A/N: Hello hello! Hope you're all well! Apologies for not posting for a while, I've just finished exams and have been working on this fic for an event done by the amazing people from Clara's Diner discord server! A little treat for Valentine's Day based on the Hybrid.
This is my take on the matter :)
A massive thank you to RedSnow1 who helped me write and also betaed this story (and also gave me the inspo for the title)!
Lots of fluff (with maybe some angst at the end) :D
Enjoy!
The TARDIS has never been this crowded, yet... this silent at the same time.
All the rooms had their lights off.
Except the nursery. Its dim lights illuminated everything within its walls.
The changing area, the toys and the chest, the empty cot and the rocking chair, occupied by an old time lord and a human baby, the latter being just a few weeks old. She had her head resting on her father's shoulder, whilst he supported her back and behind. He was rocking the chair back and forth slowly, lost in thought.
.
It almost felt like a dream. It was everything he could have ever wished for, thought impossible when he first met her .
Of all the things the universe took from him, this is the one scenario it couldn't touch.
Him, his wife, and their baby.
Their sweet, sweet daughter.
.
Her birth felt like it had been yesterday. But his child was already a few weeks old; specifically 20 days.
20 days of cuddling, staring, thinking, crying, feeding, burping, and changing diapers.
But they were a glorious 20 days. And he couldn't wait for more.
.
Of course, he was doing all the work, no matter how much Clara whined that she could at least do most of the things herself.
"She is our child after all, Doctor."
"Yes, she is. But right now, you have to focus on yourself. You need to rest and heal, Clara. The feeding is already draining you and you're still in pain." His heart ached for her. He knew how frustrating it must have been for her; the child's mother but not having the strength to at least watch over her daughter most of the time. Nonetheless, Clara was able to show her distress with her inflated eyes. "You took care of our daughter alone for 9 months. It is time to do my part. I promise, once you're better, I won't stop you. You're healing so well."
.
At 8 days, he had found Stella in her mother's arms, as the latter was almost asleep on the rocking chair.
He tried taking their child, which only elicited a tighter, yet still gentle hold from the mother. "Clara?" He said as his fingers passed through her soft hair. She started waking up. "Clara?"
His lips drew into a smile as he saw her bewildered eyes as she clutched her child. "It's alright, Clara. Just taking her to the cot."
"Can I keep her? Just a little longer?"
The Doctor knew Clara Oswald was determined to do anything she set her mind to. No one could stop her, especially not her husband. And for her child, she was ready to do anything.
And her pleading eyes vouched for that.
"Of course."
He bent down, pressing his lips to his wife's. A soft and gentle, but yet such a slow kiss.
That was when they heard a low gurgle from Stella. She had just woken up from her hour-long nap. Both parents looked down at their creation in awe and tenderness. The Doctor's fingers grazed his daughter's forehead. "Sleep, little Stella, sleep. You need all the energy to grow big and strong, just like your mother."
.
He was soon pulled out of his thoughts when the little bundle shifted slightly in his arms.
"What's wrong, little one?" He breathed in her hair. It was sparse, but soft and pretty much like cotton candy.
The girl hummed, making her father chuckle. "Very well. An old time lord like me is very uncomfortable." He slowly sat up from the rocking chair, making sure he wouldn't make his child stir as he sensed she was already making her way into the hands of Sleep. "I don't understand why your mother says I'm more comfortable than her pillow."
He laid her in the large cot, covering her with a light blanket. The time lord looked as his child slept peacefully without stirring, her tiny chest oscillating up and down as she delved deeper into the hands of sleep. The time lord breathed a laugh. A human child, who knew they needed to sleep for so long.
He hadn't been a father for hundreds of years. Even as he looked down at his daughter, he was already concerned on how to keep her safe. To be fair, he had a similar apprehension for his wife, and as much as he loved her, his worries were greater for the former. His Stella could become a target, any enemies might use her, they might threaten him...
But how could he worry further when Stella stirred slightly? The little cooing sound she let out almost made his fears melt away. She was there, and he was taking care of her.
.
He'd been looking after her for... how long tonight?
.
The Doctor lost count. But it didn't matter. Because he could spend all eternity looking down at the child. His child.
His and Clara Oswald's.
They didn't think it was possible until Clara started feeling more tired and lethargic. He was starting to worry before Clara showed him the pregnancy test. And even with that he did countless tests to see that both her and his child were both in great health.
He had read way too many books and scoured the internet for what he could find about human pregnancies. He helped Clara during her morning sickness during the first trimester, her back pains and cravings through the second (she had this weird craving for fish fingers and chocolate pudding), not to mention the abrupt crying outbursts during the most random of situations. When her bump got bigger and she started the third trimester, he would help with most of the things; getting out of bed, going to the bathroom, and gave her frequent foot rubs and back massages (which she greatly appreciated).
It was a long, tiresome journey.
But he could hardly believe that after all that time, he was now guarding and protecting the child they had been waiting and caring for.
The time lord had seen many great things; stars being born, empires turning to dust...
But nothing was more mesmerising than their own creation.
.
"Doctor?"
He turned to look at the opened door, seeing his wife, half asleep wrapped in a bundle of blankets. The time lord brought his fingers to his curled lips. Clara's concern and confusion washed away as soon as she saw the twinkle in his eyes.
He turned back to look at his child; their resting daughter. The Doctor was hardly aware of his wife's shuffling footsteps as she walked towards them.
"She's a deep sleeper." He turned to the voice, seeing Clara next to him, her eyes half closed and hair all over the place.
His wife... His beautiful, strong, brave wife.
"She's wonderful." He breathed, careful not to wake the baby up.
"She is." Clara leaned against him. The time lord quickly wrapped his arm around her, still leaning against the cot.
.
The time lord turned to look at her properly. "You should rest, Clara."
"I know." She buried her face into his chest. "I didn't want to sleep without you." He heard her mumbling.
He gave a low chuckle. "Getting lonely?"
She hummed. "If you want to call it that." The time lord pressed his lips to her hair. "I feel safe when I'm next to you." Clara continued.
"As do I, my Clara." His arms curled tighter around her. He could feel her strong, slow pulse under her warm skin.
Clara turned to look at the child. "It's more than I ever could have imagined." She said, "You, our daughter, and all of time and space. It's more than a human like me could have ever wished for."
"You are not just any human, Clara. You are my wife. And my Impossible Girl. Your name is written in the stars, as is our daughter's."
.
She leaned against the Doctor. "Tired?" His wife nodded sleepily.
He chuckled. "We're off to bed then, Ms Oswald."
"No no," she muttered. "Don't leave the baby alone. I can do it."
"I know you can do it. That doesn't mean you have to. Let me take off some of the pain, Clara."
She smiled, her fingers curling tighter to his shirt.
.
That was his cue; he curled his arms around her before gently heaving her into a bridal carry. She hummed as she tucked her head under his jaw. He could feel her drifting off as they made their way to the corridor. Thankfully, the TARDIS had placed their bedroom just a few rooms away, so they wouldn't leave the child unattended. Not that the time machine did not take extra good care of their offspring; she did have a soft spot for her.
The time lord laid her in their bed, wrapping the quilts around her feeble body. He looked at her, mesmerised at how beautiful she was, even when she was exhausted.
His fingers trailed along her forehead, immediately eliciting a soft hum. His wife's eyes opened, the Doctor mirroring her smile. "I'm sorry I woke you up." He purred.
She chuckled. "Never fully asleep in the first place, daft old man."
He bent down, pressing a kiss to her lips. Clara groaned, refusing to leave him when he tried to pull back. "Clara, you're tired." He breathed.
"And possibly very delirious from the lack of sleep." She snickered. The time lord bent down giving her a few more kisses, before the baby's cries next door broke the magic.
"I'll go get her." He said, before soon returning with a quiet bundle in his arms.
.
His wife was still awake, barely though.
"Hungry?" Clara asked.
"No, just alone." The Doctor said as he rocked his child whilst pacing along the room. "She sensed that mummy and daddy are having a bit too much alone time."
Clara smiled as she saw the tenderness her husband played with their child. Mostly, it was either tickling her belly or making funny faces. The mother let out a low chuckle, which grabbed the Doctor's attention. He sat on his side of the bed, Clara leaning over his shoulder to see the child's large hazel eyes looking up at them. The mother smoothed her child's chest with her finger, before Stella took hold of it and started sucking on it.
.
"I bet she'll grow up to be just like you, Clara."
"Do you really want to deal with another control freak roaming around the TARDIS?" She laughed.
"I've grown to love that side of you, dear." He purred, rubbing his cheek to her hair.
After some thought, Clara voiced her opinion. "Nah... I think she will have some of your traits." She hummed. "I bet she's inherited your hard-headedness-"
"I am not that hard-headed."
Clara giggled. "Yeah, keep saying that to yourself." She continued. "But I bet she'll be as kind and sharp as you." The girl looked at her child, who was still sucking on her mother's finger, slowly lulling herself to sleep.
"She'll do the things we regretted not doing, and be a better person that both of us combined." The Doctor said, pressing a soft kiss to Stella's forehead.
He soon heard a yawn from behind him. "You should have gone to sleep long ago, Clara."
She hummed. "It's ok, just a little longer."
"No no. Off to bed." The Doctor commanded.
A huff. "Fine. But you're coming in bed with me."
"Deal." The Doctor purred.
Clara slowly removed her finger from her daughter's grasp, to which the latter started waking up again.
The time lord quickly started rocking her as he made his way to the small, TARDIS blue cot next to his side of the bed. He wrapped her in a blanket and gave her the pacifier, before she swiftly fell asleep yet again. "Sweet dreams, my little one." He breathed, as his finger trailed her forehead, leaving traces of golden set on her skin.
The time lord made his way to the bed, slipping under the sheet slowly as was already half asleep. "Big spoon, little spoon?" He heard her murmur.
The Doctor chuckled. "Of course." His arms wrapped around her like a cocoon, his hands resting on her small post-partum baby bump, before proceeding to bury his nose into her hair. It smelled faintly of vanilla, icing sugar and home. She pressed herself snug against him before letting out small high-pitched snores. The Doctor smiled, before pressing a kiss to her hair.
"Good night, my Clara."
.
He let out a sigh in contentment. He was there with his wife, and child. No death, no destruction, no solitude.
That was until he closed his eyes. He was scared of sleeping, or rather, how his mind would turn on him and make him live his deepest and darkest fears. And most of all, he dreams about the thing he ran away from.
The Hybrid
The time war.
Gallifrey falls no more.
His people... still lost.
.
His arms tightened slightly around Clara, breathing in her scent.
He was safe. He kept thinking. He's safe when Clara is near.
.
He didn't deserve her. Not his Impossible Girl. She sacrificed and went through so much pain for him…
He was pulled out of his thoughts when his wife shifted a little. "It's alright, Clara." He breathed into her hair. "Back to sleep." The Doctor pressed a kiss to her hair.
But after a while, his wife found her way out of his grasp and turned in bed to face him.
She sighed, knowing well what was going through his head. "What's wrong, Doctor?"
"I'm alright, Clara." He whispered, so as not to wake up their child. "Go back to sleep."
.
She took out her hand from under the sheets, resting it on his racing hearts. "What's wrong?" She asked with the same gentleness as before.
The time lord sighed, knowing well that he was not going to fool his Clara.
"Worrying about Stella?" The human asked.
"A lot of things, to be honest." He broke eye contact. The time lord felt guilty… he wanted to let her in, as he had done many times before. But how could he burden her with more of his secrets and worries?
The hand which had been previously on his chest now cupped his cheek. "You can't take care of the Universe all the time, Doctor. Now we have a new Universe to take care of." The Doctor mirrored Clara's smile, before the latter continued, "We've created a tiny star, Doctor. Our very own."
"But what about-"
"We're safe, Doctor. I know the prophecies are still tormenting you, but you can't stay planning to fight them all the time. When they'll come we'll be ready. Just promise me, you'll take care of Stella first."
"I promise, Clara. On my future regenerations… on you . I promise I will keep our child safe."
The woman smiled. "As will I." She pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. "Now, your priority is to rest for a while; just for a few hours." Her husband leaned into her warm touch as she smoothed his cheek.
Him and Clara having Stella made them have a greater purpose. He couldn't wait to watch her grow up and become her own person. He was certain she had inherited her mother's strength and bravery. She would travel the Universe in search of mysteries and answers; such a curious soul.
So many years, so many adventures to come.
.
The future was a mystery. His wife always told him that.
But till then, he had a new universe to protect. Safe within these walls.
.
The Doctor smiled.
He was content. And it was all he could ever wish for.
A/N: Hope you've enjoyed this story! Feedback is appreciated as always, and I hope I'll post another story soon!
Take care :)
