*So here we are again, on the final page. I thought I'd put you all out of your misery and unleash my final barrage of hellfire. Without further ado, here is the final chapter of Transitions or as I affectionately know it: "The Whouffle I started writing and called Dimension Jumpers without any idea how long it would be". I really hope you've enjoyed the story as a whole, so please let me know your thoughts on the ending and the story. Thank you for everyone who has read, followed and favourited along the way and of course you wonderful reviewers. So many of you brighten my day with your comments and don't worry because this is not the end. Transitions may be over, but there are plenty more fics coming your way, including Damaged, my main AU. Watch this space and happy 2014. TPD*
Clara felt empty. Completely and utterly empty. The Doctor was dead. She slumped against the wall and allowed a howl to escape her lips. She was supposed to be marrying him. Now, out there so long ago. Tao was shooting her a look that was nothing short of pitiful. Clara sniffed. She wasn't going to cry in front of the alien. Oh who was she kidding? This was it. The end of everything. Her world had just collapsed around her. So she wept and wept and wept. And then, seemingly out of nowhere, she had a thought. A single, complex thought that gave her something she'd never thought she'd have again in the world. Hope. She sat up and stared at Tao, biting her lip, deep in thought. She pulled out the tablet and Tao shot her a look of confusion.
"What are you doing?"
"Checking something." Clara's face lit up and she turned to Tao. "Geronimo."
Clara dropped the tablet and ran, her feet thumping as she ran for her life. Or more specifically his. Tao easily kept pace with her, confused as Clara pounded onwards, her only thought of one thing: TARDIS. She skidded to a halt in front of the machine.
"She's going to work now, yes?" Clara turned to Tao. "YES?" Tao nodded. "Good. See you round, Tao, have a good life."
"Where are you going?" Tao whispered. "What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to save the Doctor," Clara replied casually. "And I'm going to do it by doing the one thing he taught me how to do."
Clara entered the TARDIS, which immediately started to wheeze as a hologram of the Doctor appeared and starting talking about emergency protocol one.
"Not now Chin!" Clara yelled, pulling out her sonic. "Don't you dare!" she warned the TARDIS as it prepared to take off. "Deactivate emergency protocols!" The sonic whirred and the TARDIS groaned. "He's not exactly here to stop us is he?" Clara told her. "Now listen, I have a plan, so if you could just cooperate, just this once. And if you could please, just land exactly as you're supposed to, then that would be fab. Because the Doctor taught me how to fly you. Sort of. Now don't get me wrong, I was terrible, absolutely awful. I couldn't fly you to save my life. I still can't. But there's one thing the Doctor taught me how to do. Two hour time jumps. So what if it was forwards last time, I just have to flip this lever in reverse! And don't say it. Don't give me any crap about timelines because I'm doing this. I will save him. Because he means everything to me and he's the Doctor."
Clara flipped the levers and hammered switches and twisted the regulators. If she made a single mistake, the Doctor was dead, so she couldn't afford to slip up. The TARDIS whined and groaned and wheezed into life and then it dematerialized. Clara clung on for dear life as the universe groaned under the strain of the paradox.
"COME ON!" she screamed. "All these times he's done it, I might only be human, but I'm doing this to save him. Don't you think the universe owes him it? After everything?"
The TARDIS console erupted, mini-explosions rattling around Clara. But she didn't give up, her single-minded determination guiding her through. And apparently the universe agreed with her. The TARDIS crashed and Clara was thrown off her feet, as the console sparked and the TARDIS came to a wheezing, groaning stop. Clara ran over the door and threw it open. They were still on the Engati ship, so that was a start, slightly further away from where they'd left. Made sense the TARDIS must've jerked her to one side, after all, they couldn't land in the same place as they took off from, as she was still there.
"Two hours until self-destruct!" came a call over the intercom system. Clara laughed and punched the air. She'd done it. She'd actually done it. Now to save the Doctor. She pulled out the tablet, which groaned as she activated it. Clearly, the fact that there were two Clara's running around with the same tablet was agitating the system. Never mind, she thought. She checked the map. She was just outside genetics. Exactly where she wanted to be. She ran back into the TARDIS, pounding through the corridors as she grabbed exactly what she needed, throwing it into her satchel. She stepped out, aware of the fact she was still wearing her ruined wedding dress. She could change when the Doctor was alive.
She slipped past the guards, pulsing them out wherever she needed to. She entered the genetics section and slipped past another set of guards, hammering on the door to the cloning lab where the other members of the Engati were held up. She knew they could see her and hissed so that only they could hear her: "I'm Clara. I'm the Doctor's companion and I'm here to help you fight off the Cyborgs. You have to let me in now or we're finished."
Sure enough, they opened the door and Clara barrelled in. There were half a dozen or so of them, all looking at her curiously as she shut the door behind her. She pointed at one of the machines.
"That's a cloning machine? Yes?" she snapped and several of them nodded. "According to your system, they run on minimum power, so won't be disrupted by the self-destruct the way, say your force field area would be used yes?" More nods. "And you can produce an exact clone in 90 minutes flat?" The nods continued. "Great, then cook me up a clone!" Clara grinned, throwing a pack of blood to the floor. "Please."
The next hour and a half were the longest of Clara's life. She sat, waiting in that room, whilst the Engati interrogated her on her plan. She said almost nothing, muttering yes or no when she felt she had to and when they were desperate, she shouted that the Doctor would resolve everything and that the clone was crucial to his plan but she didn't know how. She was irritable, but that was mainly nerves. Her heart was pounding faster than she'd thought possible. This had to work, it absolutely had to. She could have ripped time apart for this, she knew that. She had been heartbreakingly selfish, but it would be worth it. As long as he didn't burn. Then, just when Clara had reached breaking point, the machine dinged. Out fell a completely naked Time Lord. Clara punched the air in satisfaction, jumping up and down with joy. She ran over and hugged the Doctor clone, beaming from ear to ear.
"Doesn't he need clothes?" asked one of the Engati. Clara shook her head. She knew exactly where he'd get clothes from. She had twenty minutes until the self-destruct, which meant she had ten minutes to find and swap the Doctor with his clone. The clone stumbled to his feet with Clara's help and shook himself up and down.
"Ah," it said in the Doctor's voice. "Hello. You're Clara. Memory's very off. Sorry, I'm a clone and I'm supposed to follow the every command of my original, but everything's a bit hazy. Things aren't really making much sense."
"Listen, Doctor," Clara urged. "We have to move now. Follow my lead. Whatever happens, follow my lead."
"You're the boss."
Clara half-dragged the Doctor clone with her, pulling out the tablet and checking the map for the Time Lord. She'd shielded herself from the Doctor scanning her and noticing there was two of her. She wasn't sure how, but the sonic had done when he'd designed it to do, help her and follow her telepathic commands. She carried on stumbling until the naked Doctor clone was able to stand. Clara didn't need to tell him what to say to the other her running around; she figured she'd leave him to work it out himself. They rounded the corner and the real Doctor's eyes nearly popped out of his head. Clara let out a sob of happiness at seeing him alive and launched herself at him, snogging him into oblivion before catching herself.
"Clara?!" he exclaimed. "But…you're supposed to be…and blimey, look at that chin. Oh that's me, what am I doing here? And why am I naked?"
"No time to explain," Clara interrupted, checking her watch. "We have six minutes until this Doctor reaches the command deck. So you, real Doctor. Clothes. Off. Now. All of them."
"What?"
"Listen, Doctor," Clara urged. "We don't have time to argue or discuss, so you just need to trust me. I'm doing this to save your life. You have to listen to me. Follow my every command or the whole universe will probably be ripped apart by paradoxes." He went to speak and she put her finger over his mouth. "Shut up. So take off all your clothes, give them to him and give him your sonic. No questions, just do it. Except the bow tie, I'll take that," Clara giggled. "I'm not going to let the bow tie burn now am I?"
"Burn?!" both Doctors said at once.
"You. Clothes off. Now." She pointed. "You. Clothes on. Now. Four minutes. Then run. You have to get to that command desk and stop this ship from blowing up!"
"How?" he exclaimed, finishing dressing by pulling on the jacket.
"You're the Doctor, you'll work it out," Clara said bitterly. "I'm sorry, I really am. And you can't give me any hint of what's to come. When you die, I need to think that it's my Doctor burning, have you got that?" There was a moment of recognition as both Doctors minds put the cogs into place. "I love you and I wish there was another way," she said tearfully as she kissed the clone and sent him on his way. "Run!" she yelled. "You! With me, TARDIS now."
She dragged the naked Doctor behind her as they ran through the ship, reaching the TARDIS. Clara slipped her key into the lock and threw it open, the Doctor following her in and just as they were about to shut the door, a Cyborg fired.
"A remnant!" the Doctor yelled. "A survivor. I didn't realise any were left on the ship, I thought I'd sealed them away. Clara get down!"
She yelped and hit the floor as the Cyborg staggered into the TARDIS, firing again and hitting the console, sending her spinning. Clara ran forward and kicked the Cyborg as they dematerialised, sending it spinning into the time vortex. She fell away from the door, which hung open as they whizzed. The Doctor was fumbling around below her and emerged wearing only some trousers and his purple jacket.
"Here," Clara hurled him the bow tie. "This completes the look. Though you still look a state, what happened?"
"Oh you know," he grinned and shouted over the TARDIS, which had kicked into overdrive. "Explosions, the usual. And you? Your dress is in tatters, your hair's…lovely," he added quickly. "And you've totally not completely and utterly smeared your makeup. So you saw me burn yes, due to funnelling the energy from the engines and then you decided to cheat by jumping back in time, because I apparently taught you brilliantly how to fly her and then cloned me so he could burn instead of me? Clara, that was incredible stupid and dangerous and I absolutely love you. Guess what?"
"What?"
"We're about to get married!"
"Shouldn't we clean up first?" Clara suggested with a laugh. "I mean, we look absolutely horrific and all the guests will realise something is up. We can get me a new dress and you a new suit and…"
"Nope, I'm afraid we can't," the Doctor was laughing wildly now. "That shot may have done some damage, she's spinning out of control and she's spinning through the emergency protocol I told her to utilise."
"What?" Clara's eyes widened and she looked out the doors. They'd stabilised and she could see a blue sky. "Doctor…"
"Geronimo!" he yelled as the TARDIS wheeled and skirted and Clara screamed. And they crash landed.
Jack was nervous. He hadn't really considered the possibility that the Doctor wouldn't make it down the aisle but he wasn't anywhere to be seen. Jack tried to relax but the TARDIS also appeared to be missing. He bit his lip and looked around. They were due to start any minute but without a groom that was going to be difficult. Clara's father ran down the aisle and Jack raised an eyebrow. He reached the front, where the Vicar was looking very confused. Dave took Jack to one side.
"Have you seen Clara?" he whispered tetchily. "She's not in her dressing room."
"Neither is the Doctor," Jack groaned. "And the TARDIS is nowhere to be seen. This is bad, very bad. They could anywhere. Or anywhen. Wait, can you hear that?"
Jack stretched his ears and watched as Dave strained to hear. Murmurs rang out through the crowds, confusion reigning as the TARDIS noise filled the air. Jack glanced around and then a window smashed and through it, skidding and wheezing, was the TARDIS, which came whizzing down the aisle, bedraggled. Guests screamed and dived for cover, the front doors of the box open and a small girl in what remained of a white wedding dress came tumbling out halfway down the aisle. She hit the middle of the aisle hard and gasped, looking around her in shock. Everyone stared in silence as Clara Oswald tried to smile and glanced back at the box in anger. The TARDIS dematerialized.
"Oi arsehole," Clara yelled. "Get back here now, we're getting married."
The TARDIS rematerialized and the Doctor fell out, bow tie askew, jacket rumpled, fly undone. Jack rolled his eyes as the guests had fallen into a stunned silence as the TARDIS crashed to the floor and skidded to a halt at the other end of the aisle. The Doctor was laughing his head off and as he landed on top of Clara and she rolled him off, they were both laughing deliriously, all thoughts gone from their heads as they giggled manically.
"Sorry dear, the TARDIS seemed to object to our nuptials," he chuckled and Clara punched him. They stumbled to their feet and walked down the aisle as if nothing had happened. "Well, one of us needs to say something," the Doctor said, greeting Jack and a gobsmacked Dave with a nod and a wave. "But at least we made it on time."
"We crashed here on time. In clothes that got wrecked up on that bloody spaceship. And you've completely lost that tux, it got turned to ash."
"Clara?" Jenna gasped, finding her voice at last. The room was so silent you could hear a pin drop. "What the hell is that thing?!" she pointed at the TARDIS. "What happened to your dress and hair and makeup? And why is your fiancé half naked?"
"Um…" Clara looked at the Doctor and the Doctor looked at Clara. "He's an alien," Clara confessed. "An alien from space, with two hearts, twenty six less brains than he likes to think, the ability to change his face, a time travelling blue box, a screwdriver that can do anything and he's my fiancé. My 1200 year old, insane, bumbling, alien Doctor."
"Yes and she's Clara." The Doctor had wanted to sound impressive but failed. "My impossible girl, my Clara. And she's well she's perfect. I mean to you lot she's just Clara, but to me, she's Clara."
"An alien?" Jenna asked disbelievingly. "And that box? You claim it's a time machine?"
"And a spaceship," the Doctor interjected, throwing an arm around Clara and addressing her friends and family. "If everyone would like to step inside that box, I'll show them. And before you all protest about how you'll never fit, I'd just like to point out one thing…"
"It's bigger on the inside," Clara finished.
Clara Oswald breathed a heavy sigh of relief as she staggered onto the TARDIS for one last trip. The Doctor was already on board of course, waiting for her. He was already flipping levers and then they took off. It had been so long for Clara, so long since he'd first asked her to fly away in his snogging booth. Her life had been amazing ever since that moment.
"Gran, let me help!" shouted Jenna Oswald, her granddaughter, guiding her aging grandmother up the steps. "Grandfather, where are we going?"
"Well Jenna," the Doctor chuckled, his own body now weary and older. He'd had that body for nearly 500 years and it was almost giving up on him. "I'm going to take your grandmother back to where it all began. I'm going to take her home. To Gallifrey. Seeing as you'll be starting school there in the new term. It may have taken me the whole of our lives, but I promised Clara I'd show her it. It was the only place left on my list."
Clara gasped as the TARDIS landed and Jenna and the Doctor helped her outside. The grass was red and the sky was burnt orange and it was the most beautiful thing Clara had ever seen. Well, almost. She turned to her Doctor. "Thank you," she whispered. "What will you do now?"
"The Time Lords have given me a whole new set of regenerations, my love," he told her quietly. "I can't say that I want them. I was happy, more than happy to die at your side. But I have to keep going. The universe needs the Doctor. So, I was thinking that I'd the same thing I did, over a thousand years ago. I'd take my granddaughter and I'd take her by the hand and I'd pluck her out of school, out of Gallifreyan school. And I'd tell her…"
"Run?" Clara smiled.
"Run." The Doctor smiled. Then he took Clara's hand and as the life drifted from her, she felt the life drift from him.
"Run you clever boy," Clara Oswald whispered. "And remember me."
The Doctor smiled and kissed her hand as she died. And then he died; a shot of orange energy flowing through his body and he staggered, assessing his new body. Older, that much had to be said. Wrong colour kidneys too. Ah well, it would do. Then he straightened up, took his granddaughter by the hand and escorted her into the TARDIS.