Title: A Day and Life on the TARDIS

Author: Flydye8/Heintz571

Pairings: Clara/12th Doctor

Rating: T

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, family life, romance and a loving friendship taking place after "Last Christmas".

Author's note 1: This chapter brings Susan (the Doctor's Granddaughter) into my story also named Lady Arkytior . Before you, dear readers, continue I would like to take a moment to refresh and/or share with you some of Susan's history. Susan traveled with the 1st Doctor and is considered his granddaughter, however there is some discussion if their blood relation is true. But for this story I am maintaining that they are related by blood.

During her adventures with the 1st Doctor they landed in the 22nd century of Earth. While there Susan fell in love with a freedom fighter named David Campbell. The 1st Doctor knew that his granddaughter would never leave him to his own devices so he locked her out of the TARDIS with a pretty dramatic speech.

Susan and David married and adopted three war orphans and named them Ian, Barbara, and David Campbell Junior and lived for quite some time until one day David was killed (assuming in battle) but not before they conceived a child named Alex (now yo know why I brought Susan into my story) who had one heart.

Susan crossed paths on multiple occasions with many of the Doctor's incarnation's but the last one was the 8th Doctor (written in a novel) during their time together a plague broke out and the Daleks make another appearance. In the battle to save humanity Alex was killed in process. The 8th Doctor unable to handle the pain left Susan yet again to mourn for her son by herself and for this story it was to also because he was called back to Gallifrey to fight in the Time War.

The previous paragraph is where the 12th Doctor comes back into Susan's life. The TARDIS in her infinite wisdom brings Clara and the 12th Doctor to Susan's residence 12 hours after the 8th Doctor left her.

I know this is a long author's note but I felt it was necessary to share with you the findings of my research when I first decided to bring Susan into my story. Oh and for your information as well chuisle mo chroi' is Irish for "The Pulse of my Heart"

Thank you for your time and enjoy this chapter.

Author's note 2: Many thanks to my beta reader Marie Anne Louise (marieannelouise on Tumblr) YOU ARE BRILLIANT!

Clara and the Doctor entered the TARDIS after their breakfast. He pointed at her and directed, "Turn off the safety while I configure the telepathic circuits to link with me."

Clara pressed a few buttons on the console and maneuvered one of the switches to the off position then asked, "Why do you have to configure the circuits? We never had to do that before?"

"Well a Time Lord's mind, as you know is very complex, and to find Susan I have to add parameters so the TARDIS doesn't accidently bring us to an alternative universe." Seeing the confused look on Clara's face he clarified, "There are many different timelines in a Time Lord's life and if I don't tell the TARDIS which timeline to utilize we could find ourselves in a different reality then the one we know."

"And that would be bad," Clara stated.

"Yes it would be very bad," the Doctor replied factually as he twisted a knob on the console, "There, that should do it."

He put his fingers into the gel like substance of the interface and closed his eyes. He focused on his granddaughter, the love he held for her in his hearts and the desire to see her once again. Clara looked up and saw the rotors of the TARDIS move as the ancient ship brought them to their destination. With a soft thump the ship landed.

Immediately Clara pulled the monitor and typed a few keys to find out where in time they were. She raised her eyebrows as she read the date: year 2200, Earth. She turned toward her love, and questioned, "I thought you said she resided in the 20th century."

The Doctor removed his fingers from the interface and walked to her side, "Yes she did early in her life but later on she married a freedom fighter from the late 22nd century." He leaned closer to the screen and after reading the date he stumbled backwards his back hitting the bars that surrounded the console, sadness and worry written on his angled features. He looked up at the ceiling of his ship and whispered, "Why did you have to bring us to this time?"

Concerned for him Clara moved to his side and placed one hand on his arm and the other on his cheek. She met his gaze, "What is wrong?"

He broke away from her grasp and hurriedly moved to the telepathic circuits. He shoved his fingers in and pleaded, "Take me to any time before now," his plea was unanswered. The TARDIS remained stubbornly immobile.

Clara rushed to his side and yanked his hands out of the gel brought them to her chest, "Doctor, talk to me. What is wrong with this time?"

He shook his head and answered quietly, "It is soon after the death of her son, my great grandson, Alex."

Horrified she replied, "Why would the TARDIS bring us to such a sad time in your granddaughter's life? I'm sure she wouldn't want to answer any questions about babies right now."

He looked up at his ship's rotors and stated, "I know why."

"Tell me, then," she said curiously.

He gazed into her eyes, his own shimmering with unshed tears, "Because I left her."

"What do you mean, you left her?"

"Just that; I left her to deal with her son's death on her own. I didn't stick around to help her grieve."

Aghast Clara stepped away from him, "Why would you do that to any mother, let alone your granddaughter?"

"I had to fight a war. The Time War. I was called back to Gallifrey."

"So you left her?!" Clara shouted while crossing her arms on her chest, "How did you leave her, Doctor?"

"Yes, Clara I left her," he shouted. "It was in the middle of the night. I didn't say goodbye."

She tilted her head, "Are you sorry?"

"Of course I'm sorry," he replied as he pushed himself off the bar he was leaning on. He moved toward the console and tried to coerce the TARDIS into leaving.

Clara followed him with her eyes as he moved to the other side of the console, "Did she know why you left her?"

"No, I didn't want her to worry," he said distractedly while he knelt on the metal floor. He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and with a quick flick of his wrist the panel loosened. He crawled under and he pulled a few wires only to curse as the TARDIS shocked his fingers.

"Why would she worry?" Clara asked as she walked over to where half of his body was obscured by the console. She smiled smugly as she heard him curse again, "I don't think Sexy is pleased with you messing with her wiring."

His head emerged from under the console with his fingers inside his mouth, "Yes, I think you're right. She isn't happy with me right now."

Clara knelt beside him and removed his fingers from his mouth to examine them more closely before commenting sarcastically, "I wonder why?"

She reached into the pocket of her short leather coat for a small first aid kit. She opened it and started to apply some salve to his burnt fingers before continuing, "I'm also not too happy with you right now."

"Clara, it is complicated," he commented as he rose from the floor and then he held out his hand to help his beloved up.

She allowed him to assist her to her feet. "So then make it less complicated. Tell me why you didn't want her to worry?" she repeated her question.

He guided her to one of the chairs in the control room and once she was settled he sat next to her to explain, "Susan married a freedom fighter, he was a good man, but stubborn. I think that his commitment to the war he was fighting was one of the things my Susan loved about him. Unfortunately, the war took him from his wife."

"What did Susan do?"

"She continued the fight and eventually helped with the peace treaties despite the fact that she had a young son on her hip."

"Okay, I get it. I would hate to lose you and be forced to raise our children on my own."

He looked at her sadly as he grabbed her hand and caressed it, "You know that it could happen."

"Yeah, I know," she said quietly. Not wanting to contemplate the possibility of her love not being at her side, she asked, "So what happened to her son?"

A lone tear caressed his cheek, "Another war."

Clara gasped, "Oh that's terrible."

"Yes, so now do you understand why I didn't tell her I was leaving?"

"No, Doctor, I don't."

He brought her hand to his lips and kissed the top delicately, "I was leaving to fight in the Time War or at least try to stop it, but there was no guarantee that I would survive. Susan had already lost a husband and a son to war and there was a good chance she would lose her grandfather as well. I didn't want her to feel that pain as well."

"Maybe if you had told her she could have gone with you and helped," Clara justified as she wiped the tear from his cheek.

"I have no doubt that she would, but she was mourning and I feared that she would become reckless, take unnecessary risks with her own life, then I would have lost her," he stated as rose from the seat. Turning his back to her, he leaned heavily on the edge of the console.

"So you left her without saying goodbye, without any reason and you haven't seen her since," she said as she stood and walked to his side.

He tilted his head in her direction, "It felt like the best thing to do at the time."

Clara shook her head, "She is going to be very angry at you."

"Yes, she is and I'm not sure if I'm ready to deal with any more strong emotions right now."

"What do you mean, Doctor?" Clara asked in confusion wondering why he said such a statement.

He faced her and caressed her cheek, "In less than a month, I have felt love like no other for you and from you. I have found out I am to be a father and fear that something might happen to you," he reached down and touched her abdomen, "and our children. It is overwhelming. I can't lose you or the babies. Add on the strong emotions about seeing my granddaughter again; guilt, pain, love, and hope. This body doesn't know how to deal with it all efficiently. I'm not human Clara; I am having a difficult time with it all."

Clara giggled, "I think you are more human than you believe. You know I feel the same way."

"Really? But you are so calm," he said with raised eyebrows and a confounded look.

"Oh I promise you that I do feel a bit lost as well. The only difference between you and I is that I have had more practice in dealing with difficult emotions," she replied as she grabbed his hands, "We will get through this together."

The TARDIS doors opened interrupting them. They looked and watched as thin muscular woman with medium length brown hair entered into the time ship. Her long legs propelled her purposely across the grated floor, her face showing no emotion as she moved toward them. The Doctor guided Clara till she was behind him and stood stiffly as the woman approached and stood in front of him.

The Doctor said hesitantly, "Hello, Susan."

Susan eyes blazed, "You left without saying goodbye last night. I'm not sure if I want to hug you or slap you."

"I had my reasons and I would really prefer a hug if you don't mind," he replied surprised that it had only been less then twelve hours for her since his departure.

"And now you are in front of me with a different face. How long has it been for you?"

"A very long time," he stated factually then continued, "I have regenerated five times since I left you."

"Five times. That means you are number thirteen. How is that even possible? A Time Lord only gets twelve regenerations?"

"It is a long story, Susan," he said while Clara peeked around him to get a better look at the Time Lady.

Susan stepped closer, her eyes softening, then she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight hug. Her voice cracked with emotion, "I thought I would never see you again. I thought you would leave me to grieve on my own. I need you, grandfather."

The Doctor embraced her and whispered in her hair, "I'm here now, my dear."

Susan pulled away from him and wiped the tears from her cheeks and nodded toward Clara, "Who is this?"

Clara moved from behind the Doctor and extended her hand, "Hi, I'm Clara," she introduced herself as she felt the Doctor's arm weave around her waist.

Susan noticed he grandfather's movements and smiled as she grabbed the young woman's hand, "I'm Susan." After a longer look she continued, "Have we met before?"

Clara glanced up at the Doctor and with his nod she stated, "Well kind of, and it is another long story."

"It seems we have a lot to catch up on," she responded as she moved toward the console of the ancient ship, "Hello, old girl."

The lights of the ship dimmed as the corporal image of the TARDIS emerged. She walked gracefully toward Susan and smiled. "Hello, Lady Arkytior." Then the TARDIS embraced her, "It has been a long time."

Surprised, Susan stepped back from the TARDIS, "By the gods how are you here?"

The TARDIS chuckled, "It is another long story, a lot has happened in 1900 plus years." As the lights started to flicker back on the TARDIS cupped Susan's cheek, "Welcome home little one."

Once the lights were back to normal Susan sat heavily on one of the chairs then glanced at the Doctor, "How old are you now?"

"Oh about 2500 years old," he replied his arm still wrapped around Clara's midsection.

"I think I need a cup of tea," Susan said exhaustedly.

"I think we all could use one," he said as he guided Clara to the doors to leave the ship only to be stopped by Susan's soft voice, "Not here grandfather; take me somewhere else please."

He released Clara and moved toward his granddaughter. He knelt at her feet before asking, "Where do you want to go?"

"I don't care. I can't be in my home for another moment. It's too difficult, too painful, too many memories," she gasped as tears cascaded down her cheeks once again.

"Okay, but before we leave let me put a dampening field around it so no one disturbs your home until you return."

Susan shook her head, "I'm never coming back here."

He cupped her face with the palm of his hand, "Oh I think you will return, when the time is right." As he stood he asked, "Clara, would you bring Susan to the kitchen and get her a cup of tea while I work on hiding her home?"

"Yeah, no problem," Clara responded as she gestured for Susan to follow, "The kitchen is just down here."

Susan arose from her chair slowly and followed Clara down the passageway. The Doctor watched as they disappeared around the corner before he hurried down the stairs to the lower level of the control room. He pulled out an old wooden box and lifted strange octagonal shaped instruments, "One, two, three and four," he counted, "That should be enough."

Clara glanced at Susan as she pulled out three cups for tea. She wasn't sure what to say to her because she had lost her son just over twelve hours ago. Holding an elegant China teapot, she remained silent as she poured the hot beverage and handed a cup to Susan who was sitting at the table. "Do you want anything with your tea?"

"Sugar please," she responded quietly.

Clara sat across from her and pushed the sugar bowl in her direction, "Here you go," she said as she watched Susan put six cubes of sugar in her tea which caused her to giggle, "Do all Time Lords have a sweet tooth?"

A slight grin crossed her angled features, "No, not all. It just seems to run through my family."

"Well I hope it isn't genetic," Clara said offhandedly.

Susan brought the cup down from her lips and stared at her in wonder, "Why did you say that?"

"Say what?" she asked, confused as to what Susan was referring to.

"About our desire for sweets being genetically transmitted," she clarified.

Clara took a sip of her tea and then cursed, "Damn that is not how it was supposed to happen."

Susan placed her cup on the table and leaned closer to Clara, "What are you, exactly, to my grandfather?"

The Doctor's voice answered before Clara could respond, "She is my chuisle mo chroi' Susan, and we are going to have twins in about twelve months."

"Is she Gallifreyan?"

"No she is human," the Doctor responded as he placed his hands on Clara's shoulders.

"That is going to cause problems, grandfather," Susan stated as she sipped her tea.

Taking the seat beside Clara, he reached for his own cup. After he added the sugar, he took a sip and continued, "Yes, and that is why we are here."

"So you didn't come back to help me mourn for my son," she spat.

"I'm sorry Susan but no, that is not the reason for our return."

"I can't be in here," she stated quickly as she rose from the table and rushed back to the control room.

The Doctor gestured for Clara to stay as he followed his granddaughter; when he arrived he saw her push open the doors of the TARDIS and gasp, "You brought us into the vortex."

"Yes, I did. We are on our way to our home."

"Gallifrey?"

"No. I'm afraid Gallifrey is still lost," he responded.

"What do you mean lost?" Susan asked curiously as she sat down with her feet dangling outside the TARDIS.

He moved and sat beside her, "I left you because I was called back to Gallifrey to fight in the Time War." Then he proceeded to tell her what had happened.

Once he was finished Susan stated sadly, "So our home is lost in a time pocket in some sort of parallel universe."

"Yes, it was the only way to keep it safe from being destroyed."

She leaned her head on his shoulder and stared out into the vortex, "So where is your home now?"

"It is on Earth in the earlier 21st century," he answered with a small smile on his face, "It is a good place to live when not traveling in the TARDIS and it will be a good place to raise our children."

"Well you better get used to being sedentary; because that is the only way your Clara is going to be able to get through this pregnancy without too much pain."

"So you know how I can help Clara with the release of vortex energy during her pregnancy?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes, but before I tell you anything I need you to answer one question of mine truthfully," she stated as she pointed at him, "Where you ever going to come back to me?"

The Doctor shifted uncomfortably, "Honestly, I don't know, but what I can tell you is that you were never far from my thoughts and the only reason I didn't return to you earlier was because I was not ready to deal with the sadness of the loss of my great grandson. I am not a strong man when it comes to intense emotions; it is only recently that I have been able to handle them better."

"Clara?" she said with a nod of her head in the direction of the kitchen.

"Yes, Clara. She is my impossible girl and has helped me in so many ways," he stated lovingly.

"Okay."

"Okay?" he asked with hope rising in his chest.

Susan grabbed his hand and brought it to her lips, "I will help you and your beloved. It won't be easy but I promise she will carry and deliver your children in twelve months."

"Thank you," he replied softly with quiet emotion.

They continued to look out at the vortex silently for a bit when Susan spoke with a smile, "So what will I be to your children when they arrive?"

He tilted his head and replied earnestly, "You will be their second mother."

"I can live with that as long as Clara is okay with it."

A soft voice spoke behind them, "Oh, I'm perfectly fine with it. I can't think of a more perfect title for you."

The Doctor and Susan turned and watched as Clara approached them. She knelt behind them and placed an arm around each of their shoulder and kissed each of their cheeks, "I'm the luckiest woman around."

Please review I love hearing what my readers think of my story.

Cheers

Flydye8/Heintz572