Chapter 35: Ten
Ten; that seemed to be the number of the day…
Ten; that was precisely the amount of times Clara's lip had bitten into thus far. Ten; that was probably the amount of seconds which had passed since the two all too familiar faces had appeared before Clara. Ten; that was undoubtedly the face of which Doctor stood before her, one who she definitely should not have been seeing…
Gulping as the man took one step closer, a man whose face was burnt deep into her mind, Clara couldn't help but step back, the further away the better. Its not that she wanted to keep away from him, in fact, part of her deeply wanted to get to know him better, but she wasn't stupid. She knew the danger of two Doctor's and two TARDIS' in the same place, the paradox would be unimaginable!
Clara was unsure where to begin, unsure what to say. She looked over at the two stood before her, the Doctor who wasn't her Doctor and the woman with fiery hair. She had absolutely no idea what to do. She couldn't run… not only due to her physical condition, but also she knew what the Doctor was like. If she ran, he'd follow…
Clara's attention then directed at the woman stood behind him, the one she remembered from the day the TARDIS was fractured into different time periods. The woman was Donna, the one with the attitude. If she remembered correctly, she had been designated 'Missy' by her on that day in the fractured TARDIS… In fact, it was actually her who spoke first.
"Doctor?" she asked the man, the man who hadn't taken his eyes off Clara, "Who is she?"
The Doctor took another step closer, forcing Clara to take another step back, only to be halted as she hit a column connected to the building behind her.
"Hey, it's okay… its okay." the Doctor promised, putting his hands up slightly, "I'm not gonna hurt you…"
"I know…" whispered Clara, feeling like a frightened little girl, something she hadn't been in a long, long time.
Since her voice had been so quiet, Clara was pretty sure that he hadn't heard her.
"You called me, remember?" he reminded her before freezing slightly, "You did call for me, right? It was you…?"
Clara didn't answer but without answering, she indirectly told him everything he needed to know.
Nodding slightly and taking another step forward, the Doctor smiled slightly.
"So it was you." he whispered, mostly to himself, "Who are you?"
Beginning to feel like he was getting too close, especially since a tremendous burn was beginning to circle around her stomach, her daughter's way of telling her to keep away, Clara dashed away from the wall, grateful to put some distance between them. Only then did she briefly look back over at him.
"Look, um… I 'ave to… I 'ave to go…" she stuttered, "I'm sorry."
Trying to get away before the conversation advanced any further, Clara began to move away. However, as her quick escape had concerned the present Doctor, he moved even closer to her, his hand literally millimetres away from her back.
During that moment, something Clara could only describe as an almighty burn flashed across her lower abdomen, causing her to cry out as she fell to the floor. The heat, the sting, the pain, it was all too much… and all too familiar.
The Doctor immediately went to help her, only for Clara to try to stop him, proving to herself that no matter how she felt, her mind was still very much alert.
"No, don't touch me!" she pleaded.
The Doctor immediately stopped, slowing crouching down to her level.
"I'm not going to hurt you." he promised once again.
Clara sighed, allowing her rather high pain barrier to block out the burning sensation, allowing the sensation to ease and ultimately disappear.
"I know." she pointed out, "Just don't touch me... please."
"Okay." he promised, backing away slightly, "Okay, I won't."
Clara had to admit it, she needed help. Being as far along as she was, getting off the floor wasn't the easiest task to perform on a daily basis, but being with a young, past version of her husband, one who her daughter certainly seemed to be reacting to in quite a crippling way, Clara couldn't take the chance of coming into any closer contact with him than she already was.
It was then that the ground began to tremor, capturing the Doctor's attention and allowing Clara the desired space as he rose to his feet and ran a little distance down the street.
Donna, who seemed rather baffled, looked keen to join the energetic Timelord but when her eyes met Clara's, Clara saw something which made her heart melt, an unending kindness, a kindness which seemed fitting with her soft, almost angelic features. It was almost as if she were a kind of Goddess-type woman, a woman who could help any living creature with a simple snap of her fingers… It was too bizarre for Clara to even attempt to comprehend but the feelings she had were definitely real.
Donna slowly approached the young woman, a woman who seemed familiar but she couldn't understand why. Slowly bending down and assisting her off the floor, she received a very soft smile off her as she rubbed her rounded stomach.
"Are you alright?" Donna queried.
Clara nodded softly. "I'm fine." she answered, "Thank-you."
"I'm Donna." she introduced.
Clara nodded softly as a sign of acknowledgement. "Hello." she greeted.
Donna frowned slightly as she examined the woman's features.
"Why…?" she began hesitantly, "Why do I know you?"
Clara discretely bit her lip, unsure whether it may have been due to the memories of the day they had met before. She remembered that the Doctor had told her that 'sometimes it just happened', referring to remembering events which strictly never happened in the space-time continuum. Therefore, it may have been possible that Donna remembered her from that day. However, if that were true, surely the Doctor would have remembered too, right?
"Dunno." Clara responded, "Maybe I 'ave a very friendly face."
Donna laughed slightly along with Clara. "Maybe." she agreed, "But I'm sure I know ya from somewhere…"
Clara was attempting to think of a convincing lie when the Doctor, or rather Donna's Doctor, returned.
"Something isn't right." he began, "Ancient Rome should not have rumbling roads. I know Ancient Rome doesn't have rumbling roads. I've been to many places that have rumbling roads, well, I haven't but I can imagine, but the point still stands…"
Clara began to smile as the Doctor began to ramble. The definite difference between him and her Doctor was certainly the lack of flailing arms. She couldn't decide whether that was good or bad…
Donna, on the other hand, was somewhat annoyed, not at the fact he was rambling, as a matter of fact she did particularly enjoy that, but that he had just interrupted as she was trying to speak with the brown haired woman. Seriously, was this what she had let herself in for, deciding to travel with him?
"Okay Doctor." she interrupted, making him stop like a child who'd been cautioned by their mother, "Enough."
The Doctor pouted ever so slightly, amusing Clara more in the process.
"I'm just saying that rumbling roads shouldn't exist in Ancient Rome, well, New Rome by the Roman's standards." he recertified.
"Yeah, I get that bit, spaceman." she explained, "Because it's not like you 'aven't already said that like a million times."
Looking between the two of them who seemed to be glued to each other, Clara stole the opportunity and gradually stepped away from them. She was just about to turn when the Doctor snapped out of his discussion with Donna and raised his eyebrow at her attempt to sneak away.
"Oi!" he called after Clara, making her freeze and slowly turn back to look at them.
However, he hadn't noticed. Instead, his eyes had widened after the sound of his previous word and he had turned to face Donna, "Oh, I sound like you…"
"Oi!" Donna warned, Clara smirking.
"See?" the Doctor pointed out, "No… I'm getting sidetracked."
Turning back to Clara, he sighed. "You still haven't told me who you are." he pointed out.
Clara gulped, desperately hoping to find a way out of that specific conversation.
"No one special." she replied.
The Doctor shook his head, slowly approaching her.
Clara's stomach clenched slightly as the burn returned. Fighting back her initial thought to back off and start the entire routine of collapsing again, Clara brought herself to look up at him.
"Now, why don't I believe that?" he challenged.
Clara sighed. "It's your choice." she stated.
"Who are you?" the Doctor asked once again.
Clara shook her head, pulling her eyes away from his.
"Doctor, please…" she whispered.
"Why won't you tell me who you are?" he asked.
Clara shook her head once again. "I can't…"
Donna, who had been lost in her own little world, suddenly snapped out of it, her eyes widening by the second.
"His wife…" she whispered.
Clara's attention was immediately piqued, her eyes wide as she looked over at the read haired woman. The Doctor also turned around, his brow deeply burrowed into his face.
"What?" he queried.
Clara felt her heart begin to hammer in his chest as Donna's eyes met hers.
"His wife." she repeated, "That's what you said…"
The Doctor, deeply confused at that point, looked from Donna to Clara then back again.
"What?!" he cried, "You've met each other before? When?"
While the Doctor focused solely on Donna, he failed to see Clara shake her head at her, a silent plea for her to silence herself.
Donna understood and looked up at the Doctor momentarily before looking back at Clara.
"In… my dream…" Donna explained slowly, "Sorry…"
Clara felt a massive weight lift from her shoulders as the Doctor's frown slowly eased.
"Look." she began, "I've really gotta go."
The Doctor looked back at her and nodded slightly. "If you must." he sighed.
Once again, the planet beneath them began to rumble, making Donna frown as she looked in the direction of the marketplace which the volcano looked over.
"What is that?" she asked.
The Doctor quickly looked at Donna before turning back to Clara. Upon seeing his face, she couldn't help but smile at the small hint of eagerness burning within his eyes. She for one was sure he was desperate to go and see what was happening.
"Go." she laughed quietly, "Ya know that's what ya wanna do."
The Doctor shook his head slightly. "What about you?" he queried.
Clara shook her head softly, laughing softly as she shrugged her shoulders.
"What about me?" she enquired, "You don't even know me… Ya don't even know who I am."
"No." agreed the Doctor, "But you know me… I'm a time traveller. You honestly think I don't know what that means…"
Clara sighed. "Exactly." she pointed out, "You know I 'ave to go…"
Nodding once again, the Doctor sighed. Smirking at him and allowing her eyebrows to momentarily shoot up, Clara honestly couldn't believe that even in her current situation, she was still attempting to tease the Doctor. She supposed some things never changed.
Allowing herself one more moment of staring into his gorgeous brown eyes, Clara's smile melted a little.
"I'm sorry…" she whispered.
His soft features immediately morphed into a harsh frown, mostly as he didn't understand.
"What for?" he queried.
Clara began to subconsciously stroke her arm as she spoke.
"Look, I know ya don't remember meetin' me… I don't even know if you will…" she began, remembering her brief encounter with him in her past, "But I'm sorry… for how I was with you. I, um…. I was 'avin' a bad day… I know its no excuse but I shouldn't… I shouldn't 'ave jumped to conclusions about ya."
The Doctor shook his head. "I have absolutely no idea what you're on about." he confessed.
Breaking out into a laugh, Clara nodded.
"I know." she agreed, "But I just need you to know that."
"Very well." he agreed, "Do you want… forgiveness, or something like that?"
Clara could tell by the smirk on his face he was teasing her and there was no way she was allowing to get away with that.
"It'd be nice." she commented, "But where's the fun in that?"
His laugh was interrupted by yet another tremor, that and Donna's call to get his attention.
Following Donna as she dashed off, Clara sighed at that particular Doctor disappeared from her sight. What she wouldn't have given for the chance to get to know him better. However, she supposed that then wasn't particularly a good time…
The Doctor, glad to finally have gotten control of his ship which had reacted badly to her past self being much too near to her original landing place, was hidden behind a market stall, watching his younger self pass with one particular woman who still make his heart shiver.
"Donna…" he whispered, catching a side glimpse of her face, "Sorry…"
"Not an expert, but there's Seven Hills of Rome, aren't there? How come they've only got one?"
Dashing away from the square, hoping to keep out of view of his younger self, something he knew he would fail since he remembered catching a glimpse of himself run away from all those years ago, the Doctor dashed down the street back to where Clara had been stood.
Just like she had when talking with his Tenth self, she was stood in the exact same place.
"Doctor…" she whispered upon seeing him once again.
Finding her way into his arms, she let out a massive sigh of relief. Finally…
Pulling away a moment later, she smiled up at him as he gripped both sides of her face.
"Where the 'ell did ya go?" she queried.
"I'll explain when we get back to the TARDIS." he promised.
"Doctor…?" she asked as he began to pull her along, "Doctor! Tell me… where are we?"
"Pompeii." he explained.
"And it's volcano day…"