Chapter 12
The next time the Doctor saw the light again, he was too heartbroken to acknowledge it. The pain thrumming through his hearts was killing him inside, turning his very insides out, making the thought so grotesque and disgusting he wished to rip apart his soul himself. He found it almost unimaginable that a single thought could destroy his soul. And yet he was certainly proof. Once again, he was being dragged out of his cell to a place of torture. He had cried so much there wasn't another tear in his body to cry. He had bellowed in wounding pain so regularly that he felt already that he had punctured them. Surprisingly, but not as surprising for him to care, he was shoved into another room. It was an office, with brown furniture and oak tables. The man who had visited him last time was sitting in front of it.
'I can see you didn't hold up as well from when I last saw you.'
'Sorry to disappoint you.'
'I am not disappointed. In fact, I am much the opposite.'
He circled round the other side of the desk, leaning on the edge of it so his face was inches from his.
'We have finally gotten our price.'
'How much am I worth?'
He considered him, his mouth quirking up into a smile.
'Oh, you would be surprised.'
'I don't think I can be surprised anymore.'
'Hm, we'll see.'
He retrieved a seal from his desk, a familiar seal with a familiar pattern on it. He couldn't help the shock find it's way into the rest of his face, giving the man the satisfaction he wanted.
'I thought so.' He said smugly.
'How...how did you get that? It's the Seal of Rassilon. That's impossible.'
'Obviously not.' He replied coolly.
'Where did you get it?' He asked more forcefully, the guard behind him pulling at his manacles as a warning.
'They gave it to me. Said I should show it to you when we have completed the mission. We are only waiting for our robot to return. With your children. They want you, Doctor. They own you. They own anything that's Gallifreyan, or whatever they said you're all called.'
'You hate me, you hate my species. Why are you working with them?'
'At first we weren't. At first it was just the government, us wanting you locked up, where you should be. But you're...family,' he shuddered in disgust, 'took over the government with their creepy, abnormal powers. They demanded you back, and any other children of Gallifrey. We asked them for a price. And they agreed.'
'Because they can't come to get me themselves.' He said. 'Its not going to happen. I am not going back to the Time Lords.'
'Oh, you will. You're being transported today.'
'I am not, and neither are my children.'
'They are part alien, therefore they belong to them. All Gallifreyan blooded people are to be returned to you're home planet. Either that or we will force you to speak you're name, so they can come through themselves.'
'You don't understand. If they come through, they will bring war with them.'
'You better agree to going then.'
'And how am I supposed to get there?'
'We've worked on that,' he smiled, 'follow me. The Time Lords have granted us with you're technology. With it, we were able to replicate you as artificial intelligence, and we're also able,' he turned a key in the lock of a white door, 'to provide you with transport back to the supreme home planet.' He grinned wickedly as he allowed the Doctor entry. The room was also white, and covered in different weapons and inventions. Behind a white cloth was his TARDIS, and all his possessions under a seeable glass case, including his sonic screwdriver and bow tie. In front of him was a stasis cube, larger than usual ones. Big enough to fit him inside.
'It's bigger on the inside, as they wanted it. So it should be able to hold you and you're children. They gave us the instructions to use it.'
'A stasis cube for humanoid transport.' He laughed, 'what a joke.'
'It won't be once you're strapped in and launched into outer space.'
'Talking of you're children, where are they? The drone should have sent them back by now.'
His hearts started to thump louder, faster. A flicker of hope sent warm shivers through his spine. He knew it meant Clara was fighting. And oh what a battle she would bring. He knew she'd never give up, not until one breath became her last. No, no, no. He couldn't think like that. He wouldn't accept that. He mentally shook himself to rid himself of his doubts. The man went out the door, and the Doctor was left alone with his guard. He felt the guard's grip loosen just a fraction as he turned in question to the door. The Doctor yanked as hard as he could on the chains, clawing open the skin blistering on his hands. They fell away from his hands, and the Doctor manically tried to look for a sharp object. The guard rushed toward him in panic, trying to hold back onto his chains, but the Doctor was too fast. He picked up an axe and ran to the glass case. It smashed with three blows, and the glass went everywhere. It wounded the guard that had tried to restrain him from the case and was now holding his face in his hands. Grabbing his sonic, he turned it awkwardly in hand and manage to break the manacles free. The buzzing sound it made was music to his ears and he had missed dearly the green glow it emitted from the cluster. Taking his items and quickly tying on his bow tie (which he had particularly missed achingly) an alarm went off, and he rushed to his TARDIS. Quickly turning the key in its lock he opened it and sent it the first place it landed. Multiple guards were now running in, and he grinned.
'You can't kill me.'
He rushed forward, sonicing their weapons to useless purpose. He suddenly heard a shout from outside.
'WHAT?'
The Doctor stepped outside the door. The office man, staring at his no longer prisoner, with his alien tech device and ridiculous bow tie. He pointed the sonic at him like a weapon.
'What has happened?' He asked. The man averted his eyes to the sonic in his hand and then nervously back up to him.
'The drone was destroyed.'
The Doctor's hearts hammered, his hope and confidence coming back to him.
'Is my family alive?' He asked. The man have no answer.
'IS MY FAMILY ALIVE?' He shouted, shaking the sonic threateningly.
'I don't know.'
'You will return UNIT to its base, stand down as government official and send the stasis cube back to the Time Lords. This way they will never get to me.'
'No! I have sworn to deliver. In return I get-'
'You get your life! You do this, and you get your life. I'm sure that's price enough.'
The man swallowed, and nodded. He did everything as the Doctor asked, and every soldier stood down.
'I am not dangerous. I am you're salvation most of the time, and that's being way too modest for my liking, but it's true. You will never bother me, my family or anyone else ever again, you understand me? You will tell all you have told of me that I am not harmful in any way, I am a regular human with a regular job and regular mortgage. Okay?'
The man nodded.
'And then you will forget all of this.'
They all set off, and not long after the Doctor erased the minds of everyone who had known about him. The officer went home to his own family, as did everyone else. Forgiveness, no matter what. Always forgiveness, always mercy. By now, the whole world knew nothing of the Doctor, only of a man living on a street in London, in the UK.
His hands tingling under the touch of the lever, he revelled in the sound of his TARDIS, vworping through the time vortex pleasurably. When he landed in his front garden, he stepped out to see his house, the door kicked down. He ran to the building, entering over the broken pieces of door. And there she was. His eyes burned at the sight of her, it seemed too good to be true. She turned round and saw him. She ran up to him as he did, and met halfway. Jumping into his arms he swung her around and around, her legs swinging round freely, holding on the tightest he ever had before, crying, crying, crying into her shoulder. He felt the most relief he had ever in his life, he was so exultantly overjoyed she was in his arms.
'Clara! My Clara!' He cried, stroking her hair.
'Oh, Doctor.' She breathed, crying harder than he had ever seen her.
Crushing his lips to hers, her legs enveloping round his waist and they stood there for what seemed like forever, wrapped in each other's arms, never letting go. They kissed so hard it was a wonder they didn't fall over, her hands pulling at his hair, his tongue seeking hers, all of their ecstasy, their grief, their longing, their fear, their love conveyed in a kiss that lasted so long they couldn't keep up. Finally withdrawing their lips, Clara collapsed into him, her arms almost throttling him with her realisation that he was there, holding her tight. The Doctor took hold of her face, stroking her tears away and averting her eyes to his.
'I've missed you so, so, so much. Indescribably so. I love you, Clara Oswald.'
She laughed and smiled in the joy of hearing his voice.
'You have no idea, Doctor. Trust me, I've been a wreck without you. I love you so much. I can't believe you're back!' She exclaimed, locking his lips once more. His forehead fell against hers, his eyes gazing into her beautiful brown ones, the ones he had missed seeing so much. His hand came up to cup her cheek and they exhaled air as they laughed simultaneously together at being with each other. With only slight reluctance Clara lowered her legs from his waist and slid down by his side as Ellie ran up to him, shouting in joy.
'Daddy!'
The Doctor picked her up, kissing her face, and Clara's chest ached as she saw the look of relief and love on his face.
'Oh god, I've missed you so much!' He said, clutching her tight like crazy.
'I've missed you too, Daddy!'
He started to cry again and Clara reached for Freddie. Taking him with incredulous joy he completely broke down. Clara hugged the back of him as he stared at his son, cuddling him with just as much enthusiasm.
'He's already taken his first steps, Doctor.' She explained. He looked at her with surprise and back to Freddie with undoubtable pride.
'You can walk? Oh wow, you can walk! That's my boy!'
'Gomno.' He gurgled in reply. They all laughed, and it was a sound that sounded so foreign already to Clara.
'And Ellie has...Ellie is more Gallifreyan than she is human, Doctor. She has an ability.'
He nodded. 'We'll talk about it later.' He grabbed her closer to him, and she nestled her face into his chest. He finally noticed the figure in the corner, lifeless.
'Is that...is that the drone?' The Doctor felt sick to his stomach.
'Yes. Ellie destroyed it.' The Doctor looked shockingly back and forth between Clara and Ellie.
'Oh my god! Are you okay?' He asked, taking a step back to examine her. Quickly taking his face into her hands and averting her eyes she reassured him.
'Don't worry, I'm fine,' she then noticed his hands. Her mouth formed an 'o' and her eyes began to well up with fresh hands.
'Oh my god, what did they do to you?' She whimpered.
'I'll be fine with a few weeks, Clara.'
'You're hands are literally ripped to shreds!'
His wrists were bloodied and wrecked, such a horrific sight that Clara had to hold her breath from being sick.
'Oh my god,' she repeated, beginning to cry again, her hand coming up to her mouth. She slowly lifted his shirt up to reveal terrible scars and marks from where they had cut into his skin. She lightly placed a hand over them, tracing her fingers across them, staring in horror.
'How much pain were you in?'
'Agony. But not as much as being without you.'
'I'm going to fucking kill them.' She stated, finally withdrawing her fingers from his skin.
'No, Clara. It's been taken care of. All of it. I promise, I promise.'
She looked up at him, nodding and embraced him again. His hands roamed over her own skin, landing round her waist, and with undeniable shock, he felt her wounds. She withdrew with the realisation but he had already felt it. Looking up at him guiltily he too lifted her shirt. His eyes filled with hate, sorrow, anger.
'The drone did this to you?'
She nodded. He fully examined her, and his hearts broke when he saw the massive wound on the back of her head.
'We need to get you fixed up.' He said, cradling her in his arms.
'You do too.'
He nodded, leaning down to kiss the side of her head.
'Lets get to a hospital, Clara. This looks serious and I...cannot, lose you, again.' He ended.
With a sigh, she conceded.
'Okay. And I'll tell you everything while we get there.'
They strapped Ellie and Freddie into the car. Despite how reluctant he was, he let her drive because of his wrists. Taking her hand, she revved the engine and drove away, her family finally reunited.
