-25-
Day 24
The Eleventh Doctor
The Doctor had all but given up, it was the last day to find the cure for Clara. However low his hopes got he continued to listen to her hoping for an answer.
"Clara." he sobbed, "You are going to die and it will be all my fault."
"Doctor." she whispered for the thousandth time, sounding almost reassuring. If that was even possible for a person in a coma.
"Yes Clara, I am the Doctor." he sighed. He too had repeated this response an insurmountable number of times.
"Doctor?" Clara asked.
The Doctor gasped in shock. All of the times that she had called for him it had never been a question.
"Doctor who?" she continued.
The pieces of the puzzle clicked into the Doctor's mind.
"My name." the Doctor breathed. "She needs me to tell her my name."
A million scenarios battled against each other in his mind. To tell her or to not to tell her that is the question my dear Shakespeare.
He looked to his left to check Eight's pocket watch, he always had it out. It was reassuring for a Time Lord to know the time.
10:48 am. He had brought Clara to his TARDIS at 10:43 in the morning, twenty-five days ago. She had gotten shot by the Dalek at 10:52 am, after he had argued with Ten for exactly 8 minutes and 51 seconds.
He had four minutes before she died.
"Twelve," the Doctor whispered under his breath.
A annoyed groan came from the Doctor's right.
"I know the cure." the Doctor continued.
Twelve jumped towards the Doctor's capsule: "What is it?"
"My name." the Doctor stated, "She needs my name to wake up."
Three minutes.
"You can't tell her."
"Why not!" the Doctor exclaimed in shock. This was a version of himself, how could he be so coldhearted?
"In the future your name will do bad things, it will be used to get you into your grave."
"Been there, done that. I'm still okay." the Doctor snapped.
"In my future, my name, will let the Time Lords through."
The Doctor's jaw dropped. "That's not possible! All the Time Lords burned in the Last Day of the Time War."
"That's what we think, well the past regenerations think. We actually put Gallifrey in a nice little time pocket, all of the Doctor's came together to do it."
"Why don't I remember that?"
Two minutes.
"Only the oldest Doctor remembers that."
"One?" the Doctor asked.
"No the last regeneration."
"Even if I tell her, it won't release the Time Lords."
"Oh really? What gave you that belief?"
"You said, 'In my future', but that's my future's future. Since that hasn't happened to me, it won't release the Time Lords."
"What if it does?"
One minute.
"I'll just have to deal with them." the Doctor decided.
"Are you sure that this is a good idea."
"No, but I'm not letting one of best friends die."
"Think of the consequences!" Twelve warned.
"No!" the Doctor shouted, "Clara is more important than any of the Time Lords!"
"You love her!" Twelve accused.
"I'm a married man." the Doctor said with a blush.
"River is my wife."
"River is dead!"
Thirty seconds.
"You still love Clara."
"Fine, I've moved on! My wife is dead so it is not technically cheating." the Doctor snapped.
"You do love her!"
"There will be nothing left to love if I don't tell her my name."
"Doctor who?" Clara repeated, growing louder and more frantic with each passing second.
"You can't!" Twelve screeched.
"Stop me then!"
With that the Doctor leaned down and whispered his name in Clara's ear.
Clara's eyes fluttered open and she gasped. "What did you do?"
"Well, I just saved your life." the Doctor said. "You're welcome."
Clare hit the Doctor in his arm.
"Ow! That is not much of a thank you!" the Doctor whined.
"You idiot! Do you know what you just did?"
"Yeah, I saved your life." the Doctor replied.
"No, well yes, but you just did something terrible."
"What did I do?"
"You just gave the Cybermen your name. With that they are going to unlock the way to upgrade you." Clara explained.
The doors banged open and a Cyberman in a kilt stepped out, "The Doctor has told his name, we now have the ability to stop the regeneration process."
It grabbed One and Two out of their capsules.
"Let the upgrading begin." the Cyberman said as he marched the out.