AN: Very very sorry. Sometimes I'm being lazy and forget to post a new chapter here.
The Doctor stared at nothing in particular, flabbergasted that the man refused to unveil his real identity. It wasn't just suspicious anymore, the man really had something to hide from him, and, without any effort, he was doing it greatly. Without his sonic, nor glasses, the Doctor felt vulnerable more than ever, and that was not the feeling he was fond of. Also he was curious, and angry that John had lied. But he was weak, he couldn't make the game be played by his rules. Except…
"I give up." The Doctor almost smirked under his breath but resisted.
He felt the man itching to him closely. "I'm sorry?"
"I give up. I'm blind, and I really can't open the lock. Always knew that someday I'd visit Alendrona. Never thought it would be in chains."
"You can't be serious! You can't give up now!"
"Why not? Come here," he dared the man to get closer, "have a look yourself. All those mechanisms are tiny and slippy. You need to know what exactly you are doing to unlock it."
Definitely-not-John had fallen into the Doctor's trap, and when he got even closer, the Doctor wrapped his fingers on her wrist and was suddenly washed over with something he could not believe.
There were pictures. Lots and lots of them, changing in rapid motion, like a film unveiling to him, and each of the picture contained his image. He tried to concentrate on specifics. There, as he snatched a frame, he was smiling under the console, possibly making some calibrations to the TARDIS, and there, as he loose a film in his hand for a bit and squeezed it again, he was running, hand in hand with someone, and he looked joyous. There he was in someone's embrace, crying only half-serious for help because he didn't like her touching him. And there he was mourning for real over the poor soul he had failed to save, his face hidden in shadows but emotions drew from him in waves, and she was there, too, she felt it, she eased his pain. There he was explaining something, something important, to the person who was nonetheless important. And then he saw himself, looking awestruck, listening to something important from the said person.
And just then he remembered not only parts of it but everything.
"Clara…" He refused to believe that sick joke the Universe had just presented him.
"You're wrong. I am no Clara, I'm John." Even she could catch a break in her definitely feminine voice now.
His eyes were looking for something on the floor, like there was something that he accidentally dropped. On a good day, when his guards were down with her, it had meant he was carefully choosing his next words. When he finally found them, he heaved a long sigh. "I understand why you're lying to me. Because we shared too much. Because you think that your death will damage me. Because all of this should have never ever happened. But it is you."
She wasn't saying anything, just staring at him in disbelief. So, this was happening. It was all real. Not just another dream that would break into reality. The thing she was thriving for and daring not to ask for – their reunion. He was here, blind but nonetheless alive. And to her own stupidity now he knew who she was and, she felt it in her head when touched, remembered absolutely everything.
He grabbed her by shoulder, and it was probably the first time she looked at him properly. He grew hairs and got a few new wrinkles, but nonetheless he stayed the only person he'd been all the time and above it.
"Doctor," was the only thing she managed to say, knowing that resistance was meaningless and stupid now. She felt she needed to say something else but what could ever that be if they'd told each other all there'd been?! "I missed you."
He cracked a little smile that he forced to hide away with his hand. He touched his left temple and rubbed some circles into it, just making sure his memories will stay with him forever now, and shoved his hands away in his pockets. "I missed you, too, Clara Oswald."
"I so hate you."
"Someone very wise has told me that someone even wiser and more successful than her told her that 'hatred is too strong an emotion to waste on someone that you don't like'."
"Why? Why should you always repeat how human I am!"
"Stop asking me obvious questions and start making up good ones!" The Doctor snorted. "Those that boost my ego and can be answered would be really appreciated."
Clara rolled her eyes at that. "You're picklocking, Doctor. You don't need your ginormous ego for that. In fact, why won't you just sonic it?"
"And where the fun would that be?"
"There wouldn't." She sneaked into his inner pocket and retrieved the silver stick.
"Aye! Clara, don't you–"
Too late, the lock clicked with a distinctive sound. He stared at her with a disheveled owl-ish look while she tucked the sonic screwdriver back into the pocket.
"I've just saved us our time. You're welcome."
"You know what?..." The Doctor was saying when he was getting up from his knees.
"…I hate you…"
"Sorry, what?" Clara asked him, taken aback with his little smile.
"You didn't let me picklock it. Back then. I was so close to unlock it, and you'd just brutally soniced it."
"Oh. Sorry…"
"Clara, I'm not mad at you."
"No?"
He nodded.
"Sorry. I… I didn't… I mean I…"
"Suddenly lost control and the universe surprisingly didn't collapse." The Doctor chuckled lightly. "I know that feeling," Then his voice became firmer. "Clara, seriously, brace yourself. We have the door to unlock, that's all I want us to concentrate."
Surprisingly for him, her voice sounded even firmer than his. "You know how difficult that will be?"
She was here. How long did it take for their miracle reunion? He dared not to count. He got several little wrinkles and one quite deep, grew hair and even beard – twice. While he bet she hadn't changed at all.
"Clara Oswald. You don't need to tell me that," he said, already fighting his emotions back, willing his concentration return to the lock. "Now. I can feel a little doofer inside of it but I really don't know what it is and what it will do when I move it. But that's not the problem. The problem is I've lost it. And before you say anything, no, it's your fault, if you told me the truth I wouldn't be bothered with a thought that you're a maniac or somewhat."
"You want me to peek inside and do it for you."
"Precisely."
"Then step aside. And give me that needle."
"Well?"
"I'm trying."
"Try harder; I really don't want to be stuck on a mining prison with you."
"And I thought you missed me." She chuckled lightly. Oh, he so forgot how he used to love when she did that. It was a bit of restrained, though; she took it very seriously when he told her to concentrate on the lock.
"I missed you. Very." He added because he wasn't sure that the word 'missed' was accurate to use. "But let's talk about that in the TARDIS."
"Sure. Mine or yours?"
"I-" He could remember several peculiar times she had asked him the same thing.
"Well?"
"Let it be yours. Honestly, I don't remember where I parked mine. Is Ashildr still on board?"
"Yep. Probably by now she's looking for me instead of gold."
"Gold?" His voice pitched in amusement.
"She broke takeoff-landing stabilisers."
"Sorry, why would you need a gold for?"
"To fix them. The manual says so."
"The manual?"
"Yep."
The Doctor almost choked over her word.
"Oh, no, no, no. You don't do that."
"Do what? Listen to what the manual tells you?"
"Exactly! The manual was written by the Time Lords. It's the most boring book you can ever read in this and all the other universes. It's always telling you what to do and what not to do. And when a book manipulates you, you must close it right away and throw it in space."
"This is precisely why you should read it, Doctor. You shouldn't blame the book for your graduation exam result."
That made him shut up and capture the air like a fish; he had several words in his mind but it was like he forgot how to speak at once.
"I've told you too much, Clara Oswald. And now you're using this information against me." The Doctor finally managed to say.
"I can't move it."
"Move what?"
"The tab." Ah, yes, he totally forgot about that. "And I can't see nor feel anything in the mechanism to move. Doctor, do you really not have anything sonic to unlock it?"
"I'm afraid no. They took everything from me." He hated hearing how defeated he sounded at that moment. Clara fidgeted somewhere closer, her breathing was almost tickling his face.
"Then what will we do? This can't be the only way out!"
His eyebrows deepened in a thoughtful planning.
"We can try and sabotage our export but I doubt it will be successful. If only I could see, then I might do some tricks to distract them or even immobilize them."
"Then why won't you regenerate?"
"Just to cure my eyes? That's irresponsible."
"Can't I help you? Somehow?"
"I can't steal your eyesight. I don't think it's even possible. Even if you're technically…" he went silent all of a sudden and gulped.
Clara knew, of course, he was about to say 'dead'. But as the time ticked he didn't find bravery to state it out loud. And his silence only proved her suspicions: the Doctor was still mourning over her death, after god knows how many years and days.
She stopped thinking about it long ago, it was hard at first time, but she accepted it, moved on, and she was only human, but he, he didn't, just couldn't accept that. It didn't matter how older he looked now nor how he tried to restrain the emotions boiling inside him. He looked so serene now but, when they got outside the cell, Clara was afraid he would crack, and she wasn't sure the Universe was ready for it for the second time.
"You meant to say 'dead'." She urged harshly.
His knuckles turned white at that. No, he hadn't changed at all.
Clara couldn't just say that it was all okay and she was here. No, hope was something so strong the Doctor refused to lose, and she couldn't give him something like it, not even now.
She was dead. No breath, no pulse. The temperature was a bit lower than normal.
She was dead. There wouldn't be a miracle, she would return back to Gallifrey and face her destiny no matter how the Doctor felt about it.
"You're not dead, Clara, not yet." He tried to sound calm but she could see through that. "And you might have your pulse back, for all I know."
"No, Doctor. I can't. We both know it."
"No, we don't." He almost lost it, almost, but easily put his voice back to normal. "We don't know how the universe works."
"It always works not in your favor, that's how it works, Doctor. Some things you can't change, but you need, have to accept them before they'll crush you."
"So you gave up on living?"
"Hush. I think I can hear something."
"Yeah, footsteps. Probably our friend." He dismissed that easily. "You didn't answer my question."
"I accepted than I'm dead and my time is up. I thought you learned something after the neural block blasted off in your face. Guess I was wrong!"
"At least I didn't cheat and reversed the polarity so!–"
"Aye! Shut it! I'm so sick of your human drama!"
Clara couldn't believe that. It was the voice of the guard, and very soon she saw four shadows standing behind the bars.
"You can continue it on your way to Alendrona. For now, just shut it!"
It was so quick. Just as they opened the door to the cell, the Doctor rushed from his knees and tried to, Clara had no idea what he had been going to try, it looked like ramming through them. Probably if he had seen them, he would have tried something different or not at all. They caught him, of course. One of them put something on his neck, and the Doctor, despite his resistance, closed his eyes, and his legs were left wiggling weakly.
She was next.
"You don't understand." She tried to bargain as they approached her. "We're not humans. He's the Time Lord from Gallifrey and I'm just a ghost in the shell. He has two hearts while I have none."
They didn't manage to break.
"Sorry, I think I misunderstood you, so let me clarify this. There was a nice petite girl, not a human at all, who has no heartbeat and no life hints, and there was an old scary insect man, not a human at all, who has two heartbeats and no social skills; and you what? Mistook them for humans and sent them to Alendrona for mining and rotting 'by accident'?"
"Yes. That's exactly what I told you and I'm very sorry. You can't help your friends, they're now halfway to Alendrona. Just forget about them."
"After I save them, you'll be so, so sorry." Ashildr told the police officer.
She forgot to add that her TARDIS was currently damaged and that it would take some time to kick his arse.