"Philippi…"
Summary: The Doctor, seeking an answer to the mystery of Clara, has decided to turn to the one person who always has the answer…Even if she never tells him straight out. And gets a message from an old acquaintance…
Disclaimer: Who me? No commercial interest or infringement intended whatsoever…
Part X…
Earth, 1924, Niagara Falls, Canadian side…
Pre backjump timeline… (Pay attention, there will be a quiz…Just kidding. But, there will be a quiz.)
River, wiping grime from her face… "Do have a change? Something appropriate…" Glance to the Doctor…
"The dress closet in your parents' old bedroom, two flights down…I think Zelda Fitzgerald left something."
"Zelda Fitzgerald? Flapper, eh? Nice." Clara, somewhat recovered…Staring at the Doctor as was River…River somewhat grimmer. Hmmn…Clara, blinking…"You have a closet full of women's clothing?"
"Several floors full, actually…So…She…Just left it, eh?" puckish look, River. Clara, startling him slightly by wearing the exact same expression…
"She and Scott brought a trunk…We toured Paris for a week…Long and rather drunken story." He noted.
"Fine…I may have to alter it." River headed for the stairs.
"Not a problem, they won't be coming by for it, I'm sure."
"Did he write anything while he was with you? F. Scott, I mean…" Clara asked.
"No, not really…Zelda wrote a rather nice short story, though…I rather think he was jealous of her talent, really. No encouragement at all." He paused. "So, as to our little…"
"Memory lapse…And this thing about my being your wife…" grin. "Don't know if I like that…I'm going to marry you in the future?"
"No, actually you married me in the past. It seems…" he sighed.
"I can't be River…" she shook her head. "I don't remember anything about her."
"Not twenty minutes ago, you did…" he pointed out.
"But you're saying, in fact…I'm her older self…?" she blinked.
"Regenerated, in some unusual way…But a way that seems to have deliberately included memory suppression…I say suppression not removal or wiping as it's quite clear you do have River's memories in there, some…" he paused.
"I can't dredge up a single…" She eyed his pondering face. "What? You've thought of something?"
"River's memories were stored…In a computer, one of the greatest ever built…In one of the greatest libraries ever constructed…"
"Stored?" Clara eyed him… "You mean she…"
He waved, frantically… "You mustn't say a word…She doesn't know about that…At least, I'm fairly certain she doesn't. It hasn't happened to her yet."
"Doctor? You mean to say I die and you didn't prevent it?" Clara, startled. "I wind up in a computer, again?" shaking head.
Wry grin…"And I got out, eh? Doctor…? Did you get me out?"
"I couldn't have…" he said slowly. "There was no possible way to…Unless…"
"You went and saved me, didn't you?…You clever boy… " she beamed, then slight nervous look. "You do realize I'm not comfortable with the marriage and being another person yet…Particularly the marriage…"
"What?" he stared blankly, coming out of his reverie…If there is a way… "Oh, right…I understand, yes…"
"Doctor…" she eyed him, a troubled look… "We don't…"
"Don't what?"
"Children…?"
"What?!"
"Well, it's only natural…Surely we've…Ummn…"
"Clara…?"
"What? I'm not good enough for a Gallifreyan Time Lord to make out with?" she frowned. "You know, frankly…I can't speak for my other self but I want children, one day…You may as well know that right now."
He blinked.
"What…?"
"Yeah…We do." River, now in 20s style outfit, stepping into the main control room…Blouse, slacks, short jacket, flapper hat…Scarf thrown round shoulders.
"Interesting conversation. What have I missed?" she eyed them.
Europan surface, 1866…
"So it's true…He brought her from the future…And you're fairly certain about the time?" River eyed the holographic Clara before her.
"It is impossible to be precise but yes, within a century or two, that is the era the trace recording indicates."
"Oswin's era…The baby is Oswin…He brought Oswin to 1866 and left her with Clara's parents…She became Clara Oswin Oswald, lived, met the Doctor, and died at the hands of an alien parasite in the form of an ice woman…And was reborn as Clara Oswald in the late 20th century. So…?" frown…
"Where do I come in? And what was the point of letting her die again…Why was it necessary?"
"I sense you are asking rhetorical questions." The hologram noted. "But that your primary concern is 'where I came in'. And that the logical answer pleases you emotionally."
"It's always nice to be shown how much you're loved, sweetie…" River smiled…A tear running down…
"Well…" she brushed it off… "At least now we know…I wasn't regenerated…I was uploaded." She began setting controls on her vortex manipulator.
"You are traveling again?" Holographic Clara, the slightest of peeved tones.
"I'll be right back…" River sighed. "Just have to speak to a stone cutter in 1892."
Post backjump timeline, 1924, Niagara Falls…Canadian side…
"So you're afraid to tell me for fear it might trigger what happened? But if I already…?" Clara paused.
Oh…
"Exactly…" he nodded. "It hasn't happened yet…In this timeline…"
"But if River's 'backjump' prevented my sudden…'Consciousness expansion'?…"
"A good way to put it, yes…" he nodded…
"…then how do you know all about it? Did she go back and tell you all this first, then back again?"
"I'm a Time Lord, Clara…A part of my mind operates outside the normal constraints…Though I don't know 'all about it'…I had to learn a deal from River…But I did realize immediately it was all true and that…" he patted his suit…
"Where's…?"
"You mean this?" she pulled out the sonic screwdriver she'd purloined from his coat during their walk when he'd helped her over some rocks during their search for the Rasillon "vision"…
"You fool…" she glared…
"Clara…You…"
"Of course there was another trigger, it fired with my vision, Doctor…My love…" tears running… "How could you do this? How could you be so insane?!" she twisted clenched hands…But kept the screwdriver aimed at him.
"I've no idea, Clara…I haven't done it yet…"
"And now River's gone…The TARDIS is gone, Doctor…Look…" she held up the screwdriver…
"River…Gone? In my TARDIS?"
"And the TARDIS helped her…It tried to conceal the temporal shift its departure made…But I knew she'd done it. So I knew what to look for to unmask it."
"Clara? Or am I speaking to River, now?"
"Both…Oh, you goddamn fool!...I can't even put this right now, unless I…" she focused, rubbing a temple... "No, I can only remember what's she done now…It's not fixed…Doctor, if you love me you have to give this up!"
"Clara? How can I when I don't even know…?"
"You made an alliance, Doctor…And you will again…"
"An alliance…With whom?"
"Whom do you think?! I…" she gasped… "No!...I can't…" she staggered…He grabbed her…
"River?! Tell me…? Clara?..." he shook her….
"Doctor…" a voice, calling…He turned to see Rasillon…In suit, glasses…Warm smile…
"Well, Dr. Smith…And how are we today?" Rasillon, rich, kindly voice…
"What?..." The Doctor rose from the couch on which he lay…Staring round…
An office…Well furnished…Books lining the walls, several framed certificates on the walls listing various degrees and honors…
"Still troubled by that dream, my boy?" Rasillon, glancing at open writing pad on his knee. "Care to talk about it?"