And now it's time for one last bow. . .
Chapter 21
Clara was sitting on the bed in her room of the TARDIS. She didn't know how long she had been there but at some point, when she could no longer stand the silence, she had gone through the records stacked on the floor. Monday Monday was playing in a loop on the old phonograph. She didn't dare go into the control room and face the Doctor. They hadn't talked since. When Madame Vastra and Jenny had hovered over the Doctor until he regained consciousness, she had quietly hugged Isabel goodbye and had sneaked off into the TARDIS. The Doctor would know where she was, and if not, the music would be a nice indicator.
"I think there might be other songs on the record as well," she heard the Doctor say. Clara looked up and found him standing in the door way to her room.
"Yes, but I like this one," she just said lowered her eyes again.
"We danced to this one," he said. Clara just nodded. "So, do you want to go home?"
Clara lifted her head and took a longer look at him. He had changed back into his favourite clothes. "Is there anywhere else I could go?"
"Phew, I don't know. Mars, Raxacoricofallapatorius, . . ."
"What?"
"Raxacorico. . . ah, nevermind. You get what I mean."
"You still want me to travel with you?" Clara asked in disbelief.
"If you want to."
"But, should I even? I mean, I am. . .," but the word pregnant wouldn't cross her lips.
The Doctor retrieved the sonic screwdriver from his pocket and scanned her, taking a look at the sonic and scanned her again. When he was done, he put it back into his pocket.
"Like I thought. Not pregnant anymore," he announced.
Clara glanced at her belly. She hadn't felt any difference. But she hadn't exactly felt very pregnant before either.
"Not pregnant? How can that be?" she asked, "I definitely was."
"It was a part of the human me. I'm not human anymore. I don't know how it works. I don't think a Time Lord has ever tried that before."
"So, you remember everything that happened during the time?" Clara asked, looking at her feet again.
"Yes," he dragged the word a little too much.
"And you're not mad?"
The Doctor shrugged. "I'm just glad you made Vastra take the dog. I hate dogs. No dogs in the TARDIS."
Clara laughed. "See, that's exactly why I tried to talk human-you out of it."
"Well, you did a lousy job at that," he said, "Now, come on. There are places to see. Planets to travel. We have several months to catch up on."
Clara followed him into the control room and watched him do what he did best. Press buttons, flip switches. He was back in his own world and it was good. Until she thought of something.
"Doctor, I've been wondering. Why did the TARDIS make us husband and wife?"
"Mh?" he asked, looking up from the console for a second.
"You said the last time you did it, your companion became your maid. Why was I your wife? Did your spaceship attempt to make a not so funny joke?"
The Doctor walked over to one of his book shelves and mumbled something Clara couldn't understand.
"Sorry, I didn't catch that," Clara said.
Again, he mumbled. This time louder, but still incomprehensible. Clara raised an eybrow and walked up next to him.
"Doctor," she said in her most threatening voice, "Answer my question."
"I might have thought about it," he said and quickly changed the subject to: "Changed my mind. Raxacoricofallapatorius. Stupid idea. Slitheens are disgusting."
Clara smiled and decided to push him no further. She had the answer she had wanted and she liked it. John Smith had been the ultrahuman version of the Doctor, which meant that somewhere buried deep inside him were the Doctor's feelings for her. He was not her husband anymore. She did not carry his child. But it was a start, right?
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Thank You!
I felt the need to add this little thank you note. I have never written a FanFiction that was so popular before. I usually get 1-3 reviews according to the popularity of the pairing, but this has blown my mind. I would never have dreamed that a cheesy story like this could get sooooo many reviews, favourites, followers – I am truly flattered that you seem to love the story so much. In the past few years I had kind of given up on writing except for an occasional oneshot, but I had abandoned my FanFictions, my novel, my poems and all of that because I was simply drained of imagination for that particular area. I don't really know when it happened, but all the excitement of the new Doctor Who season sparked my imagination again and I needed to start writing again and I will continue to do so at least as often as work and university allow it. Part of the reason I am so eager to continue writing FanFics is YOU! All of you who read the story, added it to your favourites, wrote comments and so on. That fact that some people out there actually want to read my stories and enjoy doing so is such a great feeling for me. Thank you so much for that!
And as sad as I am about ending this particular FanFiction, I will at the same time upload the first chapter of my next FanFiction "Ashes of Eden" and I hope you will enjoy this one just as much as you have enjoyed "Family Ties".
Ashes of Eden
12 years after the Doctor had abandoned Clara on a foreign planet, she gets a visit from an old friend, who entrusts her with the important mission of saving the universe – by killing the Doctor, who now goes by a different name. Valeyard.
Will she be able to save the man she once loved from his dark ways or is there only one way to end the great war that has consumed the universe?
Set after "Into The Dalek" - but don't worry. I won't post spoilery passages until the episode has aired. I promise!