Tuesday, 18 September 1888
Clara had failed. She swore she would protect the Doctor. She promised she would be the one to bring him back to life. Now the Ripper was dead and the Doctor was dying. Clara knelt next to his body, begging him to come back to her.
She pressed her lips to his, tears falling onto his face. "I love you."
"Clara I need you to step aside, I can save him." Vastra was holding a phial of clear liquid. She crouched down beside Clara. "It's an antidote, but this won't be pretty. Too much of the poison has entered his bloodstream."
Clara held her breath as the woman poured it down the Doctor's throat. They waited a few moments. Nothing happened. Clara felt the world drop out from beneath her. He was going to die and there was nothing she could do to save him. Vastra looked disbelieving as Jenny wrapped her arms around her wife's shoulders.
Sobbing brokenly, Clara cradled the Doctor's body to her. He'd stopped breathing. She pressed her ear to his chest trying desperately to hear the beats of his hearts. The sound she'd been listening to mere hours before. Clara heard no heart but her own.
Without warning the Doctor's body convulsed. Clara cried out as his eyes shot open. He didn't appear to see her though. They closed as he seized again. Sparks of golden energy danced across his skin concentrating on the wound.
"What's happening?"
"It's workin'!" Jenny cried.
"With the antidote the Doctor can force a detox." Vastra said trying to calm Clara. "His regeneration energy is speeding up the process."
Clara watched in amazement as the Doctor's skin knitted itself back together. It was like he'd never been hurt at all. His body arched as he exhaled a cloud of black smoke from his lungs. The Doctor stopped shaking and went limp in her arms. The glowing faded, leaving him looking as if he were simply sleeping.
"Doctor?" Clara whispered. "Doctor can you hear me?"
His eyes fluttered open again. The Doctor gave Clara a tired smile. "Yeah," he said so softly she could barely hear, "And guess what?"
"What?" she choked on her own joyous tears.
"I love you too."
Clara laughed then kissed him, trying to express everything she felt in that moment. Joy, fear, relief, sadness, and more than anything love. He held her tight. Sitting up the Doctor brushed the tears from her cheeks, then ran his thumb across her lower lip.
"Thank you." he said.
"For what?"
"Giving me something to come back for."
Clara placed her hands over his beating hearts, "Always."
The Doctor got up, pulling Clara to her feet. He glanced around taking stock of the situation. Vastra and Jenny, having given the couple their moment, hugged them both in relief.
"We're goin' to 'alf to do something about 'im." Jenny said nodding to the Ripper's corpse. "Can't just leave 'im for the police to find."
"I think burning him is the best option." Vastra stated.
Clara walked across the alleyway to the dead woman's body. The sweet, rust smell of the congealing blood turned her stomach. Forcing back bile she leaned down to carefully close the girl's eyelids. The poor thing deserved some dignity in death.
"What about her?" she asked the others.
"Once we move the Haneish I'll round up one of the local PCs. Unfortunately, she will just be another in a long line of unsolved homicides. The last Ripper victim, after this he will just be a legend, a ghost story." Vastra said.
"I'll call Strax and get 'im to bring the coach." Jenny said, "'e'll be mighty disappointed when 'e finds out 'e missed everythin'."
"Where is Strax?" the Doctor asked.
"Patrolling the other side of Whitechapel."
"Yep, he won't be happy. I don't envy living with his complaining for the next couple of weeks." He took Clara's hand. "We best get you out of here before the PCs show up. Also I need a new shirt." The Doctor glanced down at his mostly dissolved waistcoat.
Vastra who'd been going through the Ripper's pockets called out, "Doctor you're going to want to see this." She held out a black, circular device. Chasing blue lights flickered along its outside rim.
The Doctor scanned the object with his sonic screwdriver. He didn't look pleased with the results. "This is what I was picking up earlier. It is a communication device, just not of the two-way variety. It's the Archangel Network all over again."
"The what?"
"Mind control." The Doctor started pacing, waving his arms about. "This sends out a pulse, a low-level psychic field which messes with the neurons in the brain. Someone was controlling him. Making him do all this!"
"But why? What was the point?" Jenny wondered.
"I have absolutely no idea."
Vastra took the communicator back, "Well I guess my investigation is not over quite yet. Though I suggest you move on, you have more important things to worry about." She gave Clara a significant look.
The Doctor nodded and began leading Clara away.
"They don't need our help?" she asked.
"Vastra and Jenny are professionals. They can handle almost anything."
"Are we leaving then?" Clara felt overwhelmed by the day's events. From the dream, to the fight, to confessing she loved him. And finding out the Doctor loved her too. It was a lot to take in, and now she was leaving everything she'd ever known to be with him. Clara had no regrets, no cold feet, but there was one thing she needed to do first.
"I have to say goodbye to Alice and Russell."
The Doctor nodded his understanding. He hailed them a cab to take them back across the city. During the ride Clara fell asleep wrapped in his arms. The Doctor woke her gently once they arrived. Clara looked out at the Hartsfield Manor wondering what she would tell them. She also wondered how she could explain her indecorous clothing.
The Doctor stayed in the cab, while Clara went to say her goodbyes. Lena meet her at the door and if she was shocked by Clara's outfit she didn't say anything. Thankfully, Mr. Hartsfield and his children were all at home. Russell and Alice flung themselves into her arms, both babbling about how happy they were she was ok. Clara suddenly found speaking difficult; this was going to be harder than she thought. She stepped out of the children's embrace to face their father.
"Miss Oswald, I'm so glad to see that you are unharmed. The police would tell us nothing." Mr. Hartsfield said.
"Thank you," Clara began, "The Veiled Detective has assured me that the danger has passed."
"That is excellent news."
Clara hesitated, "Yes it is. Though, I have to inform you that I will not be returning as governess."
"No!" cried the children.
"Don't you like being our governess?" Alice asked breaking Clara's heart.
"I love being your governess, just as I love both of you." she said, "But I am leaving. I'm going to be …. traveling. You will get a new governess and she will teach you new things. And she will love you too."
Mr. Hartsfield looked worried, "Is there anything I can do to persuade you to stay?"
"No." Clara said kindly, "I could ask for no more in an employer than you Mr. Hartsfield, thank you so much for everything."
After that Clara could not stay longer lest she start crying. She hugged and kissed Alice and Russell and then said goodbye to her friends on the staff. Finally she said goodbye to Lena. Her friend held her tightly and wished her all the luck in the world. Tearing up Clara fled the house and into the Doctor's waiting arms.
The cab took them to the park beneath the Doctor's cloud. Once they'd paid the cabbie and he drove away the Doctor pulled down the rung ladder. They climbed the invisible staircase in silence. Clara could hear her heart beating and feel the building tension between them. It was like fire running from his hand to hers.
The Doctor went to the console the moment they entered the TARDIS. Clara watched him as he moved around flipping switches and turning dials. She was aware of her own growing desire. He looked up at her and their eyes caught.
In an instant they were in each other's arms. Clara gasped as he backed her into the wall of the TARDIS. Her hands slid to his chest quickly removing what was left of his shirt. The Doctor moaned as she ran her tongue across his lower lip. He began unbuttoning Clara's blouse then hesitated.
"Are you sure?" he whispered.
"Yes." Clara said against his lips.
With a growl of desire the Doctor lifted her into his arms. Clara giggled as he carried her towards his bedroom. They fell onto the bed in a tangle of limbs and lost themselves in each other. Later Clara drifted to sleep curled in the Doctor's embrace, dreaming of the days yet to come.
Author's Notes:
Thus ends 'In the Autumn of Terror', but the Doctor and Clara's adventures will continue in 'Living Again'! The first chapter of which should be up by Friday.
Thank you everyone who read, favorited, Alert listed, and reviewed this story! You are all amazing and I'm actually getting choked up (because I'm a nerd like that)! I would hug you all if I could :D