The First Date
A few hours later, the TARDIS 'whoomed' as the ship settled into the grass.
"What planet are we on?" Clara asked. She wore a sun dress with flowers on it and a crochet shawl. The Doctor reconsigned it as the one she had been darning for the past few weeks.
"Earth," The Doctor pulled a lever to stabilize the ship. "Looks as though its relatively close to your current time but not quite."
Clara cautiously opened the door to find the TARDIS had landed in the back yard of a grand house that was at least two stories high. It took her breath away as she examined the lovely cobble stone siding. The air felt pleasantly warm and smelled of late spring.
"Is this where we're having our date?" She asked.
"No," replied The Doctor. "It's where we're going to be staying for the next few days."
"Seriously?" Clara's face was lit with curiosity and excitement. "But how?"
"A friend owed me," The Doctor replied vaguely. "This is his vacation home. He told me we could have it as long as we needed it," The Doctor walked over to the stones that lined the pathway and picked them up one by one. "He left us a key here somewhere... Ah yes."
The Doctor produced a small silver key that fit into the lock of the back door. As he opened it he looked behind himself to Clara and said, "I hope you'll like it."
The back door opened to a large room which had the kitchen and living room placed in the open concept space. The living room had a sliding glass door that led to the indoor pool which was surrounded by dark cherry wood paneling. On the left, a carpeted staircase led to the rest of the house.
Clara gasped as she examined her surroundings. "It's fantastic!"
"That's usually my line," The Doctor joked, pulling her to him. "We'll have to look at the rest of the house some other time, but first we need to go on our date."
"This is already more than enough," Clara grinned. "You'll be able to play the role of a real domestic for the next few days."
"Hmm you think so?" The Doctor reached up and ran his finger over Clara's soft cheek. Her grin turned into a half smile as she reached up to meet his hand and took it into hers.
"I know so. I wouldn't want you to stay that way of course," Clara sounded serious now. "I'd rather you keep doing what you want."
"I could try on domestication."
"We'll see," Clara replied. "I don't think you'd last long."
The Doctor frowned and shrugged. "I was domesticated once, when I had a wife, on Gallifrey."
"You also ended up with a Granddaughter, so I guess you're right," Clara looked away and wandered over to the counter so she could lean against it. "So where are we going then?"
The Doctor walked past her, heading for the front door. "It isn't far. I rented a car already too, its outside." Clara stared at him blankly. "What is it?"
"You can drive?"
"Clara, I'm nearly 2000 years old."
"Yes, I know, but do you have a drivers license?"
The Doctor leered with his top lip curled and turned to walk out but Clara did not follow. She side stepped the counter and held out her hand, placing the other on her hip. "Lets see then."
She did not leave him with much of a choice. The Doctor pulled out a leather wallet from his back pocket. He knew that it was customary for human males to carry them around so they can pay for the dates, so he was a little affronted when Clara laughed.
"You really thought of everything didn't you?" She said as several types of currency fell out of the wallet.
The Doctor felt his ears redden but he attempted to appear collected. He did not think Clara was convinced. He thrust a plastic card to her. "I could just use my psychic paper but I actually have a license."
On it was a man much younger than The Doctor was now, in age and appearance. He had blond curly hair and a technicolor jacket. As she examined it, he swooped to pick up the bills he dropped and hastily shoved them back into the wallet.
"Well, John Smith," Clara smiled gently and sighed as she handed the ID back to the Doctor. "I think your ID might be a bit expired."
"These things expire?" The Doctor's eyebrows raised as he examined the dates on the card. It turned out it was good until May 12th, in the year 1963. "Well that's stupid, I still know how to drive, I earned this not very long ago."
Clara shook her head. "I'm going to have to drive- well maybe, what year is it?"
"2012."
"Oh thank goodness, at least I'm alive in this decade." Clara reached into her purse and pulled out her much newer and shinier ID. She examined it carefully while doing math in her head and once satisfied returned it to its proper place.
"Why do you have that?" The Doctor asked, exasperated as he opened the front door and shoved his hands in his pockets. "You don't even own a car."
"My Mam told me when she was alive how important it was to have one," Clara said. "At least I actually look like my ID picture." She teased the Doctor as she followed him outside.
"I look exactly like my ID picture, it's me after all," The Doctor puffed out his chest importantly as he pressed the button to open the garage. He jumped with surprise when he heard Clara squeal.
"This is a Maserati Spyder!" Clara exclaimed. 'I've seen pictures but I've never..." Her heals clicked against the cement as she wandered around it, running her hand over the leather seats. The top was already down. "Where did you rent this car from?" She looked over to the Doctor skeptically.
"Well technically my friend did that for me. Like I said, he owes me a huge favor," The Doctor hopped into the passenger seat and took out his sonic screw driver. The device glowed green as he pressed it against the GPS. "There, I fed the directions so you won't know where we're going 'til we get there."
He couldn't help but be amused by how excited Clara became as she started the car. The engine revved and the car gently vibrated.
Clara was actually quite a good driver, which did surprise the Doctor a bit. It had been a while since she had practiced because he had never seen her drive before, but she seemed quite comfortable as she followed the directions given by the prompter. She did however smack his hand away when he had reached for the radio.
"No, not right now." She said, her eyes concentrating on the road. She was tiny compared to the beast of a car so she had to crane her neck to see if the intersection they stopped at was clear. "I dunno where I am, and I want to be able to think."
The Doctor sighed and leaned back in his seat, and for the rest of the trip they were silent. He examined her face as she made decisions, and she was so concentrated he did not even think she noticed him staring. The sun threw the small freckles on her nose and splayed under her eyes into sharp relief, reminding him of the stars.
When they finally reached their destination, Clara pulled the bright green car into a spot near the door. The building they had arrived at had no markings or signs to tell her what waited for them inside.
"This car drives like a dream." Clara sighed happily. She leaned back in her seat and looked over to the Doctor, her eyes sparkling. "So much better than the old bug I learned in."
"Who taught you?" The Doctor asked.
"I taught me." Clara replied. "Though Mam told me to get my license I didn't get it until after she died and my dad just didn't have the time."
The silence that stretched between them was not uncomfortable but the Doctor could see her mind wandering to thoughts of her mother and her still-alive father that she constantly would mention she needed to visit more.
"Well, I don't know bout you but I'm ready to go in." The Doctor said after a while. He ran his thumb over her bottom lip before turning to get out of the car. He grasped her hand once she joined him as he walked with her toward the door.
The building resembled a barn from the outside due to its red wood paneling. The Doctor grasped onto the front door handle and opened it while Clara gently squeezed his hand.
The door shut behind them noiselessly and it took them a few moments to adjust to the lighting. The whole room was black lit from various points in the room. Clara almost instantly began to glow in her white dress. She had left her shawl back in the car. She stared around in wonder and looked up to the Doctor's face. He was waiting for her reaction. She looked around again and now she could see that half the room was set up for dining. There were several couples sitting with their food. The other half of the building was dedicated to a giant rollerblading rink. "Do you know how to roller skate?" The Doctor half shouted over the techno music.
Clara nodded in reply. "I haven't since I was a little girl though!"
Twenty minutes later, she and the Doctor had slipped several bills to the attendant at the counter. They made a food order for when they decided to take a break from the roller rink, and Clara ended up struggling to contain herself as she watched the Doctor strap a pair of old school four wheeled skates onto his feet.
"Do you prefer everything to be old fashioned?" She asked him as she attempted to stand on her own blades which also had four wheels but they were placed in a straight line. Just as she spoke though she slipped and fell into the Doctor's arms.
He laughed more than she had ever seen him do before "Look who's talking!" He said as he attempted to cross the room to the roller rink. He too seemed to still be rusty because as soon as he began to move he second guessed himself and stumbled.
Now Clara shook with laughter. "Maybe we both need some practice." She held out her hand and the two lurched over to the rink, gasping every so often as they lost their balance.
Once onto the smooth surface of the rink, the Doctor seemed to gain more confidence back. Clara held onto the wall as she watched him zoom away towards the empty middle of the rink. He turned so he could see Clara and beckoned her to him. She closed her eyes and pushed herself from the wall, blindly waving her arms about as she struggled to stay upright. Her dress curled around her legs as she went forward.
The Doctor caught her as she reached him. He pulled her close, watching the multicolored lights sweep over her face making it change sightly. She looked back, her eyes studying his features, and a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. The Doctor pulled her forward to the other side of the rink and when they reached the wall, they both grabbed onto the ledge to keep themselves steady.
The base line of the music made Clara's heart flutter. She was so close to the Doctor now she could smell him. He smelled of aftershave and space. She never really thought about it but space travel really did make him smell differently than anyone she knew. It might also had something to do with him not being human. For a fleeting moment she wondered if she smelled different to him too.
The Doctor let go of the wall and cupped the sides of Clara's face. He wanted to stay like that but his legs were not cooperating. It took him a moment to register he was staring at her knees before he realized he had fallen.
"Oi, are you alright?" Clara asked, as she tried to help him up.
The Doctor gripped onto her as he struggled to his feet. "Yeah, isn't it obvious? I've just fallen for you is all."
Clara's giggles brought a blush to the Doctor's face. When he finally stood the song playing ended and switched to a slower song. "Do you know how to slow dance?"
"Isn't that something that little kids do in middle school?" Clara asked, crinkling her nose.
"Not always." The Doctor pulled her away from the wall again, this time paying more attention to his feet. He turned and faced her, placing her hands on his shoulders. He put his hands on her waist and began to sway them back and forth. Clara stumbled a couple times, but in a few moments she seemed to catch the rhythm.
The music felt like it swelled inside Clara. She examined the Doctor's face, drinking in the shape of his lips, the shine of his eyes in the darkness and the way the front of his hair curled over his forehead. He too drank her in. He felt both his hearts beating quickly, not from the music, but from how close they were.
After they slow danced for a bit, they decided to just skate around the rink while holding hands. They were stumbling less while doing it because it was easier to just let gravity do the work. They continued to do this until hunger set in.
Back at the table they shed their skates quite fast. Though the skating had been fun they both agreed they were happy to have their balance back. Their chips were just arriving as they settled into a booth, and Clara was the first to grab one. Without pretense, she dunked it into some ketchup. She gently nibbled on the edge of it and groaned. "Still too hot!" She blew on her french fry half-heartedly.
"Does that even help?" The Doctor's eyebrow rose as he watched her.
"Not really, but it makes me feel better." Clara sighed as she placed the french fry on a napkin to cool off. She offered her hand and waited for the Doctor to take it in hopes he wouldn't feel pushed. It did take him a moment to grab it, but he didn't let go. " Thanks for this." Clara said, studying the back of his hand. "You really didn't have to take my date idea seriously."
"Course I had to." The Doctor said. "You have been in my life for at least a thousand years, I need to start treating you the way you deserve."
"Does it really feel like that?" Clara asked, looking up to his face. "Like it's been a thousand years?"
"It doesn't feel like that, it is that." The Doctor replied. "It's only been a couple years for you, but not for me. I've had a lot of time to think about you."
Clara could not totally see the Doctor's expression in the darkness, but she could hear the heaviness in his words. Her heart ached.
For a time she and the Doctor wordlessly ate their chips, looking at each other every so often and smiling. When the chip basket was almost empty Clara said, "How bout we go when we're done so we can go back to the house and actually talk instead of shouting at each other?"
"Sounds like a plan." Replied the Doctor.
They had reached the last chip in the basket. Clara offered it to the Doctor but he shook his head. He picked up the chip, broke it in half, and handed part of it to Clara. She thought about making a comment, but instead just took his offering.
Once the skates had been returned and their eyes had adjusted to the world outside of the skating rink, they got into the car with Clara again behind the wheel. "Well that was unexpected." Clara said, as she turned the car on.
"In a good way?" The Doctor asked, amused.
"More than a good way." Clara breathed. She leaned over to him and kissed his cheek. He blushed. "Thank you, Doctor, really."
The car pulled for the parking lot before she said, "Only eleven more dates to go before you're off the hook."
Author note: Thanks for the reviews everyone! They're super appreciated!