A/N: A slight time jump for this chapter! For those of you wondering, there are two short chapters left. Very short chapters. This chapter is also short, but it's leading onto the next, which will become apparent once you've read it. You guys are brilliant, seriously. A big thank you to my wonderful, brilliant, generous reviewers from last time: DancingWithTheDoctor, Guest, bloomingredroses, Socks7, Foeseeker, orchids117, Abby0512x, Oswaldsbowtie, xandrota, BlueGreen216, ThePotterDoctor, NoLongerAGuest, ImpossibleClara9, Dede42 and the lovely dragonrider2345.
Chapter Twelve: 23rd November 2017
35 years old
"Come on, Daddy! We're going to be late!"
The Doctor chuckled as he traipsed through the long grass, his heavy backpack weighing him down. He watched as Sky darted through the overgrown greenery, her little arms helping her along the way. The blades of grass were almost as tall as her.
"We can't be late for a hill, Sky," he called, trying to catch up. "Hills don't make appointments."
She spun around to lookup at her father, her shining brown eyes wide with horror. "But what if the icecream melts?"
He shook his backpack. "I'm prepared. I'm always prepared. I have it in a cooler."
Sky waited until the Doctor caught up, so that he could wrap his arm around her for support as they started to climb the hill. He sighed with the effort, his muscles straining against the weight on his back, but he somehow managed to keep his eyes focused on the upwards stretch. It was a glorious day; the sun was shining despite the time of year, and the autumnal leaves were breezing through the biting wind, sweeping around their feet. It brought back distant memories of his university days, after all, he hadn't been here since his graduation.
The city hadn't changed much since then – only the residence had aged. The city was timeless. Only a few moderations littered the streets – Café Nero's had replaced old cafes, for example, and the ancient library had been renovated. But the streets he had walked down, at the gullible age of eighteen, were exactly the same, not a stone different. Now he walked along with his daughter, on this infamous day placed onto their lives, a completely different man than he was before. Way back when he was eighteen and walked this same path, he imaged that his life would be very different at his current age. He was looking to the future. Now, he was looking at the past, and how different his real future had been. Was he disappointed? Well, it was a tough question to answer as a fully grown man. If he had the benefit of hindsight as an eighteen year old, the answer would be simple.
Perhaps Sky would walk through the university when she was eighteen, thinking the same thing as him. What if she attended his university, met a nice guy, to which she either would spend the rest of her life with, or encounter a serious heartbreak? He shook such thoughts from his mind. Maybe it was better not to look to the future, after all. Perhaps it was better to stay away from the past. Live for the moment, the present, and all it was giving you now.
The Doctor reckoned if Clara was still with him, he'd have a very different outlook on the future.
This was his life now and he had to accept it.
Sky ran up to the top of the hill, a little bit before her father. Her mouth opened in awe as she stared out at the view, the scenery and old city as a breath taking picture. "Wow!" she shouted, leaning down to pull on her father's hand so he would quicken his pace. "Daddy look!"
"I know," he whispered, finally reaching the summit. "It's astounding."
"And this is where you met Mummy?" Sky asked, peering up at the Doctor. "Right here?"
It flooded back to him, in that moment, exactly why he had returned to this exact hill. On this exact day. Those words his only daughter said had hurt, more than he cared to show. Hurt him right in his chest, where the constant ache still resided. He rested his hand on Sky's shoulder and looked down at their feet, and the exact spot on which they were standing. It wasn't until he studied every word in the book Clara had given him, that he realised the date they met matched the date she died. Somehow, in the grand scheme of the universe, the dark irony of the situation inspired him to retrace their steps.
"Actually, we met in a" – he stopped himself from saying the word 'pub' as he met Sky's persistent gaze – "yes, we came here. This was where he got to know each other. Late at night, watching the stars, waiting on our future. Feels like such a long time ago now."
"Did you love her then?"
Such innocent questions, tainted with the adult world. The Doctor held onto Sky tightly, offering her a soft smile. "I always loved her. Even when I didn't know her."
Sky's little face frowned. "How can you love someone without knowing them?"
The Doctor chuckled and shook his head. "You've never had the pleasure of properly knowing your mother, have you Sky? And you still love her."
"Oh. I didn't think of that before." She smiled then, and took his hand, pulling him down onto the grass. They sat side by side, just as he and Clara had sat there, all those years previously. He couldn't help but fall silent for a few moments, reminiscing over the first day they spent together. Literally a life time ago. Now he was looking up at the cold sun in the sky, with the stars completely gone, on the other side of a daydream.
"One thing you'll learn more and more as you grow up, Sky, is that love is mysterious," he said, shrugging off his coat so that his daughter could lie on it. "Sometimes it's not fair, sometimes it's unexpected, sometimes it hurts – but no matter what, it's always real. It will always exist. And if you hold onto that, whatever happens tomorrow or the next day or the day after, it will make you happy. It will remind you of what is important."
Sky cuddled into his side as they lay on the grass, her head resting on his chest. She closed her eyes and soaked in the sun, a content grin on her lips. "Can you tell me more about Mummy, Daddy?"
"What would you like to know?"
"Anything."
He had always tried to fit Clara into their lives as if she was still there. He'd shown Sky countless pictures, homemade videos, retold stories upon stories. But there was one he had yet to tell.
"How about I tell you of the time we spent on this hill and the day that followed? Our first day together. How does that sound?"
"Will it make you sad?"
"No," he lied, "it'll make me… happy."
"Okay. Yes, please."
"Okay…" the Doctor took a deep breath and also closed his eyes, transporting them back in time to the beginning of the greatest adventure. "On this exact spot, when your mother and I were the age of twenty one, we thought we had the whole world ahead of us. The future was ours for the taking. I'd seen her around for most of my time at university, but never had the courage to talk to her. Then, that night, after a bit of encouragement from your uncle Jack, I decided it was time to make a move. We started talking, and after a few hours, when I was walking her home, we spotted this hill. It was a completely clear night, the stars were shining and we were… well, we thought it would be a good idea to spend the early hours of the morning stargazing. And then –"
He stopped, his voice dying in his throat.
"And then?" prompted Sky.
"And then it was the beginning of everything," said the Doctor.
Note: Next chapter will go back to the beginning and resolve what happened on the first full day the Doctor and Clara spent together. I hope you enjoyed! As ever, reviews make my day and are always appreciated. Thank you for the continued support!
