Thank you for the reviews :) And I'm sorry this took a bit longer. With all the nervousness about Death In Heaven I didn't really feel in the right mood to write. Hope you enjoy this chapter, though :)
Chapter 6
The Doctor picked up the TARDIS phone after the 20th ring, surprised to find the voice of Madame Vastra on the other end of the line.
"Doctor, have you forgotten about us?" she asked him, an accusatory tone in her voice.
"How could I forget about the great detective?" he asked back, hoping a compliment would calm her down.
Vastra laughed her usual laugh that made everyone feel a little beneath her. Unfortunately for her, it had never worked on the Doctor and he knew his trick to calm her had failed.
"We haven't seen you in ages. Now, I know you're a time traveller, but we are beginning to worry about you."
"I've been busy. I'm still busy. There's a little girl desperately waiting for some ice cream," he explained while setting the TARDIS to young Clara's time frame.
"You found a new companion!" she sounded delighted.
"No, as I've told you before. I'm fine on my own."
That wasn't technically true. He wasn't so fine on his own, otherwise he would have never sought the company of Clara Oswald. But Vastra didn't necessarily need to know about that little incident with the young woman. It was hardly her business. Besides, it would never happen again. He would go back to Clara's childhood years, give her the promised ice cream and then close the book that contained this story.
"Doctor, you may fool Strax and you may fool Jenny, but. . ."
"I really have to go. See you soon. Bye!"
The Doctor hung up. He had melting ice cream to worry about after all.
OOO
March 1993
He found himself near a playground and spotted Clara Oswald on the swing. And her mother close-by. He had never actually thought about how exactly he was going to walk up to her without looking like a paedophile creep. The Doctor decided to approach her mother first.
"Hello Mrs Oswald," he greeted her with a smile, "You're Clara's mother, right?"
The woman turned around and eyed him with suspicion. The Doctor could see the striking resemblance to the grown up Clara Oswald now, but he could hardly bring that up.
"Yes, I am. Who are you?" the woman asked carefully.
"You probably won't remember me. A few weeks ago when Clara got lost in the mall, I found her and brought her to the reception."
A flicker of relief passed over Ellie Oswald's eyes.
"Oh, right, she told me there was a man who comforted her. Thank you for helping her, she was really scared that day."
"My pleasure. The thing is, I accidentally promised little Clara ice cream that day but I didn't have any money on me, so. . ." he lifted the McFlurry so she could see.
"Aw, you really shouldn't have. Helping her find her way to reception was more than enough," the woman gave him a kind smile.
"Like I said, my pleasure. Do you mind if I give it to her?" he asked.
"No, not at all. She'll be delighted. Clara talked about you a lot after that. You're her hero."
"Ah, I'm hardly that," the Doctor replied, but couldn't hide the smile that spread across his face. He started to think about adult Clara again. She would never see him as any kind of hero, not as long as he kept her away from his TARDIS. And as much as he would love to impress her, sweep her off her feet and carry her through the entire universe, it would never, ever happen.
The Doctor carefully approached Clara on the swing.
"Hey, little one, remember me?" he asked with a smile.
When Clara's eyes widened in surprise, he didn't even need to hear her answer. She had immediately spotted the ice cream he was holding and had jumped off the swing in a matter of seconds.
"Of course I remember you!" little Clara cried out and the Doctor could see her cheeks redden just a little.
"That's good, cause I brought you the ice cream that I promised you. A few weeks late, but it still looks fresh. I think," he stared into the paper bowl, frowning, and it made Clara laugh.
"That ice cream can't be a few weeks old. It would have melted," she told him.
"Clever kid. But for all you know, this ice cream could be from the future. You would never know the difference," he bend down and whispered to her before he handed her the bowl.
Clara began eating it immediately.
The Doctor hadn't even noticed Ellie Oswald approach them until she stood right beside them.
"You haven't even told us your name," she had apparently realized this just now.
The Doctor was about to answer when he stopped to think about it. Clara was as smart as a kid as she was as a woman. If she heard the name The Doctor right now, she would definitely remember. Faces can fade and blur when children grow up, but a name like this would definitely stick. And he didn't really want her to remember that much when he saw her again in her 20s.
"John Smith," he replied simply.
"Well, John Smith, how would you like to join us for dinner?" Ellie Oswald asked, "We live right across the street and I don't know how else to say thank you."
Family dinner with the Oswalds – not what the Doctor had planned, to be honest.
"No, you really don't have to."
"But I want to. And I'm sure Clara would be happy if you joined us. Right, sweetheart?"
The girl nodded eagerly, her mouth too full of ice cream to answer properly.
"I don't want to be a burden," the Doctor was trying hard to find a reason not to go, but none would come to mind. The polite way would be to just accept the invitation.
"You won't be. My husband isn't home for dinner and I prepared way too much food for only Clara and me to eat. You would be doing me a favour, actually."
The Doctor heard himself agree before his mind could follow.
"But I do hope you're a good cook," he added.
"She is. She is the best cook in the world," Clara smiled broadly.