Chapter five noww :D Just wanna put it out there that I love reading these Doctor Who fanfics especially ones with Classic Who in them so if you've got a story you want me to read, just tell me and I'll be happy to read and review it :) Thanks again for the reviews Zarius! It really means a lot :) Hope you guys enjoy this, I'm really enjoying writing it :) Some classic whouffle fluff in this chapter ;;)
Clara watched from her comfortable position on the Tardis floor as the Doctor slowed to a more relaxed pace, steering the Tardis out of harm's way. She sat gazing at him intently, chin propped up under her hand with a small smile. He made her smile. She felt her heart flutter slightly as she watched him. She blinked, wondering why she was feeling like this. She shook her head adamantly to shake the thoughts away and looked to the Time Lord again. She was transfixed as he flew the complicated ship, full of knowledge no human could even comprehend. He seemed so right, him and his ship. The Tardis was most definitely his home, and Clara was immensly glad that she could partake in this adventure with this Doctor. She already felt very close to him.
She was grateful that this journey was a lot less bumpy than the one's they had been experiencing so far, and she could actually walk around the control room without stumbling into a wall. She almost wouldn't have noticed that they had landed had it not been for the Doctor's sudden accomplished grin. He clapped his hands together happily.
"Abydos!" He exclaimed enthusiastically, leaning back against the console and twirling his recorder in his hands as he often did, looking pleased with himself. Clara folded her arms and cocked her head to the side in confuasion at the sudden outburst.
"You what?"
"Abydos!" He repeated with a proud smile. "A small planet in a desolate part of the universe that many ignore, simply because it's so tiny and insignificant. It's been largely unhabited for centuries."
With no further explanation he brought the recorder to his lips and began playing a sweet melody as he leaned casually against the console.
"Why're we here?" Clara gave the Tardis doors a questioning glance. Were they going to go out there? "What's the point of coming to a planet where there's no life?"
"We're hiding," The Doctor waggled his eyebrows happily, pocketing his recorder again. "You see, the Sonataran's aren't going to give up on finding us that easily, oh no. Their machine and resources may have been damaged by the Dalek, setting them back a good bit, but they won't give up. It's not in their nature. They're going to come looking for us, who knows, they might even decide to involve the Time Lord's if they have trouble locating us. They're not really known for their intelligence."
Clara frowned in confusion. "But if they're going to start looking for us... Wouldn't it make more sense to not stay in one place?"
"Ah, yes, well, that's the problem," The Doctor wrung his hands together sheepishly. "I had to use emergency energy stored deep in the Tardis core when I flew us out of that abyss." He made exuberent hand gestures as he struggled to explain the situation. Clara found it quite adorable. "You see, now that we've landed, the Tardis engines are dead."
"Dead?" Clara asked worriedly.
"Dead!"
More wild hand movements aided the Doctor in his speech. "We're stuck here for a while until the Tardis recharges. But not to worry!" He smiled cheerily, clasping his hands together in front of him. "We've landed somewhere completely safe! I highly doubt the Sontarans will find us here."
Clara rolled her eyes with an amused smile. "Are you even capable of explaining something without the use of your hands?"
"Yes!" The Doctor exclaimed indignantly, his hands flapping about defensively. He paused. "No."
Clara laughed, causing the Doctor to smile. "So," She raised an eyebrow and patted the Tardis console lightly. "How long are we stuck here then?"
"Oh, could be a few days, could be less," The Doctor bounded away from the console and began to remove a slate of plating from the floor, revealing the underside of the Tardis. "It all depends on this!"
He leaned down, plucking a small glowing capsule from amoungst the wires. It resembled a minature rock, smaller than Clara's palm and didn't look particularly special.
"What's so special about that then?"
"It's- Ow!"
Clara couldn't contain her laughter as the Doctor bumped his head on the plating above him as he resurfaced from under the Tardis console. Clara patted him on the shoulder affectionately and moved closer to get a better look at the object.
"It's our power source," The Doctor continued, rubbing his head absentmindedly. "It's very old and very small, so it will take a while to charge up but with just a little bit of help," He held the rock between his palms and Clara watched in awe as he breathed lightly on it, golden wisps of energy coming out of his mouth and being absorbed into the rock which now glowed bright green. The Doctor grinned. "It can clock up enough energy to power this whole Tardis, given the time."
Wow," Clara breathed in awe, not knowing what else to say.
"I know."
The Doctor hopped up and began to bustle around the console again, glowing green rock in hand.
"So what now?" Clara asked curiously as he worked.
"Now we wait," The Doctor smiled at her briefly. "This won't power the whole Tardis yet, it hasn't got enough energy for that, but at least she's not dead anymore. I have to attach this to some wires so it will be connected to the Tardis when it starts working, shouldn't take me long."
Clara nodded silently, wondering what to do with herself while the Doctor did his complicated Time Lord stuff. She had a sudden brainwave.
"Where's the kitchen?" She asked, a slow smile beginning to form on her face.
The Doctor looked at her, bemused. "Keep going down that corridor, turn left, second door on your right."
"Great!" She exclaimed happily, leaning over and kissing him on the cheek lightly, leaving him slightly surprised. She skipped away in the direction he had told her with a spring in her step. She knew exactly what she wanted to do.
She replayed his words in her head, following the directions keenly to make sure she didn't get lost. She wasn't sure how this Tardis would react to her, but judging by the mutual hatred she shared with the future version of the ship, she figured she wouldn't get along well with this one either.
"No funny stuff, alright?" She muttered warningly as she turned the corner. "Don't you dare go making rooms disappear or making me fall into a swimming pool or something! I want to find the bloody kitchen!"
The Tardis hummed, in agreement or retaliation Clara wasn't sure, but she was grateful when she opened the second door on the right and found what was most definitely a kitchen waiting for her.
"Alright, that's new," She grinned. "We're actually getting along for once!"
She got to work immediately, unable to keep the smile off her face. It had been too long since she'd been baking. She opened cupboards and drawers, finding the ingredients easily enough. She let out a content sigh. All the ingredients needed to make the perfect souffle. And this time, for the first time, she was determined to get it right.
She lost track of time as she worked, whisking ingredients together and making a complete and utter mess of the kitchen. She heard the ding of the oven as she was mixing the next batch, ready to try again as she was almost certain this one wouldn't work out. She wrinkled her nose at the smell of burning souffle, her suspicions unfortunately being proved right.
"Oh no!" She cried, rushing over to the oven where smoke was billowing out and flinging it open in a futile attempt to save the souffle. She sighed, her face falling into a downcast expression as she pouted at the burnt souffle in her hands. A low hum came from the Tardis around her.
"Oi!" She exclaimed indignantly. "Are you laughing at me?"
The Tardis whirred mockingly. Clara was certain it was laughing at her expense.
"You only let me find the kitchen so you could have a good old laugh at me, didn't you?" Clara brandished her whisk at nobody in particular as the Tardis hummed once again. "Well, I'll show you! I'll make the perfect souffle, just you wait and see!"
"Where's the fire?!"
Clara jumped at the alarmed cry as the Doctor rushed into the kitchen, brandishing his sonic screwdriver. Clara doubled up laughing.
"Doctor, how did you expect to put out a fire with a screwdriver?"
The Doctor straightened up indignantly. "Don't underestimate it! It's an all rounder, this one."
Clara laughed again, highly doubting that the Doctor's sonic screwdriver would ever be capable of extinguishing a flame.
"What's going on here then?" The Doctor's face held an expression of sheer horror as he gazed around the room. "Has there been an explosion?"
"Of sorts, yes," Clara pouted, tossing the burnt souffle to the side. "Doctor, your stupid telephone box was laughing at me!"
"Why, because you can't cook?" The Doctor grinned, mirth in his eyes as he struggled to contain a laugh at the scene around him.
"Oi!" Clara yelled indignantly, tossing a handful of flour at him which he dodged just in time with a loud laugh. "I'll get there, alright? It's time for perfect souffle, take two!"
She opened the oven with her foot, swishing the smoke away with one hand as she put the next uncooked souffle mixture in.
"Now," She traightened up, giving the Doctor a grin. "You can help me make souffle number three."
"You're making another one?" He asked incredulously.
"For back up," Clara clarified. "Just in case this one doesn't work out, which it will!"
The Doctor laughed at her determination and joined her and the group of ingredients.
"I can't cook," He stated plainly.
"Neither can I, perfect team!" Clara exclaimed, shoving a bowl of butter and flour at him. "Now mix!"
The Time Lord did as he was told, Clara running around and collecting extra ingredients. She looked up from where she was whisking the eggs as she heard the Doctor's light laughter.
"What?" She attempted to sound defensive but ended up smiling. The Doctor's smile was contagious and make her feel light inside.
"You're covered in flour," The Doctor grinned as Clara's cheeks suddenly flushed red with embarrassment. She hadn't realised what a mess she must look. She caught sight of her reflection in the silver kettle on the counter beside her, giving a start when she saw herself. Her hair was scraped back into a messy pont tail, tendrils hanging out here and there, and her clothes were covered in flour. She hurriedly wiped flour off her burning cheeks, attempting to look some bit decent in front of the Doctor.
"Here, let me," The Doctor smiled, moving to stand in front of her. He promptly placed a smear of flour onto her nose, causing her to blink in surprise. He laughed loudly, smearing some more onto her cheeks before she could move away.
"By Rassilon!" He exclaimed between laughs as Clara swatted at his hand. "You need to get a tan, Clara!"
"Hey!" Clara yelled, having a hard time standing upright she was laughing so hard, realising she must look like a snowman. "You're not getting away that easily, Mister!"
She chased him around the kitchen as he ran away like a school boy who'd just been caught breaking the rules. She grabbed his arm, laughing as she covered his face in flour. He shook his head to rid himself of the powder as Clara chuckled at the sight.
The Doctor's smile softened as he met Clara's eyes and she felt her heart rate speed up. She felt frozen to the spot as she lost herself in his deep blue eyes. Her hand hovered in the air from when she had been about to attack him with another splatter of flour and slowly came to rest on his chest. She could feel one of his two hearts beating steadily under her palm.
Her breath caught in her throat as the Doctor reached up a hand to gently brush her hair away from her face, tucking a strand that had come loose back behind her ear. She couldn't tear her eyes away from his and he didn't seem to be able to loook away either.
The two jumped at the sudden ding of the oven and leapt apart. Clara let out a shaky laugh as the Doctor cleared his throat nervously.
"Oh," Clara chuckled, attempting to brush off what had just happened and trying not to wonder when the Doctor's smile had started to make her stomach flutter like this. "Souffle number two!"
She crouched down beside the oven, feeling hopeful about the fact that she couldn't smell burning.
"I think this one's the one!" She grinned as she took it out of the oven.
"Well there's no smoke this time, that's surely a promising sign," The Doctor grinned like a small child at Christmas. "Come on then, let's see!"
Clara glanced at the souffle in her hands warily and placed it on the table.
"Better put souffle number three in, just in case," She muttered, setting the oven timer again, this time changing the settings slightly.
Clara and the Doctor looked at each other, then back to the souffle on the table.
"Well..." The Doctor began cautiously. "It's not burnt."
Clara looked harder at the souffle. It was pale, almost too pale, and slightly flat. She wasn't sure what to make of it.
"No, it's definitley not," She mumbled, biting her lip as she considered whether it was safe to eat or not. It didn't seem like the perfect souffle, but still, maybe she had got it right this time.
She ran to the drawer and pulled out two forks, handing one to the Doctor with a hopeful smile. He took it enthusiastically and dug into the souffle, taking the first bite. Clara watched his face, hoping for good news.
The Doctor's eyes widened and he spat out the souffle, flinging the fork across the room just for good measure.
"Are you trying to poison me?!" He cried.
"That bad?" Clara moaned.
"Yes, my dear, I'm sorry but it was terrible!" The Doctor flapped his hands about in distress. "Don't taste it, don't touch it, don't even go near it!"
He grabbed the plate with the remaining souffle still on it and ran to the kitchen door, flinging it open. He threw the souffle out into the corridor with force.
"And stay out!" He yelled, horror still marring his features. Clara winced at the clattering of the plate and sighed. She'd never make the perfect souffle at this rate.
She turned to check the oven, attempting to peer in through the dark window. She could barely make out the soffle baking inside, but it seemed to be the right size. She looked up at the Doctor with another hopeful grin.
"This could be the one, Doc!" She squealed excitedly.
The Doctor's face fell. "Oh no," He shook his head vigorously. "Oh no no no! Leave it, Clara! Leave it to burn!"
Clara ignored his lack of support and decided to open the oven. She held her breath in anticipation as she took the souffle out. A slow smile spread over her face as she gazed at it, studying it carefully. The Doctor moved to stand behind her and peered over her shoulder at it. He let out a sigh of relief. The souffle looked good, no it looked more than good, it looked perfect. It was the perfect souffle, Clara was sure of it. It was the perfect shade of golden brown, was just the right size and Clara could tell it was going to taste great. She grinned, almost hopping on the spot with excitment.
"This is it, Doctor!" She cried. "The perfect souffle! You and me, we made this one together, we did it!"
"Are you... Are you sure?" The Doctor still looked dubious and was fixing the souffle with a mistrustful glare.
Clara plopped the souffle down onto a plate and handed the Doctor a fork.
"Positive," She nodded happily, unable to keep the smile off her face.
The Doctor took the fork from her but made no move to taste the souffle, raising an eyebrow at her.
"You really expect me to taste it first?"
Clara rolled her eyes with a smile. "Oh, alright then, watch," She took a forkful of the souffle and popped it into her mouth. She hopped up and down in delight as she realised that this was most definitely the perfect souffle. It tasted amazing, the consistency was fluffy and light and absolutely perfect.
The Doctor shrugged and relented, taking a forkful of the souffle and bringing it to his lips. He paused, looking at Clara cautiously, still not quite believing that it was edible after the last time. Clara grinned at him encouragingly and he sighed, taking a bite of the souffle.
Clara watched with bated breath as the Doctor chewed slowly. His eyes widened slightly and he smiled.
"This is good," He began slowly with a small nod. His expression brightened. "This is really good."
"It's perfect isn't it?" Clara yelled excitedly. "The perfect souffle!"
"The perfect souffle," The Doctor agreed happily. He smiled brightly at her. "Souffle girl."
Clara grinned, sitting down beside him as the two enjoyed the impossible, perfect souffle.
I enjoyed writing that chapter :D Kinda want to make a souffle now... hmm =)) Anyway, hope you liked that one, I'm working up to some romance ;;) Classic whouffle :D I love the Doctor and Clara pairing, no matter what regeneration :D
Any constructive criticism is always welcome, reviews make my day! :)