Sorry this took a while! Been busy, working towards a science award. ALLONS-Y!
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Clara wrapped her arms around herself as she shivered in the snow. The Doctor seemed oblivious to it, straightening his bow-tie as if it were bloody summer. Must be a Time Lord thing. They had taken Sanguinem in within a blink of an eye, under multiple counts of violence, rape and slavery. Hearing it all had made her nauseous; she could only imagine how it had made the Doctor feel. The look Sanguinem gave him as he was roughly taken to a cell would stay with her forever. She sighed, wanting so much to help the seemingly unbroken man, the man she was sure she loved...
The trip back to the TARDIS was short, and he opened the door with a snap of his fingers. He sat at the chair, clearly somewhere else.
"You ok?" She asked, knowing he wasn't. He sighed.
"Yeah...yeah of course. He's gone now, he can't hurt me again, he can't hurt anyone ever again."
"But?"
"...but he won. He did it, he left his mark." He got up and paced the deck frustratingly. "Everywhere I go, everything I do, I'll just be thinking about HIM! Even when I'm with you." He faltered. "Even when I'm with you, I won't be able to love you properly, to hold you. He ruined every chance of being with you, HE RUINED ME! I can't...I don't..."
Clara knelt where he had sat on the floor, a hand in his hair.
"Love me?" He gave a shaky laugh.
"Yes...oh god yes. Since I saw you, my impossible girl, I knew I loved you. Before it happened, before he...I was ready. I could have done it. Now it's too late."
Clara put a hand on his cheek and turned him to look at her, then kissed him, softly.
"I loved you the minute you poked your hazardous chin into my life, and nothing will ever change that. I'll stay with you, Doctor, I'll wait as long as it takes." He smiled and hugged her, kissing her back.
"What did I do to deserve someone like you?" She shrugged, hugging him tighter. He tensed slightly and she remembered what River had said about tight spaces. River...
Oh god.
"Doctor, you and River, aren't you going to get married in the future." His face twisted slightly.
"So she claims. Probably with a future regeneration, that's more likely. I told her...I told her I loved you. I don't know what she thought, I left after I told her. She's probably somewhere in the TARDIS." Clara nodded.
"Well, I reckon one of us should talk to her. You've done enough for today; you should go rest." He wanted at first to protest, before realising how tired he really was and made his way over to his bedroom. Clara smiled as he went off; that man was as good as they come. She trusted the TARDIS to take her to wherever River was, and was landed at her bedroom door. Confused, she entered.
Her bedroom had been made very comfortable, and was put right next to the Doctor's in case he had a nightmare which, unfortunately, was more often than not. The large, mahogany double bod was put right by the far wall. The Doctor had originally offered her a bunk bed, which she had declined. The room was also filled with historical and alien books, things she hadn't even tried to use, in fear of breaking them. And, by the bed, was one River Song.
She turned when she heard Clara enter, and Clara saw she had been crying.
"River what's wrong?"
""Don't you dare pretend you don't know! I am to marry that man sometime in the future, and I don't need you messing this up!"
"River, please, listen to me! After all he's been through, I think it's important he makes his own choices, and-,"
"Oh my god, EVERYTHING JUST GOES BACK TO THOSE 16 MONTHS! We get it, it happened, it's the past! I'm sure he'd heal better if we just stopped talking about it!"
"River, we can't just pretend it didn't happen! This is going to affect The Doctor and it's going to take some time for him to fully return to normality!"
"You talk as if you've known him forever! He lost his kind, his closest friend, has watched the fall of civilisations! Why would this bother him any more than the other times?" Clara couldn't help it, she laughed.
"All those things he's seen, all those mental scars, they are simply made from guilt. The guilt of not protecting the ones he loved. This time, it was he who suffered. You need to know that he's not going to heal overnight."
"And I'm not suggesting it will. But we can at least speed up the process!"
Before Clara could stop her, River ran towards the door, which promptly shut. The hologram of the TARDIS appeared, angry.
"You forget, River, Psychic link. I know exactly what you are thinking, don't you dare try it!" River laughed unkindly.
"What if I do?"
"You forget, River, I can control wherever you go in this ship, and you shall not go to him if your intentions are as cruel as that." The TARDIS turned to Clara. "I believe its time River left."
"I couldn't agree more." Came a familiar voice from the doorway. They turned and saw the Doctor there, surprisingly unaffected by however much he had heard. He strode over, till he was standing nose to nose with River.
"The TARDIS tells me everything, River. Everything. Did you honestly think that would help me River?"
"I am your WIFE! I should be able to do what I want in your presence. We are to get married!"
"River, you know as well as I do that time can be rewritten."
River's face turned stony, and her eyes filled with a rage that the Doctor had become so used to, and she turned round and flung herself at Clara. Clara was quicker and dodged it, causing River to crash headfirst into one of the tables. Clara pounced, locking River's arms behind her. The Doctor smiled slightly.
"We can drop her off somewhere in the 52nd century, that should no nicely. Lovely time for London, I believe, know a place where they sell a lovely soufflé." He said.
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They quickly took off after practically dragging River out, watching her rage from the projector. Clara couldn't help but smile even in moments like this, the Doctor had childish glee in manning the controls. She held on tight as it took off. She sighed, knowing she had to ask.
"Doctor, what was River going to do, I mean, you know, when she…" She made a face that said she didn't really have to continue. The Doctor gave a small smile and sighed.
"She was going to…make love to me, and from what the TARDIS has told me, she didn't intend for it to be completely consensual." Clara slapped her hand on her mouth and gasped.
"Bu-bu-why?"
"I think she intended to shock me back into reality, so to speak. To face me with my fears. Not that it would have worked in any sense." He sighed, rubbing the control panel affectionately. "I don't need River. I have you, Clara. I may not be the man that you deserve, yet, but I know you'll stay with me till I heal. I know that you'll be patient. I know that you can fix me."
Clara smiled, and wrapped her arms around the Doctors waist, kissing him passionately.
"What do you know." Thought Clara. "This really did turn out to be a snog box."
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It's come, folks. This is the second to last chapter! I again, want to thank everyone who has stuck with me :D another reason for this being late is I was recently assigned as an admin for my favourite Facebook page #! ?id=400233730047356&_user=100002320950700 , Bowties are cool. If you were to like, that would be AMAZING! I'm admin FishyCustard if your interested :) again, sorry for the wait, till next time!