm alone. What is it?"
"You'll never believe it but…" Joshua glanced at the Doctor, now a large grin on his face. "I've found the Doctor."
"The Doctor? The Doctor?" the disbelief was clear in Vingols' voice.
"Only, this is where is gets complicated, we also have –" but now the Doctor was waving his hands in the air, signalling Joshua not to bring up the subject of Clara. "The Doctor's friend with us," Joshua quickly corrected. "He wants to get her out of here before helping us."
There was a beat. "Can you put him on? Can I speak to him?"
Joshua held out the speaker on his arm. The Doctor walked forward. With his hands held behind his back and leaning over Joshua's wristband, the Doctor used quite a stiff tone when speaking to the Revolutionite leader. "Hello, Vingols! I take it you remember me. Sorry about the different voice, face, and dashing good looks but I have regenerated since the last time I saw you. Or spoke to you. Listen, it'll take too long to explain. But we need your help. Is there anyway you can manipulate the iron bars surrounding the town long enough for my friend to conveniently escape?"
Vingols gave a harsh laugh. "No way in hell, Doctor. We don't have any control over Thompson's town yet. I don't think there is anything we can do. But tell me this, are definitely willing to help our cause again? For Hartley?"
"Yes, yes for Hartley." The Doctor rubbed his forehead and pinched the area between his eyebrows. "Once my friend is out of the danger zone, I shall help you. I mean that Vingols, not before. I want her out and that's final. Then I'm all yours."
The revolutionary leader sighed tiredly. "The only thing I can think of is for you or Joshua to break into the control room inside Simeon's castle. Turn off the electrical field, let your friend escape and then quickly turn them back on. It'll be risky, but it's the only chance you have."
The Doctor's eyes widened. Clara could tell he was exploring the possibility. She frowned in dismay – no way was she going to let the Doctor risk his life like that, just so she could escape back into the TARDIS. Anything could happen to them.
"How much do we know about Simeon's castle?" asked the Doctor.
"That's the place, the balcony, Simeon made his announcement from," answered Joshua, pointing in the general direction. "It's massive. Lined with security. I had a shift in the control room when I was working in there. I know its location. We'd have to check out how heavily guarded it is, though. Especially now we're in a lockdown."
Tapping his hand against the side of his head, the Doctor swiftly nodded in agreement. "Right, yes. Of course, yes. We'll check it out and see if we can spot a weak point where we can get in. Is that our only way of breaking through the lockdown, Vingols?"
"Yeah, it's your only bet. I'll see if there's anything I can do in towns where we have more control, Doctor. But at the moment I can't think of another solution."
"Yes, thank you, Vingols."
"I hope to hear from the both of you soon. Good luck and… I'm glad you're here, Doctor."
The Doctor raised his eyebrows. He didn't smile. With two fingers he gave a tiny salute to the communications device, saying, "Over and out."
The wristband emitted a muffled static noise and Joshua clicked it off loudspeaker. Clara immediately butted in, wanting to make herself known. She walked over beside the two men, and before either of them could say anything, she told them clearly, "Absolutely no way. Neither of you are going in there. It's far too dangerous."
"You're right," Joshua added with fake innocence. "We both would have to go in there. It's too dangerous as a standalone mission."
Clara sighed and crossed her arms. She turned to the Doctor; he was standing perfectly still and staring at the ground. She could tell straight away that his mind was already whizzing with lots of ideas and possibilities, mixing between what he already knew and what he was guessing. Without even looking at her, he could tell what she was about to say. "What is your alternative, Clara?" he asked, quietly. His hand rested under his chin while the other brushed away his fringe. "Them finding you and killing you? The choice is simple."
Growing desperate, Clara said with a hint of sarcasm, "They want me alive. They're hardly going to kill me."
He shot her the deadliest glare. "Which is worse. Far worse."
Clara didn't exactly know what he meant by that. But she did know one thing for certain – the fear he was feeling towards her being in danger, was exactly the same corrupting, hollow feeling she had when she thought of him in danger. Clara didn't quite know how to say all of that without getting ridiculously embarrassed. She wasn't happy about this. Any of it.
Joshua took it upon himself to swing them into action. "Why don't we check out what we're up against, Doctor? See how many guards are outside the castle, if the security has heightened from the last time I was in there. That sort of thing."
The Doctor passed one more unclear glance over Clara. "Yeah. Good idea, Joshua." He stopped, paused and squinted. "Joshua Thompson. Has a nice ring to it. Joshua Thompson. Have I heard that before?"
"I'm named after my great, great grandfather, if that helps," Joshua offered, walking towards the bottom of the stairs. "My ancestors were famous scientists back on Earth. Something of a legend, apparently. I don't really take any notice."
Just as the Doctor was about to respond, he noticed Clara following Joshua to the stairs. He flapped his arms in the air as he tried to find the appropriate words to tell her how her joining them was out of the question, but Joshua stepped into defend her.
"Come on, Doctor. We're only going out for a few minutes. We'll be careful, you'll see."
Clara's eyes glittered mischievously. Finally someone was on her side. Before he could say another thing, Clara pulled up her hood and bounced up the stairs, one step at a time. The Doctor traipsed over to where Joshua stood, his lips firmly frowning, but his eyes a little wide with amusement. "I can't do anything with her," he told the Revolutionite. "Every time I try to keep her safe she just…" he clapped his hands together and gestured to the open stairway.
Joshua patted the Doctor's shoulder. "Wait until you can't do anything without her," Joshua said, faintly reminiscent. "Then you'll be thinking of how you could've done more to keep her safe. How it should've been you in her place."
He said nothing else; there was nothing else to say. That was the truth of it. At the sound of Clara calling down the stairs to them, Joshua and the Doctor gave each other another mutual look as both of them followed the lead of Clara.
The town was deserted and the sky was a dark grey. It was nearing night, Clara was sure of it. Only the odd person passed them as they slowly walked, heads down, to Simeon's castle. Luckily, they didn't stand out from the crowd – everyone, it seemed, was wearing cloaks to shelter themselves from the brisk evening wind. Joshua and Clara fit right in. If anything, it was the Doctor who stood out from the three of them, something which he didn't take lightly when Joshua pointed out.
They were loitering around the side of a food shop, directly facing Simeon's castle across the opposite side of the courtyard. Five guards stood in front of the entrance to the headquarters, all holding long black guns and shaded helmets. Not being able to see their eyes, or where they were looking, made Clara shiver. There was something unnerving about not being able to meet the eye of the enemy. Or, just maybe, it was the image of her still on the screen from earlier, staring forebodingly down at them. A constant reminder of why they were doing this.
"I'm going to have a look around the back," the Doctor told them. "Stay here."
Joshua grabbed the Doctor's arm before he disappeared. "You're too brightly coloured. You'll attract attention. The average man in this town can't afford boisterous colours like purple. Why do you think everyone is wearing cloaks? So we all fit in. We're all unrecognisable to the guards, just another hooded figure going about their business. Trust me, Doctor – this is a dictatorship. Anyone to show individualism is swiftly dealt with by the police."
The Doctor's eyebrows pulled inwards in a mini outrage. He shrugged off his jacket and held it out to Joshua. "Hold this then. And keep it safe, I'm very fond of that coat."
"Be careful," Clara called as he pretended to casually walk past the castle.
Silence fell between Clara and Joshua. Clara was too nervous to say anything and Joshua couldn't find words. It still felt odd for him to be alone with a girl who looked exactly like his dead best friend. Especially when his feelings for his Clara were starting to reignite at the very sight and presence of this new Clara. It was all very confusing.
Then, numerous things happened at once.
The wind picked up speed just as Clara turned her head. A figure in a dark black cloak walked in their direction. Clara's hood caught the air and fell backwards before she could reach it. Joshua impulsively recognised what was happening and acted just in time. The cloaked man passed, and there was no doubt he would see Clara in a split second but –
Joshua did the first thing that came to his mind. He grabbed Clara, roughly, by her forearms and held her in a tight embrace. He pressed his lips against hers, perfectly precise, then moved his hands up to hold her head in position so she couldn't move away.
It worked. Joshua's muscular body completely hid Clara from the view of the passing man. Somewhere in his mind, Joshua could hear the passer by muttering something under his breath about 'getting a room.' Joshua smirked against Clara's lips but didn't let go. Was he imagining it or was Clara actually sinking into his soft kiss?
Clara reached up and forcefully pushed away Joshua's hands. They broke apart, one of them flustered and the other nothing else but content. Joshua laughed as Clara's cheeks turned a guilty shade of pink and she pointed at him with such ferocity, he might as well have kicked a puppy right in front of her.
Therefore, it was the right time for the Doctor to show up.
"Guys, there's a definite weakness around the back and to the side, I think –"
But Clara wasn't listening. Shouting at him, to cover up her embarrassment, Clara yelled, "You kissed me! You kissed me!"
The Doctor's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. It looked as if someone had just pointed a gun to his head. In high, squeaky disbelief, he demanded, "You what?!"
Joshua shrugged, totally cool about everything. "That wasn't a kiss. That was a distraction."
The Doctor glanced between his two comrades. Joshua was standing, a cheeky glimmer in his ice blue eyes and had adopted an air of confidence. Meanwhile, Clara was still pink in the cheeks, her lips were a little red and puffy and her eyes were alight with surprise. A strange fiery irritation erupted deep in the Doctor's stomach, bursting to get out. Unable to hide his strong reaction, he held his hands out between the two of them and took a strong stance, head and shoulders rigidly straight.
"I demand to know what happened here!" he said loudly, all other thoughts vanishing as soon as the word 'kiss' was dropped into the conversation.
"He kissed me!" Clara repeated as if that was all that needed to be said.
Joshua smirked again. "Okay, this is what happened. Clara's hood fell down, someone was coming, I was afraid they would recognise her, so I did the first thing that I thought would work. I kissed her."
"I was gone for a few minutes and that was the first thing you think of!" the Doctor barked.
The blue-eyed man held his hands up in a small surrender. "It hid her face from view, didn't it? I saved her life!"
In a quieter tone than before, Clara said once more, "You kissed me!"
Joshua leaned against the wall behind them, crossed his arms and shook his head, feigning innocence. "Let me tell you something – that was not a kiss. That was far from a kiss. If I wanted to kiss someone properly, it would not be like that. You'd be swept off your feet. Then again, you are a bit already." Joshua waited a beat before winking. "You should try it properly some time."
Clara's mind was too muddled to think up a proper retort. Struggling with words, she narrowed her eyes and advanced on him. The Doctor could see where this was going – his mind drifted back to that time the TARDIS nearly exploded. Clara's punches hurt; he thought he still had the bruises.
The Doctor stepped in front of Clara and turned on Joshua. With the ball of fire still pulsing in his stomach at the thought of Joshua kissing his Clara, the Doctor lowered his voice to show how serious he was. "There will be no kissing while I'm not around! Okay? No kissing at all! None, zilch, non kissy-kissy!"
Joshua was just about to laugh. Clara's high-pitched voice behind him asked incredulously, "Did you just say 'non kissy-kissy?'"
The Doctor sniffed, straightened his bowtie and glanced at her sideways. He was careful to stay in between Joshua and Clara, in case a supernatural magnet pulled them together and they would start kissing again. "I might've. But the point still stands. Kissing is banned!"
There was a moment of awkward silence.
Clara, clearly begrudgingly, glanced towards Joshua. "Thanks, by the way."
Joshua raised his eyebrows. He looked at the Doctor, to Clara, and deciding to wind them up even further, just for his own amusement, asked, "Thanks for the kissing or for saving your life?"
The expression on each of their faces was priceless. Joshua hadn't laughed so hard in months. He pulled the Doctor close and loosely hung an arm around his shoulder. He checked it was safe before doing the same with Clara. "I'm only messing around. Come on, you know I'm joking! Now, Doctor, back to business. What were you saying?"
The Doctor didn't feel like letting the subject drop. Why was it bothering so much that Joshua kissed Clara, even if it wasn't a proper kiss? It felt wrong as he thought of it, like it didn't belong in his mind. He had to physically shake his head to clear it, reminding himself of Clara's shocked reaction to Joshua's distraction.
"Yes, I – I think I've found a way in. It won't be easy, of course, but we weren't expecting it to be. You're going to have to trust me, Joshua. Can you do that? Do you trust me completely?"
Joshua took a moment. His eyes scanned over Clara. He knew she trusted the Doctor, and if she was anything like his Clara, she had an impeccable judgement. He thought of how the Doctor stared at her, with absolute adoration and respect in his eyes, as if his entire universe revolved around her and her alone. Anyone who cared that much about someone wouldn't risk anything to lose them. He had no doubts about that.
In a lot of ways, Joshua could see a lot of himself in the Doctor.
So, the question was easy to answer. "Yes," Joshua confirmed, speaking from his heart, "Of course I do."
Note: You know the expression Matt gave when David insulted his interior design in the TARDIS? That's exactly the same expression I was imagining the Doctor giving when he heard Joshua kissed Clara.
