Will Ten be rescued, and Time preserved? Read on...
After Clara cut the ropes, Ten sprang up and charged towards the door.
"Come on Clara!" he shouted "They're going to shoot".
"No you go ahead" Clara cried out. "You've got to get out, don't worry about me. Run!"
As Ten reached the door he heard Clara's voice calling out
"Run you clever boy and re…"
and then the sound of bullets, a terrible groan and the sound of a body crashing to the floor.
Filled with dread and guilt, Ten continued running, past a prostrate guard that Clara had overcome and out into the café again, pursued by two gunmen. There he saw Eleven. And Clara.
"No time to explain!" he shouted. "I don't know what the hell is going on, but we've got to get back to the TARDIS right now. Two gunmen are after me."
Outside the café, Eleven used his sonic to lock the door of the café.
"That'll buy us a few seconds"
And with that the three of them ran across the amusement park, with the two gunmen in distant pursuit, once they'd blasted the door of the café open. It was a desperate struggle for Clara to keep up with the two Doctors, her little legs pumping away, even with Ten being slowed down by the after effects of the Chloroform, and Eleven by his wet trousers. Somehow they made it back to the TARDIS, and got out of Space Blackpool alive, and back out to deep space.
All three were slumped on the floor of the TARDIS, trying to come to terms with what had happened. Eventually Ten spoke.
"I was a goner. The Great Intelligence were ready to kill me, and with me being out of my proper timestream, it would have caused chaos. Potentially hundreds of years of our existence could have vanished, or worse still Time itself could have collapsed with the paradox."
"Then I hear this noise behind me as a door burst open, and this familiar voice calling out to me. Oh yes, it was you Clara, come to save me. Then I turned around, and noticed your hair and clothes were different and realised that it wasn't you. But everything else was identical about her, and she responded to the name Clara, it was one of your fragments I guess."
"W-what then happened" stuttered Clara, struggling to keep her emotions under control.
"She cut the ropes and I ran to the door" continued Ten. "I shouted at her to come on, but she stayed behind to cover my exit. As I exited the room I heard the sound of bullets and she fell. She must have got in their way as they were trying to shoot me, she sacrificed herself to enable me to escape."
With tears in his eyes, he continued.
"As I was escaping she spoke these strange words before she was gunned down. Run you clever boy and…"
"Remember" added Eleven. "Oh Clara, you saved the Doctor again."
Eleven went to hug the distraught Clara, overcome with grief for the Clara fragment who'd sacrificed herself to save the Doctor, gunned down within yards of where she had stood, oblivious to what was going on.
"There there, it's over now " Eleven continued as he stroked Clara's hair. "We can never thank you enough for what you've done again and again for us. Where would we be without you? There was nothing you or I could have done to save her, it was her destiny."
"The nightmares have been horrible, but at least they were distant Claras, something you could try and dismiss as happening to someone else. This brings home the reality that these are real people, who die in horrible ways. We were so close to her, if things had been different we would have met her, maybe even saved her."
"Well I'm never letting anything like that happen to you" replied Eleven as he kissed her on the cheek. "You will always be the original Clara, my Clara. I don't know what would happen if you met one of your fragments, whether the paradox would cause problems. Old sexy would have a fit if she saw two of you though."
"I understand you were stuck in the tunnel" continued Ten." The Great Intelligence did that to separate you from me. How did you get out?"
"There was an exit door in the tunnel" replied Eleven, "which we found. As you can see, I didn't manage to reach it without falling in."
"I was wondering why you looked so wet. I'd thought Clara had pushed you in after you did something inappropriate," Ten winked at Clara, trying to cheer her up.
"Chance would be fine thing" giggled Clara, starting to regain her composure.
"Ok, you pushed him in because he was rambling on about stuff, and not doing anything inappropriate then!"
"That's more like it!"
"I resent the implication that I wouldn't do anything inappropriate in the Tunnel of Love" Eleven moaned. "No, hold on, that means I would do something inappropriate, and that's not right, er and suggestions that I would ramble on about stuff instead of using the opportunity to tell the girl next to me in the boat how much I love her are completely wide of the mark. Oh, er sorry that kind of slipped out, um, I didn't mean, well yes I do mean, but…"
"Doctor, shush" as Clara put a finger over his lips.
"I think I ought to be getting back to my own timestream and Rose" interrupted Ten. "The events of today show that it's too dangerous for me to exist outside of my proper timeline for very long. Besides, I think you two need to be alone" he grinned.
Eleven set the TARDIS on course to return to Ten's TARDIS.
"Clara" Ten continued, "When I go back to my TARDIS and wipe my memory, I'll completely forget about what happened today, but I assure you that I'm eternally grateful for what you and the Clara fragments have done. It's a strange thought that I won't remember the events of today for several hundred years, until it is time for me to be with you in the Tunnel of Love. And fall in, yuk! But until then, Allons-y!"
Ten and Clara embraced, then Ten and Eleven embraced.
"Allons-y Doctor!" Eleven added. "It's been a pleasure travelling with you."
"Goodbye Doctor" Ten replied. "You've got someone very precious with you, look after her."
And with that Ten exited the TARDIS and entered his TARDIS, and Eleven and Clara were alone again.
"Clara."
"Yes Doctor?"
"In your nightmares, do you ever remember details? Do you remember saving Ten in Space Blackpool?"
"My memories are all hazy, and the actions of all the Claras tend to blend into each other."
"It's probably better that way. That way each sacrifice made by one of your fragments won't seem as personal and real."
"I guess so. It's a shame that we had to leave Space Blackpool, as it looked like a fun place and we never got to try all the other attractions. Are there any other planets based on holiday resorts we could try? One without the Great Intelligence or anyone else trying to kill us preferably. And ideally a bit less petrifying than that roller coaster, which was horrible. Even with Junior to hold and comfort me."
Eleven scowled slightly.
"Ooh, getting a bit jealous are we!" Clara smirked. "And don't try to deny it, Chinboy, I know you too well. "
"No, yes, no not at all, er shut up!"
"Well how about finding somewhere else for us to go, as this time it'll be you and only you who will be there to hold and comfort me if I get scared. Unless Steven Moffat reappears of course!"
Eleven cheered up again.
"Space Luna Park fits the bill perfectly Clara, inspired by the pioneering 1903 New York attraction, it's far more gentle and relaxing. It attracts a wide variety of visitors from all galaxies too, just like the marketplace when we visited the Rings of Akhaten., so a really diverse and fun crowd. Though without the angry God threatening everyone, I hasten to add. Promise."
"Does it have a Tunnel of Love?"
"Er, yes, it does indeed have a Tunnel of Love."
"Good, as I think you've got something to tell me, and where better to do it."
Eleven smiled awkwardly.
"And someone's going to get very wet again if he doesn't tell me properly!"
Eleven looked a bit worried, while Clara laughed.
"However, I know my Chinboy will get it right this time!"
And with that Clara kissed him on the cheek, and went off to get ready.
All reviews very welcome. A bit of a dark start to the chapter, but it all worked out for the two Doctors and Clara in the end!
There will be a sequel to this at some point in the future...
