This one's just a little bit scarier than most, but I think you guys can handle it. Nothing to bad, just a bit of random Halloween-esque fun.

Features 12 and Clara.

10: Stalked

The Doctor took a step forward, his ears perking and his teeth gritting as a leaf, glowing white in the moonlight, crunched beneath his boot. Slowly, he shifted his weight, cringing at the further crunching noises beneath him as he walked. Why had they come to the planet of Autumnus again?

"What's your favorite season?"

He had been bouncing around the TARDIS control panel as he made this inquiry to Clara. Earlier that week, he had accidentally gotten them locked in a jail cell overnight...just after they had tried to outrun both an alligator-like alien species and telepathic turtles. He felt he owed her one.

"I've always liked Autumn. The leaves changing; Halloween; black cats."

"I know just the place."

Oh, if he'd known then the mistake he was making in pulling that lever. Then again, maybe he was just being again. Clara said that kept happening.

They weren't too bad off, really. Sure, there were the shadows chasing them, not unlike the Vashta Nerada he'd hoped he'd never see again. And the tingling feeling of being watched everywhere he went. And the fact that he hadn't heard Clara's footprints for a few minutes.

The Doctor froze. "How could I be so stupid?"

He whispered under his breath, to avoid anyone hearing him. That is, if there were someone out here besides him and Clara. He couldn't be sure of that or anything else right now.

"Clara?"

He glanced around him, keeping one foot planted facing forward as he pivoted, marking his path. But as he looked around and saw nothing but blue-tinted shrubs and a few creepy fluorescent streetlights, he lost his nerve and paced around the edges of the street. "Clara?"

His eyes strained through the night, assisted only by the moon and a few stars, galaxies away. As fear set in, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. He closed his eyes tightly and found himself reciting the words he'd said to Rupert.

"Don't look round. Scared is a superpower. Don't look round."

He took a step forward, and heard something behind him trace this movement. He shuddered, taking in a deep breath, then stepped forward again. The thing behind him took two steps forward. The Doctor forced himself forward again, stepping out of the light of the nearest streetlamp. Part of him wondered when the thing would pounce; if he'd see it coming or if it would take him in an instant. Shakily, he made his way still forward. The thing kept apace with him, staying an equal distance from him no matter how fast or slow his wobbly legs carried him.

It had been five minutes of this walk of terror when the Doctor seriously began to ponder his situation. Perhaps this thing was leading him to its lair or homestead. Maybe he'd be dinner for a whole family. Or maybe it was trying to scare him; bring him deeper and deeper into the forest until he knew he was beyond rescuing. But why?

Another leaf crunched behind him, and he was about to spin around and face whatever or whoever was following him, but an odd sound reached his ears. Was that…music?

A faint drumbeat, growing ever louder as he walked, brought a smile to his face. Then his expression dropped, as he recalled hundreds of sacrificial songs from various planets; songs that were omens of death. He forced himself to keep moving toward it, regardless. Better to ace the threat head on than be hit from behind.

The drumbeat slowly combined with a saxophone and then some kind of electronic blend of notes. The Doctor felt his head rush with relief and embarrassment. He stopped at the edge of a large green garden, filled to the brim with candy, dancers, and pumpkin-shaped lanterns. The 'thing' behind him went ahead of him, calling out as he went.

"Yo, Deke!"

The 'thing' that had made the Doctor, Lord of Time and enemy of the Daleks, afraid was...a teenager. A teenager who wasn't even dressed for Halloween.

A hand suddenly grabbed onto the Doctor's arm and he nearly shouted, stopping his voice at the last second. The dramatic jerky motion he made, though, made it look like he had jumped five feet in the air. Clara smiled at him confusedly.

"It's just me. What happened? You look like you've seen a ghost?"

The Doctor tried to form words, but his mind was still catching up to the teen party and it not being a sacrificial ceremony marking his doom. "You...I…"

His mouth was still agape when Clara squeezed his arm tighter and led him toward the snack table. "Let's get some punch in you. The kids here are actually really nice. They promised to help us get back to the TARDIS later."

"That's my job."

The Doctor smiled, his fears finally dimming and his spirits lifting. When Clara handed him a small cup of red punch, he didn't even hesitate before downing a big gulp. A second later, he was grimacing. "Oktoberfest all year; that's Autumnus for you."

Clara chuckled, and the Doctor made sure to drink his next few sips more carefully. After they'd both finished most of their drinks and were watching the partygoers with tired eyes, the Doctor contemplated, "I still don't know how you got here so fast. You were behind me until just before I lost you; I know it. How'd you get ahead?"

Clara eyed him curiously. "Doctor, I've been here for over an hour. You were still working out how to use the compass. You got all Scottish, and I got frustrated because we were going to be late so I got a ride with Zach. Don't you remember?"

The Doctor's eyebrows lowered. "But after that you came back and you were walking behind me. We heard something in the woods, so we started walking really slowly, and then you were still following me for a bit, and then you disappeared."

Clara shook her head. "Are you trying to frighten me? That didn't happen."

The hair on the back of the Doctor's neck rose again. "So I was being stalked."

They looked into each other's eyes for a moment before the Doctor tore away suddenly, making Clara gasp. She joined him in the middle of the party, where he was awkwardly trying to look natural in the midst of all the teens. He fist-pumped to the beat a few times and then step-touched, clapping along to the music. Clara shook her head, smiling despite herself. "Doctor, what are you doing?"

"Best cure for a fearful night," the Doctor reached out his hand, and Clara took it, "dance like nobody's watching."

He pulled her in closer and Clara leant her head against his chest, smiling away the fear.