I am really, really sorry that I haven't posted in so long! Well here it is. Thanks for reading. Again, I always appreciate reviews.
Clara waited, leaning against the wall with the garlic strung up just a foot or so above her head. She was safe and would continue to be as long as she stayed on this side. And she would, at least until Amber returned with the Doctor.
But Clara was growing impatient. It felt like it had been hours since Amber had headed off to find him. What if Amber had abandoned her? Or worse, what if she had realized that there was no hope for the Doctor and had given up? Clara held the water bottle filled with her last hope to her chest protectively, silently willing Amber to return with the Doctor.
She'd kept her flashlight on the entire time, afraid to be left in the dark. But she worried that it would go out just when she needed it most. She was going to turn it off, just for a few minutes, when two shadows began approaching her. At first, she squinted to see them, but soon they were within her view.
It was Amber and the tall, lanky bowtie- clad man walking next to her was definitely the Doctor. But as they drew closer to her, she could see just how different the Doctor looked. His skin was snow white, any drop of vibrant color had seemed to be bleached and she could vaguely see blue veins under his skin. His lips were pale, as if he was sick and dark shadows had manifested under his eyes, which were an odd mixture of red and gold now.
His face had changed too, but only subtly. If she looked quickly at him, then he looked the same, but upon a closer investigation it became obvious that many things were different. His face was more drawn and seemed to have taken on a more angular look. The paleness of his face made his skin look like marble and the emotionless look that he carried made her think that perhaps all he was now was a walking statue.
The way he walked had also changed, she noticed. Before he had walked in a kind of way that only someone as lanky as him could pull off, but now he walked with a kind of overconfidence. He stood up straighter as he stepped towards her. She was surprised to find herself describing his new walk as graceful. But that's what it was.
However, there was more to his new demeanor than simply graceful or statue-like. There was a sense that at any moment he would pounce. That he could, and would, suddenly shift into attack position. Worse than that though, he gave off the air that if he did attack then he would win. She went through her memories of the Doctor and could not remember a single time when she'd felt threatened by him, until now. Unconsciously, she took a step backwards.
A small smile twitched at the edge of his lips; he'd noticed her step backwards. He was pleased by it. This frightened Clara even more; he was glad that she was scared by him. But now was not the time to show fear, least of all fear of the man she was trying to save.
Mustering all of her bravery, Clara took a step forward. If the Doctor was surprised by this he didn't show it. Clara now stood just one inch behind the line that separated her from the Doctor.
"Hello Doctor." She said in as calm a tone as she could.
He cocked his head to one side and stared at her, but did not answer right away. He was observing her, she realized. His new eyes glided around in their sockets, looking her up and down. They stopped on her face and stayed there. The eyes were unnatural and not at all like the ones she was used to seeing on the Doctor. His eyes would have stared at her with a kindness that could almost be described as grandfatherly and with a curiosity that made him look like a child. These new eyes showed no kindness, pity maybe, but no kindness. They were the eyes of a ravenous animal and although they too appeared curious, Clara was sure it was only a curiosity as to what she tasted like. Clara knew that she could not let him intimidate her, so she stared straight into his eyes. Her hands had started to shake slightly and she could feel the slight moistening of them with sweat. She was afraid, but she couldn't let him know it.
Finally he answered. "Hello Clara."
Clara was at a loss for words. How different his voice had become! It was still obviously his, but it had become more smooth and more refined somehow (which she thought was quite ironic). His voice stuck on certain syllables that they hadn't before, she thought it sounded like he was trying to sound different. Like he was trying to create a new voice for himself, one that he thought fit his new persona more.
"Clara," He said before she could say anything. ", you smell amazing."
She didn't know how to respond to that.
"Did you know that?" He asked, a smile spreading across his face, showing stunningly white teeth. "Did you know that I could smell you? Why, I can nearly taste you."
Clara mustered her courage, looked the Doctor straight in the eye and said. "Doctor you need help."
He laughed. It was a cold, uncaring laugh that told her that she was losing him. "You're such a silly thing, Clara. So small and delicate… and breakable. That's the problem with all those other species. Their bodies break so easily. Break and decay." He gestured towards his body, like it was suddenly something so new and different from what he'd had before. "Do I look sick or hurt or vulnerable?"
She had to admit that he did not look any of those things, but that didn't mean that he didn't need her help. He looked strong and unbreakable now, but he also looked vicious and bloodthirsty. He was getting less and less like the Doctor by the minute.
"Doctor this isn't right." She said. He smiled again, as if what she'd said was the funniest thing in the world. "No!" She cried, reminding herself of a whining child. "Stop that! Don't just smile and laugh! This isn't funny. This isn't you."
"Why?" He asked, looking truly confused.
"Why?" And she was confused by his question.
"Yes, Clara. Why? Why can't it be me? It doesn't fit me, does it? Power? Strength? Agility?" He was getting angry and the angrier he got the less like the Doctor he looked. A fire ignited behind his eyes and his iris' turned blood red. Something primal was oozing out of him, he was beginning to look more and more like a hunter.
Clara was getting more and more angry herself though. This wasn't him. This wasn't the man who had run up to her door dressed as a monk and taken her out to see places beyond her wildest dreams. He was the man she was fighting for right now. And she would fight as hard as she could, because he was a good man worth fighting for.
"Doctor," She said letting her anger seep through into her voice. ", this isn't you, because you aren't a monster. You're a good man. You'd never hurt anyone. I don't care if you're stronger or faster or even smarter, because you've turned into something you're not, which is a killer! A cold blooded murderer!"
The redness in his eyes receded slightly and she could see their original color peeking through underneath. His entire physicality seemed to change in an instant. Again, the slightly clumsy, lanky man stood in front of Clara, maybe not in his full capacity, but more so than he'd been before. His face had softened, looking more natural now instead of stone-like.
He smiled sadly at her and she could see small wet tears welling up at the corners of his eyes. "I'm sorry Clara. I'm so, so sorry."
"It's okay." She said feeling like she was consoling a child. "It's just important that you're back. I've got a way to help… What are you doing?"
He'd stepped forward, coming towards her and stepping right over the garlic barrier. He was hunched over, his eyes staring straight at the ground. They didn't look up at her once as he said. "I'm sorry Clara. Really I am."
Clara backed away slowly. What was he doing? He'd seemed like the Doctor, he still seemed like the Doctor, but he was going to attack her. She didn't understand.
"What are you doing?" Clara heard Amber yell, but now that the Doctor was over the barrier Amber could do nothing. Clara was on her own.
"Please. Please stop." Clara pleaded. He'd crossed over the barrier, which was her only protection.
"I could have crossed over that line at any moment." His voice had transformed back, any sounds of humanity in it had been erased. "It was merciful of me to wait. Don't you think?"
In one swift motion, he looked up. Clara very nearly screamed, but she held it back. His eyes were blood red now. He licked his pale lips, with an equally pale tongue, imagining what she would taste like. He was hunched over, like he was crouching down, ready to attack. His arms were out, ready to grab her, and his fingers were wiggling excitedly.
"Doctor, you don't have to do this." He just kept coming closer. "Please stop! It's me, Clara, Doctor!"
With an unnatural burst of speed, he'd suddenly grabbed her. He held her close to him, smelling her. He let her scent intoxicate him. It was a magnificent scent and made all the more special, because this was his first real hunt. He laughed joyfully, a crazed sound.
"Doctor please stop!" Clara yelled, half mad with fear. "Please! You're not a monster, Doctor! You're not a killer!"
The Doctor smiled down at her. He grabbed her chin and made her stare up at him. There was nothing left of the real Doctor in his eye. He was just a rabid animal now.