*Hey guys! Another day, another chapter and I'm hoping to start knocking off some prompts soon, I'm currently reading :P Anyways, in this chapter, there are some major plot developments, a terrifying new enemy and plenty of Whouffle cuteness :D I hope you enjoy and as ever, thank you so much to Chantelle and everyone who has read, followed, favourited and reviewed! Please please let me know your thoughts! TPD*
The Silence were almost impossible to pin down. They were an organisation that were illusive, with very few centralised figures and those central figures were notoriously difficult to identify, let alone locating them when they had been identified. The entire thing was a minefield of red herrings, traps and tricks. The Silence were nothing short of a ghost. It took the Doctor and Jake less than twenty minutes to track down their leaders. Clara watched them working with a kind of stunned bliss. It was like watching magic as they typed frantically, occasionally muttering something to the other person and swapping positions as they flipped files towards each other.
"Got it," Jake said eventually, as they swirled their chairs round in tandem, identical smirks on their faces as they looked at Clara. "Have we impressed you yet?"
"No," Clara lied. "Not even slightly. So, the Silence. Where are they? I take it we're paying them a visit to find out who ordered them to kill us?"
"That's exactly what we're doing!" the Doctor replied. Jake and Clara shot him a confused look and he shrugged. "I'm as interested as the pair of you. Jake?" Jake shook his head. "Why not?" the Doctor protested, as Jake shook his head.
"I need you here," Jake informed him, clasping a hand on his shoulder. He then leaned in and whispered something that Clara couldn't hear. The Doctor glared at Jake furiously, opening his mouth to protest, but as Jake indicated towards Clara, he grumbled and hmphed and Jake clasped his hands together cheerily. "Well that's settled then, off we go."
"What did you say to him?" Clara hissed as Jake guided her towards the TARDIS. Jake shrugged as if it was irrelevant and flashed her a toothy smile, so she elbowed him in the ribs, fixing him with a look that would melt off his face if he wasn't careful. "I'm serious."
"If you must know," Jake sighed, rolling his eyes. "I pointed out to him that the only reason he wanted to go gallivanting off after the Silence was because he thought that it would impress you, at which point I indicated that seeing him fight, whilst admittedly impressive, would be slightly embarrassing when I grossly outperformed him and cause you to question your choice in mate," Jake explained in a voice that made Clara want to punch him.
"Men!" she cried exasperatedly as they stepped into the TARDIS and took off. Jake was about to protest his innocence when they landed in a black corridor, significantly colder than where they had taken off from. "So this is the Silence's base," she shuddered, as they strolled down the corridor, dimly lit by occasional lamps, hovering indirectly above them, the jet black tiled walls about as uncomforting as it was possible to be. There was a door ahead of them and there was a horrible clicking noise that got louder the closer that they got to the door. Clara looked around worriedly.
"Don't panic," Jake whispered to her. "But we're not alone."
He was right, of course. Clara could see them now, slinking out of the shadows. Creatures, taller than her and Jake, with bulbous heads, skin covering their noses and mouths, beady eyes in hollowed, sunken holes in their faces. The clicking continued and their extraordinarily long, four fingered hands, reached towards Jake and Clara, and as they got closer, she could see them cracking with electricity. Jake was already moving, Clara in pursuit, and as they reached the door, Jake and Clara exchanged a look. They'd run this scenario enough times. One of them went through the door and cleared out the next room, the other stayed and dealt with the eighteen monsters getting gradually closer, menacingly pointing their crackling hands. The eighteen or the unknown? Clara indicated with her head for Jake to go through the door. He didn't argue, he slipped past through and Clara cricked her neck and cracked her knuckles.
"Last chance to not try and kill me?" she tried. None of them slowed. "Fair enough." She spread her hands wide, energy of her own surging as she blasted two streams of power, hitting the two closest Silents. At least if they were members of the Silence, that's what she was calling them. It took over a second for their screams to become audible and then they roared in pain, staggering back.
No killing, Clara told herself. She needed to judge how much power was enough to wound and stun them. The two were barely standing, but that was still not good. She needed to move fast, as they were firing back, electricity shooting in Clara's direction from all sides. She dived forwards, right into the heart of the creatures, landing on the balls of her toes, elbows and fists flying like daggers, looking for weak spots, jaws, kneecaps. But their flesh was almost elastic and none of her slams did any damage, so she rolled again, energy flying from her hands and colliding with anything close enough.
This was not good. She rolled to her feet and backed off. Five of them were weakened, the others completely fine and she was already running out of ideas. She looked around her for inspiration, the tiled walls giving her no answers. Wait. Tiles. She grinned to herself and made for the wall, strength flooding to her arms as she wrenched a tile off of the wall, flooding all of the energy from her arm into the tile itself until the strange, metallic substance was glowing. She hurled it as hard as she could, and it whirled around, bouncing off Silents, their screams filling the air as they were either slashed up by its corners or battered by its blunt sides. It took five of them to the ground, and Clara focused her energy on the weaker five still stood, short, sharp bursts knocking them to the ground. Still eight left and that move had been a gamble, Clara was already feeling the strain.
Then she took a blow, a shot of electricity that reduced her to her knees. She refused to let out a moan of pain, but she really wanted to. Rule 1, don't stop, even for an instant. She turned the collapse into another roll, giving her elbows as much energy as she dared as she slammed upwards, prancing, her limbs sharply driving right into the throats of the two closest Silents, their hisses music to her ears.
"Still a chance to back down?" she offered the six still standing, the hisses and groans of the monstrosities she had taken down around her. "No?" she tried not to sound too desperate. "Well, your loss." She moved fast as more bolts came shooting her way, but she knew that their energy, like hers, couldn't be unlimited. She got in close enough to unleash an energy ball that took the one she hit off its feet. Then one of them got a hand on Clara. That hurt like nothing she'd ever felt before. It reminded her of the electrical grenade that the Doctor had incapacitated her with, only about fifteen times worse and this time she couldn't prevent herself screaming. She lashed out on instinct, her empowered fist connecting with the Silent's side. It roared and she hit it again so that it went down. She staggered back, desperate for a moment to catch her breath. Pain wasn't proportional to energy, she reminded herself. And she was in all kinds of pain.
"Last…warning…" she gasped, as they kept coming and she just wanted it to be over. Her whole body stung, like she'd been burned alive. "You know what?" she growled through gritted teeth. "Fuck this." She fired off four blasts, two seconds each, long enough to send each target she hit falling back. But she'd miscalculated. It was rash, too rash and she could feel herself losing her balance, falling to her knees and her last shot hadn't been strong enough. One Silent was still standing, looming over her, its voice sounding almost like a laugh as Clara closed her eyes and prepared for the end. She was so tired, almost ready for it. She didn't have anything left to give. And then, the creature's head exploded.
"You alright Oswald?" Jake asked with a grunt, picking her off her knees and wrapping an arm around her to support her. She nodded, but the action of nodding was enough to send ripples through her neck, ripples that made her want to throw up. "Hey, stay with me Clara!" Jake snapped, his voice urgent, full of worry. "Clara!" She looked at him so that he could see there was still life in her eyes. "I got us a name. The man who hired the Silence was called the Master."
The Doctor fussed. Clara had known that he would, but he spent the next week or so, whilst she was lying in bed recovering, fussing over her. Rory kept trying to shoo him away to do work or whatever it was that the Doctor did, but he'd constantly sneak back into the medical wing to check on his Clara. He'd started referring to her as that, once or twice, by accident. She wasn't sure how she felt about it, but then she wasn't sure how she felt about anything, her brain felt like mush. Jake hadn't been to see her since he'd dropped her in Rory's care, all sweet and caring for once. It was odd, to see Jake's mask completely fall and for him to be genuine with her, even if it was only because he was worried that she might die. She didn't, of course, and she felt a lot better after a few days of bed rest and no solid food, but the Doctor was furious. She could see it, every time he came to see her, there was anger practically evaporating off of him and she knew who he was angry at. The words: 'I should have been there' were etched all over his face.
It was a week before Clara was feeling like herself again, but even then, Rory insisted on being a pain and keeping her in bed for another day or two, whilst he monitored her vitals. She wasn't impressed, so she was grateful when, the following day, the Doctor entered the bay with a very mischievous smile on his face. Clara raised a questioning eyebrow, and the Doctor extended a hand to her.
"I have a surprise for you," he informed her and she chewed on her lip, a nervous smile creeping onto her face, as much as she tried to supress it. "Don't worry about Rory, I may have…drugged him." Clara giggled, her jaw dropping and she shook her head as she wrapped her fingers around the Doctor's.
"You didn't," she breathed, her laughter irrepressible. "Doctor, tell me that you didn't!"
"Are you calling me a liar Clara Oswald?" the Doctor purred as she let him pull her to her feet, pulling her softly into his grip and she leaned up to kiss him softly. She felt sparks igniting between them and for a moment she was struck by horrible thoughts and memories of a Silent, but the sparks between them were only in her head and the Doctor didn't seem to notice. The Doctor took her into the next room to show her Rory, passed out on the floor, snoring unattractively and drooling slightly.
"Amy is going to kill you," Clara pointed out as they strolled down the base corridors. "Like seriously, properly going to kill you. So what's this surprise? And do I get to change out of these clothes, I feel like I've been wearing them forever?"
"You'll see the surprise soon enough," the Doctor informed her. "Jake's been hunting for this Master chap, but he's had fuck all luck. It's like the guy doesn't exist. I've been hacking every server I can think of, he's been cracking skulls, but there's nothing. Nada. Zip. He reckons it's an alias, but it seems incredible that it's never been used before. You don't call yourself the Master without a serious ego problem. Anyway, you head to your room and change, I'll wait here. Don't be long."
Clara knew why he wasn't coming with her. They probably had a limited time until Rory woke up and chased after them to get Clara safely back into bed, the worrywart. So they didn't exactly have time for the Doctor to get transfixed by Clara's half-naked body as she was changing and for them to end up having sex. That would be unhelpful. She changed quickly, peeling off the black tights, trousers and shirt, showering and then throwing on a blue dress with white spots, running a brush haphazardly through her hair and splashing on a touch of makeup. Satisfied that she looked adequate, she raced back to the Doctor, who was tapping his foot impatiently as she joined him in the TARDIS.
The hilltop that they had ended up on was eerily familiar, to the point where it only took Clara a few moments to realise where they were. The houses below them were capped with snow, which was still falling around them and she very quickly wished that she'd thought to wear a jacket. But then, she'd managed to spectacularly lose track of time. Spending all of her time either off the planet or underground did that. The Doctor slipped his tweed from his shoulders when he saw how uncomfortable she was, although she refused to shiver and she gratefully accepted the jacket, throwing it over her shoulders and reached up to peck his cheek in thanks.
"This is home," she whispered, turning to look at the Doctor, who was doing his best to look humble. "This is my home. Down there, amongst those houses, my dad, my friends…" She returned to examining the Christmas lights blinking back at her, all ruby red and emerald green, giving the town an eerie sort of glow in the dim light. She could feel tears running down her cheeks, hot and salty but she didn't have any control over them. She didn't feel sad but neither was she exactly overjoyed. "And it's Christmas."
"I thought you might like to see how they're all doing?" the Doctor asked softly, bringing a finger up to stroke her teary cheeks. "I developed this," he chucked a device to her which she caught, staring at like it was a golden jewel. "It'll shroud your appearance; make you look like someone else. It's nearly Christmas time, only a week or so to go now, but everyone's still around."
Clara felt uncertain, but she followed the Doctor's footsteps as he guided her towards the little village that Clara had spent so much of her life, both before and after her move to London. It was so surreal, being back, it almost felt like a dream and as she stepped into the small pub where she had last seen Danny and Tom, catching sight of them playing pool and drinking beer, it was almost as if she had never been away. She sat at a table across the bar, watching them and unable to stop the tears streaming down her face. They glanced at her occasionally, but when they did, their eyes just skirted right over her, like she wasn't even there and it choked her up inside.
"Was this a mistake?" the Doctor asked, fidgeting nervously with his bow tie. Clara reached a hand up to stop him, taking his hand firmly in hers.
"No," she reassured him. "No this wasn't a mistake. I really appreciate what you're giving me here Doctor." She squeezed his hand slightly harder and his face lit up. He looked beautiful when it did, Clara decided in that moment. When he was happy, it gave Clara a warm, funny feeling that swelled in the pit of her stomach and stayed there. "I want to see my dad," she whispered. And the Doctor winced slightly before nodding.
"Gentlemen," Danny said suddenly and loudly and Clara looked in his direction, transfixed, as did the plethora of teachers she recognised around him. "Ladies," Danny continued. "We have made it through another year. Well…most of us. At this, most special time of year, we should all take a moment to appreciate the one that we lost. Ladies, gents, I propose we all raise a glass in toast. To Clara."
"To Clara!" came the chorus and Clara found herself breaking for fresh air, the Doctor hot on her heels. She gulped in a lungful of air desperately, shivering slightly against the cold and when the Doctor stepped out beside her, she buried herself into him. She didn't like this, feeling so dependent on another person, but in that moment, she needed the Doctor, needed a shoulder to cry on. Clara hated the emotions bubbling within her, but she still relished them. They were why she got into this after all. She was doing this to make her mum proud. She sniffed as she pressed her face to the Doctor's chest, the beating of his heart in time with her breathing.
"Thank you," she gasped. "Doctor, thank you so much for this. I…" she shook her head. "I can't express how I feel about this whole thing. It's so…"
"I know," he murmured. "I just figured. I'll never get the chance to see my family again, I didn't want you to go the same way."
They stood there for a moment, a moment of peace in a world that Clara was utterly convinced had gone insane around her. She felt like she had nothing to grip onto, no stabilisation. Except the man she was clinging to like her life depended on it. And she couldn't bring herself to embrace it. Because she would not let herself rely on the Doctor. Clara Oswald was better than that.
"My father," she said abruptly, pulling away from the Doctor and smiling up at him warmly, trying not to let her emotions spool over onto him. "I mean, do you know where he is?"
"I have a fairly good idea," the Doctor replied darkly. "The same place he is most evenings. He's with you."
Sure enough, they found Dave at the graveyard, kneeling by the grave of Clara Oswald. They stood a way back, but Clara had almost stopped breathing when she saw her father. He looked older, so much older, like he'd aged a hundred years since she had left and he was speaking in soft, broken tones, almost as if he believed that Clara could still hear him. She had known that her 'dying' would be hard on him, but she had never imagined how tough it could possibly have been. Guilt rode up within her and she rushed away from the Doctor to vomit, retching into a bush. She knew she'd made the right call, hadn't she? Between Jake's morals, the way Amy treated her and the fact that nothing seemed to make sense, she found herself, for the first time, questioning her decision.
But only for a moment. Because when the Doctor rubbed her back softly, she knew that she was being stupid. What was she doing was right, she was helping people, saving countless lives. Her mother would approve. She knew it. In her heart, she knew. The Doctor helped her to regain her composure and then they left the graveyard, neither of them saying a word as they walked out of the village, back towards their vantage point at the top of the hill. The Doctor hadn't taken his eyes off Clara for an instant as they reached the peak of the hill and she sat amongst the snow, staring glassy-eyed across the village.
"Clara?" he offered, putting a soft hand on her shoulder and she whirled round to face him, quick as a whip.
"Fine," she replied tearily. "Just been emotional. That's all. Doctor…I love that you did this for me. I really do. I don't…I can't…" she trailed off and then his arm was around her and she felt like no more words needed to be exchanged between them.
"We should get back," he murmured eventually, as snowflakes began to settle in their hair and on their shoulders. "Rory is going to kill me."
Clara giggled at that, nodding her agreement and getting to her feet, the Doctor joining her. She turned to look at him and he gave her a weak smile. She stepped in and kissed him, a different kiss to any that had come before. It was so soft, it was almost non-existent, the contact between their lips was so minimal, but the charged emotion behind it made Clara shudder. She looked over what she had left behind and turned back to what she had gained as a result.
"Ready to go?" he asked softly.
"Take me home Chin-Boy."