[Author's Note: Um, sorry for no update the past two days, guys. In my defense, I've had two huge math tests this week, and came home pretty much just wanting to fall down and die on the floor. But here we go, because I needed something to do while waiting the agonizing last two days until Saturday's episode (During which I will probably be wrapped in a blanket and rocking back and forth underneath my couch). *Looks at prompt and grins evilly* Oh, I do love fire. Enjoy my slightly pyromaniactic chapter! :3]
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Chapter 6:
Fire (noun)- Blaze, heat, smoke
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The Doctor certainty wished the building hadn't burst into flames at all, but if he had to choose when it had happened, he definitely wouldn't have picked the exact moment when he and Clara were on complete opposite ends of it. Now everything was a blur of smoke and orange flames and collapsing walls and shouts of the (thankfully few) people running for the exits.
The Doctor pushed past them, heading the exact opposite way, which gained him quite a few sanity-questioning looks from the ash-stained pedestrians. One young girl skidded to a halt next to him, panting, staring at him in confusion.
"Where are you going?" She cried. "You can't go back there! It's all on fire!" She grabbed a fistful of his coat and tried vainly to tug him in the direction of the doors.
"My friend's back that way, I'm going to get her." He explained, tugging his coat free and continuing on.
"That side went up first!" She shouted after him. "She probably already got out or-"
He didn't let her finish. "Well, I guess I'll just have to check that for myself." He said. "Now you'd better get out quick."
He heard the silence as she hesitated, then her footsteps moving away on the scorched floor.
The Doctor continued on through the quickly burning building. The place was, of course, made almost entirely of wood, and was being devoured by the hungry flames in record time, turning walls and support beams to ash, buckling and crumbling the structure bit by bit. In five minutes the whole place would collapse into fiery rubble.
He shouted her name as he moved along, trying vainly to see through the smoke, which had become thick enough to make it nearly impossible to see and rather hard to breathe. Every once in a while he thought he heard footsteps or saw something move, but it was always just cinders clattering to the ground, or a shadow flicking across the floor.
After two minutes he had made it to the opposite end of the building, or what was left of it. Huge piles of what used to be parts of the walls and ceiling lay, enveloped in flames, on the ground. It was almost unbearably hot, and the Doctor slipped off his overcoat and tied it by the sleeves around his waist. His eyes and throat burned from the thick black smoke.
He dropped to his knees in an attempt to avoid the worst of the smoke and also to peer around, behind corners and under boards, for any sign of his companion.
"Clara!" He shouted, his voice breaking slightly from the smoke. "Clara!"
No answer, or at least none that could be heard from the roar of the flames and the snap and hiss of burning wood. A sharp pain squeezed his chest and sent a cold rush through his veins despite the overbearing heat. He called again, louder, raising his voice so that it echoed on the scorched walls., still creeping slowly forward on hands and knees, silently pleading her to answer him.
He would have completely missed it had a small burning ember not broken loose from a blaze at that exact moment and landed next to a small overhang caused by two boards. The flickering coat caught the glint of something bright and metallic and very out of place in this burning wooden mess.
The Doctor dove forward, luckily just in time for a flaming two-by-four to land exactly where he had just been, and scooped up the glittering object in his hand. In was in fact metal, and was hot enough to nearly make him drop it, but instead he gritted his teeth and held it up for inspection.
It was a bracelet. Clara's bracelet, one she had bought at a marketplace during one of their adventures a few days ago. Make of small steel charms linked together. The clasp was broken, which accounted for it laying on the floor. And it was here, then-
"Clara!" The Doctor shouted, ducking forward and laying down on his stomach to peer underneath the overhanging boards into the small cavern beneath. He swiped his hands wildly to clear the smoke a bit, squinting as hard as he could to make out any shape in the haze.
And there she was, his lovely young companion, slumped motionless in a half-curled position, her eyes closed. Panic overtook him for a moment, but he saw her eyelids twitch, and she shifted slightly, letting out a raspy breath.
"Clara!" He cried happily. She stirred again, blinked, and raised her head weakly, staring at him through half-closed eyes. He reached out a hand to her, and she stared blearily at it for a few seconds before struggling to move forward to take it. She manged one slightly stagger forward before she stumbled and hit the ground, struggling for breath.
He leaned forward and caught his hands under her arms, bracing all his weight backwards to slowly drag her out of the little pocket of space, heavily thankful that he'd taken a companion this time that was small enough to easily maneuver. He slid her out completely just as the boards gave way, and her little shelter disappeared into a smoldering wreckage.
The sound roused Clara a bit, and she blinked her eyes blearily, glancing around the mass of fire and smoke. The Doctor pulled her closer to him, and she pressed her face against his chest in a feeble attempt to escape the smoke.
"C'mon Clara, we need to go now." The Doctor whispered urgently into her ear. She stirred and groaned, leaning backwards and struggling into a sitting position. Smoke-induced tears streamed down her face, instantly evaporating in the heat. He took her ash-stained hand and tried to pull her to her feet.
She managed a wobbly stance, panting heavily and starting to cough as her face was now where the smoke was even thicker. Keeping a tight hold on her hand, he began to move a quick pace through the blaze, slightly confused as he realized his original path was now mostly on fire.
"Slight detour." He shouted over the flames to his bleary companion. "Just stay with me. Run leaning down to stay out of the smoke!" With that he took off in a different direction, moving at a half-run, feeling Clara stumble along behind him and struggle to retain her hold on him.
He moved in an awkward zigzag, this way and that way through any opening, trying to remember which was the doors were located. He was pretty sure he had figured it out and was fairly certain the doors were only a few steps away, though he couldn't be sure through the smoke, so he tugged on Clara's hand and began to march across the burning floor.
Clara was becoming less led and more dragged by the Doctor at this point. She moved staggering and tripping, at one point falling down on her knees and coughing so hard she looked like she would throw up. He hauled her back to her feet and pulled her along, shouting encouragements This continued on and on through the flames and smoke until they suddenly felt wind blowing against them, chasing off some of the stifling heat. They were outside.
Clara staggered and almost lost her balance but the Doctor caught her arms and pulled her a few more yards until they were out of the cloud of smoke pouring from the building's entrance. Then he let go, and she dropped down onto the ground, coughing heavily and rubbing smoke tears out of her eyes.
He dropped down next to her and looped an arm around her shoulders, rubbing her back slightly. "Hey, are you alright?" He asked. She took a shaky, rough breath and nodded before starting to cough again.
A medium-sized group of onlookers were gathered near where they crouched on the grass, watching the fire with huge eyes. Some had actually been in the building, some had just been passing by. The one young girl who had tried to pull the Doctor out earlier moved forward, timidly handing a bottle of lukewarm water to him.
He gave her a huge smile, and she grinned hesitantly in return before melting back into the crowd. The Doctor popped open the bottle and splashed some of the water against his ashy face. The water wasn't cold, but felt plenty cool after the heat of the flames. He shook it from his face and handed the rest to Clara, who took a few small sips before setting it down and slumping down against the Doctor's lap in complete exhaustion.
After a minute or two later, the building shuddered heavily, and then with a loud cracking and splintering and creaking, the last of the structure collapsed into the burning heap. The onlookers watched in fascination. Some kid whistled.
And a minute or two later, when the thick of the crowd began to disperse, the Doctor picked up Clara, who was at this point unconscious from exhaustion, and walked back to the TARDIS, which was waiting not far off.
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Clara opened her eyes blearily, feeling them sting sharply as she blinked. She rubbed them and sat up, feeling the stinging sensation spread across her arms and legs. "Ow." She winced, lifting one arm and finding it swathed in bandages.
"Oh, hello!"
Clara jumped at the loud, happy voice that came from not far off. She whipped around to see the Doctor sitting in a backwards-facing chair a few feet away from her bed. "Do you make a habit of watching me in my sleep?" She snapped, and her voice sounded rough and scratched.
"Not often. Just wanted to make sure you were okay." The Doctor replied. He stood up and walked over to her bedside, sticking his hands into his pockets and smiling at her. "Do you feel alright?"
"No." She said bluntly, wincing in pain as she bent her elbow. "What happened?"
"Yesterday. Building. Fire. Flames, smoke, whoosh." He said, waving his arms for emphasis on the last bit.
"Oh." She said slowly, remembering the events like a dream suddenly coming back. "Oh, right." A slight pause. "Thanks for coming to get me."
"I wouldn't ever leave you." He said, and his voice dropped a bit, lost it's humorous edge, just for a moment.
"What started the fire, anyhow?" She asked, running her fingers through her hair and watching as bits of soot fell out onto her bed sheets.
"Don't know. I'll find out eventually. Maybe we could go back there?"
"Not anytime soon, please." She sighed, running her fingers across the numerous bandages covering her burns.
"Okay." The Doctor agreed, sitting down on the side of her bed and kicking his feet together idly. He turned to her after a moment. "Want to go to the beach today?" He asked.
"Whatever you say." Clara said, dropping back down onto her bed with a sigh. "Just let me sleep for another hour, maybe?"
And this time, he did.
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[Author's Note: Wellll, that was way more fun to write than it should have been. I LOVE writing about fires. Dunno why, just always have. Also love hurt/comfort, so this chapter was right up my alley. 'Nother chap tomorrow, hm? On another note: C'mon, guys. I see the views for this thing. Would it kill you to drop me a review every once in a while? It really really does mean quite alot. Please? :3]