Clara sat on the TARDIS steps staring at Nina's body. The Doctor was going to take her to a church where they could arrange her funeral, but at the moment he was fixing the doors of the TARDIS. The Time Machine could regenerate her insides at will but the doors had to actually be manually put back into place when they were smashed off.
The Time Lord looked down at the girl as he worked; she looked the same way he had felt when he lost Amy and Rory. He finished the hinges of the TARDIS doors and swung them open and then closed again, making sure they were secure; if they opened or broke while he and Clara were in the Time Vortex then Clara would die (again) and he would have to regenerate. The TARDIS made a purring sound, assuring him that the doors were fixed. The Doctor went around the controls, setting a course for the nearest church. Then he went over to Clara.
"I'm sorry," he said, sitting beside her as the TARDIS took off, "In one of your other lives you implied she was important to you." Clara looked at him.
"So I really won't forget her, even when I get reborn?" she asked.
"If I have to, I'll implant memories of her into your mind," the Doctor promised, "Although I can't promise that you're other incarnations will feel the same as the one you're in now."
"Is there any way she can be reborn?" Clara asked.
"No," the Doctor said, "You're an impossible thing Clara. I don't even yet know how you were splintered across the Universe. But I know that Nina wasn't. You're the only Human I've ever known or heard about who's been split through time." The TARDIS landed and the Doctor kissed Clara on the forehead, "Come on," he said and picked up Nina's body before carrying her out of the TARDIS.
Clara insisted on going to Nina's funeral. The Doctor hated funerals but the girl was very persuasive. So he stood, in his tuxedo and bow tie, beside the devastated Clara as they stood over her partner's grave. It was a small funeral, nothing fancy but Clara knew Nina would have wanted her to go to it.
After the funeral the Doctor took Clara back to the TARDIS. He turned to her.
"Do you want to go home?" he asked, "Have some time to recover? I needed over a decade to recover from the deaths of my mother and father in laws."
"No," Clara said, "Nina said move on, and that's exactly what I'm going to do. She wouldn't want me to wallow in self pity. So I'm gonna come with you."
"You're running away with a spaceman in a box," the Doctor warned, "Anything could happen to you." Clara shrugged.
"That's what I'm counting on," she said.
"Okay," the Doctor said darting around the consol, "Where do you want to go? What do you want to see?" Clara smiled and shrugged.
"The stars," she said simply.
"Right," he said, "One great big star coming up!" he messed around with the controls and Clara stepped forwards.
"I remember trying to hack into the TARDIS," she said, "The next thing I remember was Nina dying. What happened in between?"
"You opened the Heart of the TARDIS," the Doctor said, "Only one other Human being has ever done that before and I'm pretty sure she didn't do it by hacking into it. She was bright but not that bright. You really are something special Clara; I doubt even River could get into the Heart of the TARDIS the way you did."
"Oh you're flattering me," Clara said.
"Yes I am," agreed the Doctor, "But I'm being serious; even I can't hack into the Heart of the TARDIS," he pulled a lever, "Right then; let's go see that star!"
The TARDIS materialised in the middle of space, floating peacefully next to a massive ball of fire. The Doctor hurried to the doors and flung them open.
"There you go!" he announced, "One big blazing star right on our doorstep!" Clara peered out at the star and grinned then stepped to the door.
"How is the vacuum of space not killing us?" she asked.
"Well my species can survive in space for a short time," said the Doctor, "But for Humans I extend the air bubble around the TARDIS; keeps the air in and the vacuum out," he looked at Clara, "Want to go outside?"
"Are you sure it's safe?" Clara asked.
"Course I'm sure," the Doctor said, "I'll hold onto you." He took her hand and guided her out of the door. Clara had a sudden feeling of weightlessness and started floating. "I'm going to grab your leg now," the Doctor said and reached out with his left hand, gripping her ankle and then letting go of her hand. Clara floated in space and laughed in wonder, spreading her arms. The Doctor smiled but couldn't help feeling a bit sad. This was the first thing he had done with Amy three centuries ago when he had first taken her into outer space.
"Do you do this a lot?" Clara asked.
"Didn't make a habit of it until I regenerated actually," the Doctor said. Clara looked back at him.
"What species are you?" she said.
"Time Lord," the Doctor said, "Very ancient species; we can live for centuries and regenerate when we die, unless we're killed before we have a chance to regenerate."
"I'd like to come inside now," Clara said, still looking at the star then she gasped, "Oh look, a solar flare!"
"That star will turn into a black hole one day," said the Doctor pulling her back into the TARDIS, "A few million years this space will be a massive deadly hole."
"That's comforting," said Clara sarcastically, "Is it true that black holes can go to another Universe?"
"One in every five hundred can, but the rest will just kill you if you go into it," said the Doctor.
"Can we go to another Universe?" Clara asked excitedly.
"No," said the Doctor, "The chances of me finding the right black hole are too slim; even when I was younger and more reckless I wasn't foolish enough to mess with a black hole. Besides who needs another Universe when we've got this one? Although come to think of it this Universe is, in my experience, bloody ungrateful."
"What makes you say that?" asked Clara.
"I've saved the Universe more times than I can remember and it gives me pain and suffering in return," the Doctor grumbled.
"Well...it also gave you me. And according to you, I'm not the only version of me," Clara pointed out. The Time Lord's expression softened.
"Yeah," he said, "A friend of mine said that the Universe doesn't make bargains but maybe she was wrong. I'm glad I met you Clara." He kissed her on the forehead, something that she quickly guessed was a habit he used when displaying affection, and then closed the doors to the TARDIS and headed back to the consol.
I like reviews. Sometimes I wonder why other writers can get loads of reviews for just one chapter. In this story I've only got one review for two chapters, three if you include this one. Fortunately I like writing stories but it still would be nice to know if people like them. If they dislike them, obviously that's not so nice.