Chapter 26: Soaring

The next few days were spent letting the Tardis recharge. There were now hallways, bedrooms, and bathrooms to accommodate them, and the control room had reverted back to the way it had looked before. It bathed the Doctor's pale skin in a soft orange glow as he tinkered at his work desk.

As his first priority, he upgraded the Tardis shields to protect her against any psychic entities other than himself and Clara. This would prevent the hostile Tardis from infecting the Old Girl's mind, if it could even get past the upgraded shields. Next on his list, a new invention he was sure Clara would like.

The Doctor pressed a button on in his sonic to tighten the final screws of the invisibility watch he had used back when he was a caretaker at Clara's school. It was nothing more than a trinket to him at the time, but now it could prove invaluable. If he was invisible, he could not be observed and turned to stone. Of course, he would also be vulnerable in this state.

Anything that could give them the element of surprise against Missy was paramount. The Tardis was not yet capable of taking off and he refused to be a sitting duck.

He tightened the last screw and finally the modifications were complete. He tested it out by turning the dial and instantly disappeared from view. He smiled, pleased with himself. Now, to test out its upgrade.

"Clara!" he called, his voice echoing down the corridors. "Come here, I have something to show you."

He could hear her footsteps tapping on the metal floor before he could see her. After a moment, she appeared from down the hall, curious. He must have finished whatever he was working on. He set the watch onto the workbench and beckoned her over. He pointed at it, forgetting she couldn't see his finger. "Clara, you remember this, right?"

Luckily, she had heard the clatter of him putting it down and reached towards the sound. Clara picked up the watch and looked at it closely. She narrowed her eyes. She had definitely seen it before but couldn't place where.

"Turn the dial," the Doctor suggested. Clara did so and vanished with a whoosh. She shrieked and dropped it, reappearing. It clattered to the floor but seemed unharmed.

"Your invisibility watch, I remember," she murmured, still a bit shocked. Her eyes widened in realization. "Oh, that could be quite an advantage."

The Doctor nodded. She caught on quick. "But that's not the only thing it can do." He bent down to pick it up. He pressed a button on the side and handed it back to her. This time, nothing seemed to happen.

"I don't see any difference," Clara wondered aloud. She turned the watch around in her hands, trying to figure out what she was missing.

"Ah, but there is a difference, Clara." He smirked cheekily. He took the watch back and buckled it to his wrist. "Look at me."

Clara was taken aback. "I can't, remember? You'll turn to stone."

"Trust me, Clara," he coaxed. "Look at me."

Cautiously, Clara brought her gaze to his voice. She flinched, waiting for him to turn to stone.

But he didn't.

There he stood in front of her, in the flesh. He smiled. His invention had worked. "Oh. My. God!" she exclaimed, hands over her mouth in excitement. "I can see you now and you haven't turned to stone!"

Finally, he caught those wide brown eyes. It was the first time he had seen them in almost two years. He nearly choked up. He cleared his throat. "Quantum suppressor, Clara." He tapped the watch proudly. "Weeping Angels defend themselves with a quantum locking defense mechanism. This watch represses that, forcing objects in flux to stay in one quantum state or the other."

"Basically, quantum particles are compelled to behave the same way whether they're observed or not observed."

"That's genius," Clara gasped, genuinely impressed. She stepped forwards cautiously, as if he could turn to stone again any second. He did not, no matter how much she looked. What a gift this was.

Finally, she could appreciate his true beauty as a Weeping Angel. His wings were stained blood-red on the interior and as iridescent black on the exterior as a raven's. She could see the colors while he was stone too, but not so brightly. The crimson seemed to drip like blood every time the feathers moved. He wore his usual Crombie with the red interior lining, a perfect mirror of his wings. It had been hemmed in the back to accommodate the large limbs. She reached out to him hesitantly, her eyes wide in wonder.

The Doctor took her hand, reassuring her. "It's me, Clara. It's still me."

Clara beamed and could not hold back any longer. Laughing with joy, she jumped into his arms and wrapped herself around him fiercely. He nearly toppled over but caught himself. He hugged her back and squeezed her so tightly he worried it would hurt. "Clara, my Clara, we're back."

He lifted her off the ground and spun her around in joy. Their laughter filled the console room with joyful echoes. The Tardis wheels spun and warbled happily. Finally, they could see each other. No more voluntary blindness, no more bumping into objects, no more awkward conversations without eye contact, and no more stone. He was as vulnerable as she was now, but he didn't care. He was with his Clara again and that was all that mattered.

He set her back down, but hopefully only temporarily. "Clara," he breathed, cupping her face in his hand. Those big brown eyes had welled up with tears, and he found that his own had too.

"Clara, would you like to go for a ride?"

"A ride?" She inquired, curious and a little afraid. "What kind of ride?"

He held out his hand and she took it eagerly. He led her to the Tardis doors which parted with a snap of his fingers. "I'll show you."

They stepped outside into the cool nighttime air. The salty sea breeze flowed over the cobblestones like water. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the stars shone brightly. It was August, but the air was still chilly. The Doctor moved behind the Impossible Girl, taking off his Crombie and draping it over her shoulders. Grateful, she hugged the lapels to her chest for warmth. He brought his arms around her back and hugged her tightly.

"Hold on tight!" he yelled, and before she had a chance to react, he leaped from the cobblestone and propelled themselves into the air on powerful wings.

"Ahhh! Doctor!" Clara screamed, clinging to his arms around her middle for dear life. They soared higher and higher into the night sky with each flap of his mighty wings. The world became small beneath their dangling feet. With their Tardis keys around their necks, nobody could see them. It was just the two of them. They had the whole sky to themselves.

Soon, the Doctor reached an altitude with favorable warmer winds. He hardly had to flap his wings here, just soaring on the air currents whispering around them. "Relax, Clara. I won't let you fall."

Clara forced herself to calm down. She took a few deep breaths and steadied her racing heart. She could hear it throbbing in her head.

"Straighten out your legs behind you, Clara, like you're lying flat on your belly. Hold out your arms like a plane."

She did as she was told and suddenly their flight became much easier. The wind buoyed her up now instead of dragging against her. She looked down, feeling dizzy with vertigo at first. She swallowed the feeling and took in her bearings. Down below was the city of Cardiff, twinkling like fireflies. Cars seemed like ants crawling through the streets. People looked even smaller.

He flew to the east and soon they were over the Bristol Channel. The sea lapped gently at the serene cliffs that made up the coastline. Gulls flocked around them, curious about the giant bird they now shared the sky with.

The navy blue waters shimmered in the moonlight, seemingly dancing. Ships and barges trudged through the channel, busy on their way. They left white wakes in their path. On the trail of a fishing trawler, bottlenose dolphins could be seen jumping and twisting after the bycatch the fishermen threw out to them. She felt like the dolphins right now. Gliding and free.

"Woohoooo!" she shouted with joy. She pumped her fist in the air. "Yeah!"

The Doctor looked down at her with a soft smile on his face. Her eyes were as wide with wonder as he had ever seen them. The starlight twinkled in them, and he had never been more in love. He held her tighter, making up his mind to never let her go again. She found beauty in the sights around her, but he found beauty in her.

Slowly, he began his descent, circling westwards back to the city. He dipped lower, bringing her close enough to the water to almost touch it. Dolphins leaped and twirled with them, clicking and whistling with play. Clara reached out and felt the slippery skin of one as it jumped towards her hands.

Reaching the cliffs, the Doctor flapped his wings to gain altitude again. The sea air pushed him from behind and gave him the momentum to clear the sheer rock faces. Sheep dotted the lush fields atop the mountains. Somewhere, a sheepdog barked, chasing after them until it ran out of grass.

Finding the Tardis, he decided to circle around the city again as he shed altitude. Clara hummed, exhilarated. They had not spoken a word to each other in nearly a half-hour now. They did not need to. They basked in the comfortable silence and the sounds of the night. Crickets chirped in the distance and cars honked with whatever urgency humans thought they had. Seabirds called with their usual squawks and the ocean crashed against the shore.

Finally, they came back to the cobblestone courtyard where the Tardis stood imposingly against the black. The light atop her roof flickered on, greeting them. The Doctor fanned his wings out to slow them down. He hovered in midair, gently setting Clara down on her feet before landing himself. He tucked his wings back in, slightly panting with exertion.

Clara locked eyes with him and charged him before he even had a second to catch his breath. She grabbed him by the vest and pinned him against the Tardis doors, kissing the living daylights out of him. He froze in shock before melting into her. He brought his arms up over her waist and held her close.

She broke the kiss, gasping. She snapped her fingers and the doors opened behind him, nearly causing him to tumble backwards. He stumbled and stepped back into the ship.

"Let's do that again sometime."

She snapped her fingers again, and they disappeared into the Tardis. The light on top clicked off, indicating it was closed for the night and its occupants were not to be disturbed.