Title: A Day and Life on the TARDIS
Author: Flydye8/Heintz571
Pairings: Clara/12th Doctor
Rating: T (just to be on the safe side)
Summary: This is a collection of stories about the times in-between Clara's and the Doctor's adventures. The ones we never see; because we all know once you starting living with someone, life always gets more interesting. The stories are primarily fluffiness, domestication, and a loving friendship taking place after "Last Christmas".
Author's Note: Thank each of you for favoring/following/commenting on this story I am so pleased that you are enjoying it. If you have the time leave a comment below and tell me what you think, I love feedback.
The Doctor scrunched up his face as the smell of a burnt sugary food assaulted his nostrils. It had been quite some time since Clara burnt any of the meals that she had prepared for them a few months at least. When she became a permeant resident in the TARDIS she was appalled by the lack of food in the small kitchen area and decided to take over the cooking. Smiling he remembered the conversation fondly.
"Doctor what are we supposed to eat?"She asked as perused the empty cabinets of the kitchen finding only tea and sugar within their confines.
"I don't need to eat much so I usually just bring the TARDIS somewhere and eat out." He replied as he fidgeted with the zipper of his black jumper.
Rolling her eyes she smiled, "You are such the bachelor. No wonder you always attacked my refrigerator whenever you stopped by."
"You always have some sort of leftovers in it and I would hate for them to go to waste."
Sitting at the kitchen table she held out her hand, "Can you give me a piece of paper and pen please?"
"And what makes you think I have such items on me?" He asked turning on the kettle for tea.
"Oh come on Doctor, you have everything imaginable in those pockets of yours." She countered as she wiggled her fingers.
Rolling his eyes he reached into his pocket and handed her the requested items.Smiling with smug satisfaction she started to make a grocery list, "See I told you."
Grunting grumpily he took two mugs out of the cabinet and proceeded to make tea for them.
The first few meals were memorable, to say the least and not in a good way, but as time progressed she became very adept at cooking. It is a good thing they did a lot of running otherwise he would have nice pudge in his midsection. So, he pondered, why after so many successful meals is this one burnt, after a brief moment he knew.
"Stupid, Stupid Doctor." He spoke out loud as he pulled the display screen toward him. Typing a few keys he confirmed his suspicions. Yes he was right, today was the anniversary of her mother's death. After imputing the coordinates for Earth he left to the control room to find Clara; resolving, this time to be there for her to help her as she mourned her mother.
Approaching the kitchen he heard soft crying coming from the room, entering he saw Clara with her arms crossed and her head resting on them, her body shaking from her tears. Moving closer to her he placed a hand on her back rubbing it, in what he hoped was a comforting to her.
Raising her head up, her watering brown eyes met his blue ones, "Why can't I do it?"
"Do what my Clara?"
Wiping the tears from her eyes she replied wretchedly, "Why can't I make a soufflé, just once I would like to make one in remembrance of mum; a soufflé that she would be proud of."
He looked around the kitchen seeing that there were just enough ingredients for one more go "We can do it." He stated.
Confused she asked quietly, "We…as in me and you?"
"Of course me and you, that is the definition of we you know." He countered hoping to bring a smile to her face. Looking at her he saw a soft smile and knew he was successful, "So come on let's get started, the sooner we finish the sooner I can enjoy a tasty sweet dessert."
"You and your sweet tooth, okay, let's do it." Clara said as she stood from her chair, "It won't be easy though."
"I am sure we will do fine. How can we lose, I am a super intelligent alien and you have lots of experience in what not to do." He jested causing her to laugh and roll her eyes at the same time. "So what is the first step?"
"The first step Doctor is to warm one cup of milk till it is steaming. Then we add sugar and flour to the milk." She instructed as she measured out the flour and sugar they would need.
"I can do that." Pouring the milk into a glass bowl he pulled out his sonic screwdriver, pointing it at the bowl he pushed the button heating the milk till steam emerged from the liquid.
As he finished she commented, "I think that is cheating Doctor."
"I wouldn't call it cheating; it is using technology to one's advantage."
Giggling she expertly added the sugar and flour and mixing till the batter thickened, "Now we need to wait for ten minutes." She stated as she set the timer. Reaching for the eggs she separated the yolk from the whites then dropped the whites into another glass bowl.
"What type of soufflé are we making?" He asked as he reached for the sugar that will be needed for the egg white mixture.
"Vanilla." She answered as she started to beat the eggs till they foamed, "Can you please add the sugar as I am mixing?"
Nodding, adding the sugar to the bowl he asked, "Can't we make a chocolate one, I do love chocolate?"
"No Doctor it has to be vanilla, it was my mum's favorite." She stated as she continued to beat the mixture.
"Vanilla it is then." Seeing her stop the mixing too early he added, "You need to mix it a little longer."
"I do? Why?"
"The egg whites need to stand stiffly at a forty-five degree angle to the beater before it they are finished." Moving behind her, his arms snaked around her as he reached for the beater to mix it longer. "Here let me show you."
Clara stood absolutely still as she felt the heat of his body against her back, the ghosting of his breath against her neck. She felt her body reacting to his closeness, closing her eyes she savored the intimacy of the position before whispering, "How do you know that?"
Bringing his mouth close to her ear he answered quietly resisting the urge to move closer to her body, "I may have been reading up on how to make the perfect soufflé."
Tilting her head to the side so she could see his profile, "You have?"
Moving his gaze to meet hers, his lips millimeters from hers he smiled, "Yes I have."
Her heart warmed as he answered her question, deciding to take a chance she leaned forward placing her lips against his in a loving kiss causing his body to spasm in surprise before relaxing against her lips.
The sound of the timer interrupted the intimate moment, pulling back from each other they both stared into the others eyes, both accepting the change in their relationship because of their kiss.
The Doctor whispered first still trying to comprehend the complexities of their first kiss, "You add the vanilla while I finish up the egg whites."
"Okay." She responded just as softly glad for the distraction so she could think about what had just happened.
Adding the vanilla to the milk mixture, Clara reflected on the kiss she and the Doctor shared, it seemed so natural and beautiful in its simplicity perfect for this stage of their relationship. Things between them have changed with her impulse and when she glanced over at the Doctor she saw a look of contentment and acceptance on his face and knew he felt the same way.
His voice interrupted her thoughts, "The whites are ready so what is next?"
Moving to his side she replied, "We now mix them together slowly till everything is blended, no streaks of white or marbling."
"Well I will leave you to it as I prepare the cooking dishes." He stated as he placed his hand on her waist, moving behind her as his hand caressed her lower back; causing her body to tingle under his touch.
After preparing the small cooking dishes instead of the larger one, he leaned against the counter and stared at Clara as she focused on the delicate task of mixing the two last ingredients. The kiss was unexpected at first, and for a moment his body tensed at the touch of her lips against his but then surprisingly he was fine. He felt a sense of acceptance, as the love for her came to the surface with her kiss, his caress was a direct reaction to the sensations he was feeling. He hoped he was ready to move forward in their relationship. One thing was certain though, the kiss made him want to taste her lips more.
Seeing her finish with the mixture he brought the prepared dishes to her, "I thought it might be better to make small soufflés instead of a large one. They will cook more evenly."
"I never thought of that, it just might work." She smiled as she poured the batter into dishes once finished she placed them on a cookie sheet and put them into the oven, "Now they need to cook for 30 minutes. What should we do while we wait?"
"I can think of two things." He stated as he moved closer to her, wrapping his arms around her pulling her closer to him.
"What two things, Doctor?" She asked feeling her body respond to the embrace.
"The first thing is this." He replied before he pressed his lips against hers in a tender yet passionate kiss weaving his hands through her hair. Feeling her respond to his touch he deepened the kiss begging for entrance with the tip of his tongue in which she happily complied; he ravished her lips relishing in the taste of her. After a few moments more exploring her lips he reluctantly pulled back. He smiled as he listened to her keening with need as she opened her eyes connecting with his.
Breathlessly, leaning into his body hoping for another kiss she asked, "And what would be the second thing?"
Chuckling he grabbed her hand leading her out of the kitchen and down the passageway, "Flowers."
"Flowers!?" she followed him confused, still a bit dazed from the kiss he had just given her.
"Yes, flowers." Reaching a door it slid open revealing a garden, stepping to the side he gestured for her to enter.
Walking in Clara was amazed to see plot after plot filled with flowers, some she recognized others she didn't. "How is this possible?"
He moved next to her and placed his arm on her waist, "It really isn't difficult, the TARDIS can recreate the necessary needs for plants to grow, all I have to do is place them where I want and keep the weeds at bay."
Stunned she stared at him, "You created this."
"Of course I did. I do have many other talents besides getting into difficulties while visiting planets." He huffed with exasperation.
Feeling a bit cheeky she responded, "Well I am enjoying being the recipient of your talents."
Not to be left behind he countered as he pulled her close to his side, "I have many more talents which I am sure you will enjoy later." He wiggled his eyebrow suggestively before letting her go and retrieving a pair of shears, "But for now why don't you collect a bunch of flowers into a bouquet, all of them are safe for you to touch. I will meet you back in the kitchen."
Clara looked at the shears in her hands, as the door closed behind the Doctor, not quite sure what to make of his flirting but enjoying it never the less. Things have definitely shifted in their relationship and surprisingly it wasn't terrifying for her she just hoped she didn't mess it up. Her track record wasn't very good when it came to relationships, resolving to do better this time she knelt down and started to collect the flowers for a bouquet wondering why the Doctor wanted her to create one.
Entering into the kitchen Clara placed the flowers on the table as she watched the Doctor take out perfectly cooked soufflés from the oven, placing them on the counter to cool. Moving quickly to his side she smiled happily, "We did it! We made the perfect soufflé."
"That we did Clara Oswald." The Doctor responded just as excitedly as she.
Leaning down she took a deep breath savoring the sweet vanilla scent, "Oh how I wish mum could see them." She stated with sadness.
Placing the cooling desserts delicately into the picnic basket the Doctor turned to her, "Come on and grab your flowers." He instructed as he lifted the basket and exited the kitchen.
They walked through the control room and out the TARDIS's doors, once outside Clara noticed that they were at the graveyard where her mother was buried. Following the Doctor she walked the familiar path to her mother's tomb.
Stopping before her mother's grave he spoke with sorrowfulness, "I am sorry I can't bring you to your mum when she was alive, some timelines should not be meddled with, but I figure we could share your perfect soufflés here."
Clara watched as the Doctor pulled out a checkered blanket from the basket and laid it gently on the ground, kneeling on the cloth he placed the small perfect soufflés onto the blanket. He continued to set up the area with cups, a thermos which she assumed was filled with tea, napkins and silverware. Once he was finished he lifted his hand to her, "Come and sit."
With tears in her eyes she grabbed his hand and lowered herself onto the blanket, looking at the stone embossed with her mother's name she begin, "Hey mum… I miss you so much even after all these years… oh how I wish you were here right now. So many things have happened, some good and some bad. I lost Danny…you know the one I told you about last year but I am okay. I am with the Doctor now and it is not a weekly thing anymore. I have seen and done so much, the book we started is almost full I have one more page to go."
Allowing the tears to cascade down her cheeks she continued, "Looked what I did today I made the perfect soufflé for you. I had a little help but I don't think you mind. It is the last thing that I will put into our book before starting a new one. I know it is not a place but I think it is just as important it …" Glancing at the Doctor she smiled through her tears remembering their recent kisses, before turning back to the gravestone, "it marks a new beginning in my life. I will let you know how it goes next year. I love you."
Leaning forward she positioned the flowers against the stone reaching for one of the small soufflés she placed it next to the blooms. Wiping her eyes she lifted her grateful gaze to the Doctor, "Thank you."
"Your very welcome my Clara." He replied as he leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her lips pulling back he gestured to the remaining soufflés, "Shall we enjoy the fruits of our labors."
Laughing she handed him one of the sweet treats, "Yes, we shall and next time we'll make chocolate ones."
Digging into dessert, he took a mouthful of it enjoying the sweetness coating his tongue, "I don't know maybe your mum is right, vanilla is the best." Scooping up another spoonful he held it out to her.
"Well you know what they say, mum's know best." She commented before engulfing her mouth around the proffered treat. Yes today was the perfect last entry of her book "101 places to see" and she was looking forward to starting the next one "101 joys of falling in love".
Yeah the first kiss, I have had this chapter in my mind for such a long time. I am so glad I was finally able to post it. So let me know what you think. I love reviews.
Cheers
Flydye8/Heintz571