Head Notes: So for this chapter and a little bit of next chapter I am going over certain events in the first two episodes of the season. As such there will be spoilers for those episodes and possibly some for other episodes throughout the season. I am also planning a coda to wrap up the end of the series and this story. Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty

The Doctor watched Clara as she looked around the TARDIS in wonderment. One of the most remarkable things about her is she still marveled at everything. The TARDIS had become commonplace in her life, and she still loved the sights and sounds it made. It was a shame she would never see them again. He wished there was another way. He wanted a way that she could keep traveling with him without puttting herself in danger. But even as he thought about it, he knew that this was the best way to ensure her safety. But this would be the last time she would hear it. For her sake, he had to let her go. He had to let her get on with her life.

"Doctor," she called.

"Yes?"

"Is it true you told Harold to 'get over it?'" she asked.

He looked at her puzzled.

"John told me about what happened on your end," she explained. "He said that you told them to get over it."

"Well, it worked, didn't it?" he said.

"Doctor," she said with exaggerated patience. "You can't just tell someone to get over it. The Human brain doesn't work like that. You need to be kind and understanding."

"Just a reminder, you were being tortured at the time," he pointed out. "Getting you out of there was my top priority."

"Doctor, having a priority is fine," she said. "But you also need to be sympathetic. You're a doctor. You have to have good bedside manners."

"What do you suggest?" he asked, admiring her straightforward nature one last time.

She smiled.

"Tell you what," she said. "I'll work on a little something at home and when you come next time I'll give it to you."

"What something?" he wondered.

"Haven't decided yet," she answered. "But I'll have it for you next time."

"I look forward to it," he lied as the TARDIS landed. "Alright, same day you left, same place. Go teach the miniature pudding-brains."

She laughed. A laugh he would never hear again. Nor would he see a smile behind that laugh. Once she stepped out of the TARDIS, he would never see her again.

"Right," she smiled. "See you tomorrow."

"Of course," he returned.

"Or next week," she amended. "Whenever you get here."

"I'll do my best," he lied.

She flashed one more smile at him before exiting the TARDIS. He stared at the door after her for a moment longer before pulling the lever and dematerializing the TARDIS. He knew she would be angry once she realized he wasn't coming back for her. But eventually she would get back to her old life. Maybe she would even fall in love again. She deserved that much after everything she had been through.

With that thought, he pressed on into the future with heavy hearts.

XxXxXxXxX

Clara exited the TARDIS with a light heart. The uncertainty of the last week was outweighed by the confidence that the Doctor would always be a constant in her life. As long as she could trust that the Doctor would always be there for her, she didn't care what happened to her during one of their adventures. Because as long as he was around, he would always save her.

That confidence stayed with her all that week as she worked and taught. Even as the weekend rolled around and she worked on her project for the Doctor, she waited for the warm, comfortable sounds the TARDIS made. The second week passed and she felt her confidence waning. Was the Doctor never coming back? No, of course not. He always came back. This wasn't even the longest time between trips. She lived her daily life, waiting and hoping the Doctor would finally come and take her off on their next adventure.

It was six weeks after New York that the planes froze in the sky. Clara had been teaching her class somewhat absent-mindedly when she noticed it. Her first reaction was a short glimpse of fear as she wondered who, or what was happening. But not even a moment later that fear was overshadowed with excitement. This event would definitely get the attention of UNIT. And UNIT would likely call the Doctor for help. Which would give her an opportunity to finally see the Doctor again.

She wasn't stupid. She knew exactly why he had stopped taking her on trips. The whole debacle in New York made him worried that one of their adventures was going to get her killed. Their last real conversation had him bordering on paranoia. As if she was going to be kidnapped and tortured every time they went on a trip. The protectiveness he displayed toward her was sweet, but unnecessary and frankly, annoying.

She responded to UNIT's call immediately, resolving to put her frustration with the Doctor on hold.

XxXxXxXxX

The Doctor sat in the old castle, trying to meditate. He kept getting distracted by one thought: Clara. It had been nearly twenty years since he left her in her apartment for the last time. And none of them had been easy. For the first few years he could hardly make it a day without drifting back to those days when she would enter the TARDIS with a smile on her face and her cares rolling off her shoulders. Even now, his thoughts inevitably traveled back to the bright smile and light laughter he missed.

One of his many regrets were that he never actually said goodbye. At least with Sarah, Rose, and Amy he had had the chance to cobble together a farewell. With Clara, he'd been so focused on making sure she was happy, that he'd denied himself the opportunity. He wanted to go back, at least to say goodbye to her properly before he faced his death. But that wouldn't be fair to her. He had left her so that he would never have to face that scenario again, where he had to watch her suffer and die with no way to save her. To expose her to that same scenario would be unfair.

But sometimes, every once in long while, fate was kind. Sometimes fate gave him a chance to say goodbye regardless of what he decided. That's what he realized several hours later when he looked out in the crowd and picked out a familiar face. It was surprising how many small details he had forgotten, the small skeptical brown eyes, the round face, the smile. It couldn't have been very long for her. A few weeks at the most.

Then he noticed Missy next to her. He had run across his old foe five years ago. He hadn't told Missy about leaving Clara but the Master had always been clever enough to deduce when he was hiding something. She probably contacted Clara when he'd sent her his Confession Dial. She and the Doctor may not have always seen eye to eye on many things, but for now they were friends again.

He invited both of them down to meet his audience and turned to talk to Clara.

"How did you see me?" she asked.

"When do I not see you?" he responded.

In truth, he'd seen her every night this past month in his dreams. But it was interesting how many small details he had forgotten. The slight curl of her hair, her small, brown eyes turned up in a skeptical smile, the way her voice sounded when she talked.

Unable to hold back, he suddenly pulled her into a warm hug, much to her surprise. When he finally pulled back he could see the surprise written on her face.

He interacted with them until Bors suddenly collapsed as a snake slithered away from him, sending the crowd into mass panic. The moment had finally arrived. It was time for him to stop delaying his death. He'd been allowed to say goodbye to Clara after twenty years. He didn't need anything else. He waited calmly as he allowed the snakes to tie his wrists.

"We're coming, too," Clara suddenly said.

"No, I won't let you," he refused, the Machine's implication still crystal clear after all these years.

But the final decision was not up to him. Clara and Missy were both tied up in the same manner he was and all three of them were teleported up to a ship. He desperately hoped Davros would focus his revenge on him and not take it out on Clara or even Missy. But he could imagine Davros executing them as warning for others. The man had murdered his entire planet to create the Dalek race. He certainly wasn't above killing his friends.

These thoughts raced through his mind on the trip to the space station and continued even when Davros ordered him to be brought alone. With Clara and Missy separated from him Davros could easily order their destruction without him even knowing about it. Davros of course was his old cheery self and surprisingly amiable as they talked. The Doctor, on the other hand would rather he just got on with killing him or whatever he was planning to do.

They were suddenly interrupted by an alarm that drew the Doctor's attention.

"Looks like your friends are trying to escape," Davros commented, his voice hinting at anticipation.

The Doctor's blood ran cold as Davros' implication became clear. Missy and Clara were headed for a trap. But his hearts dropped into his stomach as the illusion dropped away to reveal a familiar landscape. They were on Skaro.

"Clara," he yelled, pounding on the door even as Davros mocked him.

"You cannot help her, Doctor," he was more than happy to point out.

He was forced to watch as Missy and Clara were captured by the Daleks and led into the city. He watched as Missy attempted to bribe the Daleks into letting her live. He knew it would be a futile effort but had no way to warn her. For a moment it almost looked like they were going to listen to her. But then a single jet of blue light struck her form and she disappeared.

Clara flinched as the Daleks turned to her. At that moment, he found himself back in New York. Once again facing a situation where he was powerless to save his best friend. No! he thought.

"Please, Please, I'm begging you," he pleaded in front of Davros. "Please, save Clara!"

But Davros was either unwilling or unable to control his creations. There was a hint of excitement in his voice as he observed Clara's situation.

The Doctor's eyes locked onto the screen, barely able to breathe as he desperately hoped beyond reasoning, that somehow the Daleks would spare Clara. He saw the fear in her eyes, the trembling of her hands and he wanted nothing more than to jump in front of her and take the first shot.

In a desperate attempt to escape, Clara bolted across the room but was only able to run a few feet before a second jet of light caught her squarely in the back. Her scream pierced the Doctor's soul and his gaze dropped to the floor before turning an empty gaze toward Davros.

"Why did I ever let you live?" he wondered.

"Compassion," Davros answered.

A bright light blasted from the screen but the Doctor no longer cared. He knew the TARDIS would be fine. But Clara, oh. He still hadn't been able to save her. The Daleks had murdered her simply because she was his friend.

But there was a frail ember of hope, or perhaps denial. He had spent centuries fighting these creatures and watching as they exterminated so many people. In almost all cases the body never disappeared. Both Missy's and Clara's bodies had vanished the moment they had been hit. Perhaps the Daleks had put on a false execution and transported them to a secondary location in order to make him vulnerable. It was a sadistic attempt to break him. But one that would quickly backfire on them as he recognized the flow of raw anger building in his chest.

He flung junk metal away in anger before his eyes came to rest on a Dalek weapon. With no hesitation, he picked it up pressed it up behind Davros' neck.

"Get. Out." He spat dangerously.

XxXxXxX

End Notes: Part 2 will be posted next time with some minute differences. The final chapter will come after that which will take place after the series finale but before the Christmas special.