A/N: another chapter. Enjoy!
The Doctor helped her sit up from the chair. "Where off to next?"
"You should take a break, Doctor." Clara laughed.
"Break?" The time lord replied. "Break from what?
"From you taking care of me."
"Why should I stop?" This time, his reply was more serious.
And so was hers.
"Because... You seem tired and worried. It's already been..." She stopped. "How much has it been?"
The Doctor looked confused as well. He shook his hand to reveal his watch from behind his shirt. "Around 5 days."
"Sheesh." Clara giggled. "5 days without some time for yourself... That must be tough."
"I can't..." He stopped. The Doctor choked on a sob.
Clara suddenly looked concerned. "Doctor..." she removed the crutch opposite to her injured ankle. The Doctor's eyes widened as his hands curled around her hips.
"What do you think you're...?"
"Shush." She stopped him as she shook off the crutch, trying to let it fall to the floor, before placing her palm over his shoulder.
The Doctor tried to stop her. "Clara, please you'll get hurt. "
"Doctor will you stop?" She said, with a tone slightly louder than she wanted it to sound. The time lord bowed his head down, feeling hurt. "I'm sorry, Doctor. I didn't mean to hurt you." She cupped her palm on his cheek, letting her fingers smooth his skin, feeling the light stubble that had grown. The time lord leaned into her touch as a sign of forgiveness and empathy. "It's just... You keep on thinking about me without giving a little space to yourself. And I can't take it."
He did, but kept on holding her upright.
"I know you can't stop blaming yourself. But you have to stop. Please, Doctor, it's eating you up from the inside." Her eyes almost teared up. "I'll be fine. I promise you. But please," she started sobbing. The time lord felt confused. Had he just made her cry? His hands left her hips and his arms curled around her, hugging her to him, her nose nuzzled into his chest and her hand curled around him. "just stop beating yourself up." Her muffled voice expressed. "Stop suffering for nothing." She was shaking. Clara had had enough of seeing him so guilty. She had kept it all to herself for all those days because she felt powerless to tell him. But now, all that built up frustration was pouring into the Doctor's hearts, tears absorbed by his t-shirt which he hadn't changed in quite a while.
He pressed his nose into her hair. The vanilla smell was stronger than when he had last breathed her. He longed for it to control his panicked heartbeats. Even just seeing her eyes inflate or hearing her sob made his hearts go nuts. He kissed her head repetitevly, planting small, delicate kisses into her hair.
"I'm sorry I made you upset." he murmured.
Clara pulled back. "No no that's not the point." She was still trembling. Now it was out of exhaustion from staying on her foot.
"At least sit down and rest, Clara. We can talk this through."
"I'd like to go back to the Library, Doctor."
"I won't let you walk to it, though. You're tired." He directed her gently onto a nearby chair.
"I'll be fine." She replied as Clara tried to sit up. But he held her from her shoulders.
"You are not going anywhere on foot, Clara."
"But-"
"Doctor's orders."
She sulked.
"Come on. It's for your own good, Clara. Trust me."
The companion was able to sit up against the Doctor's wishes. "Doctor, just leave me... " She hissed as her injured foot accidentally rested on the floor. She slumped on the Doctor, her fingers curling around his tee in pain. The time lord pushed her back gently again and he helped her sit down on the chair, slowly lifting up her leg again. She hissed again, tears trickling down her cheeks.
"Is it that bad?" She asked.
"Of course it's that bad, Clara. Your ligaments are torn. You have to get as much rest as you can."
"Fine." Her eyes rolled. She desperately tried to dry the tears with the back of her hand, hands shaking. The Doctor kneeled in front of her, took her trembling palms and pressed each one with his lips. Clara continued looking at him with inflated eyes. "I worry about you because I care for you. And I don't want you to suffer because of my reckless decisions. But I'll try and worry a little bit less."
Clara nodded feebly, avoid eye contact. "But it's not you fault, Doctor. I should have sent Missy to hell when she made me enter the dalek." She sniffed before the Doctor's arms reached out to her. She accepted the hug, burying her nose into the crevice of his neck. "This is really nice."
The time lord smiled warmingly. He finally pulled away, before cupping her cheeks with his huge flipper palms. His thumbs glided along her smooth skin, their eyes locking into each other's. "You'll be OK." He purred before pressing a kiss to her forehead. The Doctor continued by breathing into her hair. "And I'll be OK."
The Gallifreyan released himself gently from her hold, wrapping his arm around her waist and another under her knees, delicately lifting her.
"How's the pain?"
"Bit better." She tried her best to smile.
"Leave the crutches here. The TARDIS will bring them for you." She nodded. The time lord heaved her bridal style before walking through the corridor; Clara's arms curled around the Doctor's neck.
"Are you sure you want to stay alone, Clara? You know... With Missy... And all.. And what if-"
"Doctor." Her palm hugged his cheek that the time lord fet her warmth hugging him. Her smile radiated such happiness. "Stop worrying about me. I'll be fine."
He nodded, before he realised. "Oh... I was going to forget to give you this." He gave her a small pendent having a button. "If you're in any urgent danger, just press it and it will send a direct signal to me... In case you can't tell the TARDIS about it."
Clara nodded, a smile drawn on her face. "Thank you."
The time lord hesitated. "Are you sure...?"
"Yes Doctor." Clara sighed. "I'm a big girl. I think I can manage on my own with all the things life has thrown at me." The time lord remembered how upset she had been a few minutes ago in the kitchen. He nodded and smiled before sitting up, turning and walking towards the library door. "And go and take a wash!" She shouted before giggling. She couldn't see him but she knew he was chuckling also.
She sighed as the Doctor closed the door. Clara was very fortunate to have met the Doctor., so kind, so caring. So... So perfect.
She opened the book and continued reading.
The door opened again.
What did the Doctor want this time?
"Well well well..."
Clara jumped, and closed the book suddenly. Missy was leaning against the wall near the door, filing her nail. After a while, she looked up. "Oh... Did I give the poor puppet a fright?" Her heels echoed through the vast library as she made her way closer to Clara. The latter could feel her heart race, almost making its way out of her rib cage.
The button.
As soon as she turned to reach for it, Missy stopped her. "Tut tut, I though you would be happy to see me. Going off to tell your Doctor?"
Clara froze.
She wasn't a weakling.
She could face Missy on her own.
Except for her being the person who turned her boyfriend into a cyberman and almosy got the Doctor to kill her.
Yeah... There was nothing to be afraid of.
The girl returned to her previous position.
"Are you scared?" she smirked.
"Why would I be scared of you?" she said, steadying her voice.
"Oh Clara... No wonder I chose you." Missy laughed.
The girl tried to steady her trembling.
"Why would you do this?" Clara breathed.
Missy snorted. "What? Come visit you?"
Clara shook her head. "No... No... Why do you want to torture me...and the Doctor?"
The time lady laughed. "Because... You two are so adorable I just want to play with you."
"You want to play with us." Said Clara sarcastically. Now the girl felt encouraged to try and squeeze out the reason why the time lady was making their life a misery. But she wasn't quite ready to leave the Doctor yet (she would never bring herself to leave completely, no matter how hard she tried).
Missy laughed as hard as she could, yet the companion was not at all amused. Her laughter had died down slowly. "I'm sorry. I'm-I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself." She said breathlessly, the reminents of her laughs still trailing in her voice. "Why not? After all... You make quite a couple." She said teasingly.
Clara rolled her eyes. "And?"
"And..." The Gallifreyan continued as she leaned against a bookshelf near the fireplace. "I want to prove to the Doctor that I'm just like him; a Doctor of my own." She twirled the nail file like a magic wand in the air whilst she was talking and reasoning out, before resuming to filing her nails.
"Seriously? You kill for a living, Missy. You enjoy creating havoc like the day you rose the dead as cybermen. Don't you dare tell me that's something which the Doctor would do... Something which would make the Universe a better place."
Missy stopped filing, as she was taken aback before recomposing herself; laughing and making fun of the situation. "The pupper's angry now..."
"Oh, shut up will you?!" Missy stopped, sat upright again before placing her hands on her waist. Clara was infuriated. "The Doctor wants to bring some sense in you, and I totally agree. Because I know how alone he feels in the Universe after what happened to Gallifrey, especially after you gave him the wrong coordinates. But if it weren't for him, I would have killed you properly a long time ago."
"That's what you thought the day of the cybermen invasion, right?" Missy smirked.
Clara swallowed thickly. She thought that Kate's father killed the time lady. She had that sneaky plan of recharging her vortex manipulator. And thank goodness for that. She would have ended up as a lifeless body on the ground.
"You know how many times the Doctor tried to get rid of me? Do you know how many times I've died? And yet... Here I am! I'm the Master of Havoc, Clara. Me and the Doctor have a complex friendship, more than your own species." Missy scoffed. "And you lot think marriage is complicated."
She was going to turn away before turning on her heel again.
"Oh, speaking about marriage. Your boyfriend; he was a cute one, you know? Poor love. I chose him just for you, transferred him to Coal Hill after leaving the military when he killed that poor boy he sent to you a few days after you kicked him out of your life." Clara stopped breathing.
It was true. She had kicked him out that time when he said he loved her. She wasn't sure if it was him. "I knew you would like him." Missy winked. Clara's teeth grinded together painfully as she tried to hold back the stinging sensation in her eyes. "Oh, and that part... He was walking across the street... Poor thing, I must have been going on a high speed... I didn't see him." She said in a sarcastically saddening tone.
Her life was being controlled by this.. This maniac. There was no better way to describe Missy. She wanted to sit up and wrap her fingers around the time lady's neck but apart from the fact that she had an injured ankle, the girl was paralysed by shock. No one ever knew who hit Danny, and she probably found the answer to that question.
9 months had passed, and the investigation had ran cold.
But Danny... He was so sad. He wanted his emotions to be wiped out. He couldn't take the hurt... The fact that Clara didn't believe him, the confession about the Doctor and all...
"He is the closest person to me in this whole world. He is the man I will always forgive, always trust. The one man I would never, ever lie to."
Danny had heard that.
Clara didn't notice that her gaze had fell to her hands. The hands which held the sonic that time she activated the inhibitor... Her fingertips feeling every switch inside the breastplate, trying to find a way to inhibit the emotions which were killing him once again.
The sonic trembling in her hand as she pointed it towards him.
"Oh well, I must get going to the gym. I want to prepare for the next invasion. Toodloo."
The heels echoed through the library before she exited the huge room, leaving the large door open.
The girl couldn't even breathe. She remembered Danny, full of blood, concussed on thhe pavement, the nurses trying to resuscitate him in the ambulance...
She remembered the day the cyberman took his face plate off. Danny was in pain, and she had hurt him. It was because of her he had died in the first place. And she had known that a long time ago. She couldn't accept that someone would die or sacrifice himself because of her.
That was why she threatened the Doctor to brink him back. It was true that she had grown less fond to Danny than with time travel (the Doctor... In actual fact). But the latter didn't want to keep the same relationship they once had. But she had lied to Danny. 3 months of time travel went unnoticed by him because Clara had become such a good liar. He was a victim.
Danny had died and it was her fault.
The Doctor walked through the corridor after having his shower, wearing a white shirt having its first 2 buttons opened and a comfortable pair of trousers. He was smiling, thinking about how lucky he was to have Clara in his life.
But as soon as he saw the Library door open, he froze. He could have sworn he left it closed, so Clara could have her own privacy.
Crying. He could hear her distinct cry. "Clara." He breathed as he entered. Seeing her twisted, her face into the pillow, her injured leg in the same position.
"Clara..." He rested his hand on her shoulder. She flinched.
"Don't touch me." She shouted. She momentarily stopped crying, before turning to the time lord. Her eyes were inflated, bloodshot, and looked scared.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry Doctor." She hugged him tightly. "I... I thought you were..."
"Missy..." He said. He could feel his blood boil inside him, his hearts race.
She had come into the Library, all the proof pointed towards that conclusion. And she had said something upsetting to her.
"I'm going to kill that-"
He was stopped by Clara's short nailed digging into his short (and skin beneath).
Little by little, the girl's sobs diminished to shaky breaths and sniffs.
"Don't let anger do this to you, Doctor. You'd never kill. Please... Don't do this now."
"What if she...?"
"I don't care. Do what you think is right. Don't always think about me, Doctor. If you really want to stop her from causing havoc in the universe, then do it. I'll try my best to stay out of the way as possible when she's there, though."
"I won't let-"
Clara shushed the Doctor, before cupping her palm to his cheek. "You're not a warrior. Promise me you won't hurt her or kill her... Ever. Not even if they make you do it."
He bit his lip.
"Please." She breathed.
"OK."
"Swear it... On something that matters."
"You..." He breathed desperately, his voice broken, his eyes shattered. "You matter."
Clara held her breath, letting her hand slip from his cheek before licking her lips. "Um... Uh... OK." Her eyes never met his, no matter how much the Doctor wanted.
"Clara..." The Doctor cupped her cheek delicately, urging her to look into his eyes. "I won't do it. Because you're right; I'm not a warrior. And I promise you... I swear on this whole Universe and any parallel Universe existing, on every planet we've saved, on our relationship... I will try my best to make Missy turn good. Because it's right. I swear."
"Good." the girl said, trying her best to hold back the tears. She breathed a laugh. "And you'd better keep that oath, because you have me to take care of."
His fingers continued to caress her skin. "Oath and no Oath, Clara Oswald, I would never cease to protect you." He purred. The time lord took her hand and wrapped his paddle-like palms around it. Clara's eyes drifted from his hands to his eyes. The Doctor tried to speak up, he tried to remain calm. Yet, his hearts betrayed him. "I... I..." He swallowed.
Clara shushed him, letting her hand cup his cheek once again. "I know." She breathed with a smile. "No need to worry about saying anything."
He released a held breath, smiling. One of the Doctor's hands left her hand and cradled the other on his cheek. His face turned towards it and planted a kiss on her palm. The girl blushed ever so slightly. She, then, let her fingers free from his, and proceeded to pass them though his soft silver curls before planting the softest kiss on his forehead. "I do too." She breathed.