Good evening fantastic readers!
I happen to drink a pint of hard cider before editing this so hopefully I didn't to do to horrible a job ;)
There are only two chapters left to this story. I can't believe it, since I started In the Autumn of Terror what 9 months ago? Holy crap I can't believe you all have stuck with me for so long.
Anyway I'm just going to say thank you and Enjoy! XD
~One Year Gone: Part 1~
It took nearly another full 24 hours before they were able to use the signal. The world awoke to confusion and destruction. The death toll was high and rising as more and more reports came in. Not every plane was equipped with an auto-pilot setting. Thousands had perished when jet liners plummeted from the sky. And thousands more in cars and hospitals with no one to care for their injuries.
The loss and devastation was a heavy toll, but in end the end humanity was still standing. They even managed to effectively end the 21st century War on Terror. It turns out terrorists are pretty easy to round up when they're sleeping. It was the only consolation knowing less people would be killed in endless combat.
Clara didn't want the praise and gratitude she received for her idea. She just wished she could have helped everyone before it was too late. In the week it took to locate the TARDIS among the frozen wastelands of Antarctica Clara spent the whole time passing off people's thanks to those who actually did the heavy lifting.
By the time they reached the TARDIS and the Doctor broke down in an embarrassing display hugging the wooden box Clara was past the point of exhaustion. Hazel kept them up every night. While just looking at her angel lifted Clara's heart, did she have to cry at 3am every morning? After a long day of traveling and listening to the names of the hundreds of faceless casualties was a good night's sleep really too much to ask?
Apparently it was.
"Welcome home!" the Doctor whispered pushing open the doors.
He kissed Hazel's little forehead softly. She gargled and surprised both her parents when she smiled up at them. Clara gasped, grinning so hard it hurt. Of course thier baby would be ridiculously advanced, could she have expected anything else? Clara wondered how long it would be before she started talking too. There were so many unknowns when it came to Hazel's development. She'd grown so quickly, would that continue after her birth? Would she age faster than other children? They simply didn't know.
The engines whirled in greeting soothing away her concerns. They were home. They were safe. They were a family. That came before anything else. There were still things weighing on Clara's mind though. Namely, what he'd realized in her dream.
Her life - lives - were all connected to the glass world. She existed throughout time and it all led back to that dark plain. She knew that, even if she didn't know anything else. It was strange but it didn't scare her. There was something about inevitability which left no room for fear. Clara had no idea what led her to the glass world so there was nothing she could do to change it.
She still hadn't talked to her husband about the dream. How was she supposed to breach that topic? Oh by the way honey, it turns out you married a temporal anomaly. Yeah that would go over great. Clara knew the Doctor too well. He would freak-out with concern and she couldn't even explain it to him. The memories were fuzzy at best, impossible to sift through in her head. That was probably for the best. Having so many timelines in her mind at once would drive Clara mad.
The memories did however explain a few things. Raised in the Victorian era she never acted the way she was expected to. Refusing to accept her station in life or to differ to the rule of men. Clara questioned everything society told her and now she knew why. Part of her knew that things weren't always like that and that she could ask more from life. It also explained why an alien dropping into her world didn't shock her nearly as much as if should have. Clara just accepted it then jumped into bed with him. Hardly the act of a normal Victorian woman.
Was she even real or merely a ghost? How could she be sure?
The Doctor took her hand and Clara decided it didn't matter. Not now anyway, because this felt real. He and Hazel were real and they were hers.
Hazel's nursery was the most beautiful room on the TARDIS. The cosmos floated across the walls filled with glittering stars. An ancient wooden mobile hung over the crib. Clara sat in the rocking chair with Hazel and just watched it spin slowly. Of all the things to escape the destruction of Gallifrey it would be this simple object. The mobile hung over the Doctor's cradle as a child and over the beds of all his children. It meant so much that he could give this to Hazel too.
"She sleeping?" the Doctor whispered poking his head through the door.
Hazel giggled and stretched out her hands to him before Clara could answer. He laughed swinging her up into his arms. Hazel let out a peal of bright laughter kicking her little feet as he twirled them around.
"How about we let your mama get some rest?" the Doctor teased leaning down to kiss Clara.
"Rest? It's been over a month, I've forgotten what rest is?" she smiled.
That was actually a lie. The first couple of weeks may have been difficult, but Hazel was a surprisingly well behaved child. She slept through the night now and hardly ever cried. Clara's own practical experience with children helped and though the Doctor was rusty he had natural fatherly instincts.
Every night when they put Hazel to bed the Doctor would tell her a story. He told her about the adventures of Tegan, Ace, Zoe, and Rose. How Martha saved the Earth and Mickey flew an airship. Hazel would watch him wave his arms about with eyes wide with rapt attention. Clara loved to watch their antics and hear her daughter giggle when the Doctor made funny voices.
She read to Hazel from the book of Gallifreyan fairytales the Doctor had given her. Her favorite was about a boy who found a bird with a broken wing. It was sad, but then human fairytales were no different. In the end the boy who'd grown to love the bird had to set it free even though he knew he would never see it again. He loved it so he had to let it go.
The Doctor tucked Hazel in for the night and helped Clara to her feet. He pulled her towards their bedroom.
"Impatient are we, Chin Boy?" she teased.
They both froze. A memory came unbidden to the surface of her mind. It was jarring because the memory was not her own. Yet it was as clear as if it had happened yesterday. Clara stumbled into the wall of the hallway.
"Rescue me Chin Boy and show me the stars!" Oswin grinned at the stranger on the screen. He was going to get her off this godforsaken planet once and for all.
"Clara?" the Doctor asked concern painted on his face.
She looked up at him eyes wide. She couldn't believe this. "You were there."
His brow furrowed in confusion, "I was where?"
"With the Daleks." said Clara her voice turning hard. "With Oswin."
The Doctor paled confirming her suspicions. He knew! He knew all along there was more than one of her and he never said anything! How?
"You remember that?" he gasped, mouth hanging open.
Clara wrenched herself out of his grip not caring about the hurt look in his eyes. She was pissed. A whole year, more than a whole year, he'd lied to her. He'd said they'd figure out what the photo meant but he already knew. Clara chose to forget the fact that she'd known for awhile too and hadn't said anything either.
"Why? Why didn't you tell me?" she shouted. The TARDIS would block the noise reaching the nursery.
The Doctor's voice rose too, "Because I don't understand! Oswin died that day! They've all died!"
"You knew about the others too?"
"How do you know about them?"
"Because I remember! I don't know why but I'm starting to remember them. But that's not the point. You lied to me. You didn't say anything!"
Clara went to shove past him when the Doctor grabbed her arm forcing her to face him. His expression was dark. She'd never seen him angry with her before.
"I didn't say anything because I thought it would hurt you. I thought it would destroy your mind." he said evenly.
They glared at each other for a minute.
Then the Doctor seized the back of her neck and crushed her mouth to his. Frustration and want spilled over as Clara pressed into the kiss, nails digging into the back of his shirt. She was angry and worried and she needed this. His hands weren't gentle as they slid down to find her hips. Clara inhaled sharply when he lifted her up. Wrapping her legs around his waist her fingers pulled at his hair.
Carrying her to their room they fell back onto the bed. It was a mess of half-spoken words and accusations and apologies that Clara didn't care about now. Right now she only wanted to feel the drag of the Doctor's skin against hers and the roll of their bodies. Fisting the sheets as he pulled at her roughly Clara lost herself to sensation.
The TARDIS doors swung open letting in a warm familiar breeze. The scent of tropical flowers swirled around Clara. The now four month old Hazel squirmed in her arms straining to see outside. She was dressed in a tiny pink swimsuit making her look like a doll. A bit a doll which never stopped moving or babbling. Hazel had a long way to go before she mastered human speech, but that didn't stop her from trying.
Clara carried her out onto the warm beach laughing as Hazel squealed pointing at everything in sight. She had the same insatiable curiosity as her father. The man in question wrapped his arms around Clara's waist, chuckling at his daughter's excitement.
"Yep, that's the ocean. Well one of them anyway, actually there are lots of oceans. The Pacific, the Zealen, the Tanear, the -"
"Doctor, you're rambling."
"Alas, your mother is right." said the Doctor. He glazed from Hazel to Clara his smile growing. "But this ones special. This is where your mother agreed to marry me."
Clara shared his smile and looked around. The island was exactly as she remembered. The strip of yellow sand against the line of palms and tropical jungle. She could even see the strange fruit trees. A warm feeling which had nothing to do with the sun filled her. So much had happened since she was here last; it was kind of nice to know that some things hadn't changed.
"It's just as beautiful as I remember." said Clara.
"Yeah." he murmured staring at her with a slightly stunned expression.
They took Hazel down to the water. The Doctor held her so the little waves just touched her toes. She kicked at the water shrieking in happiness. On a whim Clara fell back into the waves to make Hazel laugh. The sun kissed ocean made her sleepy and relaxed. Here they could be a normal family on a vacation. No life or death, no running from angry dictators, or impeding asteroid collisions. Just a normal family.
The Doctor set out a lunch for them on their beach towels. Clara watched with amusement, bouncing Hazel on her hip, as he tried to make it look like a proper English picnic. She couldn't hold back her laughter when he pulled out an actual teapot - granted it was a self heating teapot - but still. The Doctor mock glared at her for making fun of his efforts.
"What?" she asked innocently.
He raised his eyebrow giving her a pointed look.
"Safia!" cried Hazel.
"See she gets it."
Clara picked up her sandwich with a cheeky grin and didn't answer.
The Doctor propped Hazel on his lap muttering, "If you grow up to be as bad as her I'll never survive."
Enjoying their easy banter Clara finished her meal than lay back on the towel letting the sun dry her salt covered skin.