Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Clara slammed her front door, hard. She was on the verge of tears, yearning to collapse against the door and unwind with a comforting cup of tea while rereading a Jane Austen novel. Having just finished school for the day, it had been particularly long and exhausting, thanks to her least favourite occasion: her birthday.

At the beginning of the day, the students seemed to be oblivious, as any teacher would expect. Who would remember such a detail of someone who they saw for an hour or two a day? Maybe even less?

Courtney Woods, that’s who.

During lunch, Year 9 English had planned a surprise party, covering Clara in confetti and surrounded by shrieking children as she entered the room. Though she was taken aback, she appreciated the gesture, even though most of the food provided was junk and the children became hyper. They sang karaoke and played games that left her utterly drained.

However, that wasn't the main cause of her current mood. It was her family. Her dad and stepmom had completely forgotten her birthday and had the audacity to post about their upcoming anniversary.

Clara likes to think she isn’t so vain that she needs everyone in her life to wish her a happy birthday, however she always looks forward to what adventure her Dad comes up with each year. Last year they taken a trip to Ireland, just the two of them.

Finally moving away from the door, Clara noticed the landline phone on the nearby table that her Dad insists is the correct way to contact family.

Seeing no voicemails, she saw red and flung the phone toward her bedroom door. It struck with such force that it left a dent—a display of strength even Clara didn't realise she possessed.

As she went to make a cup of tea, her mobile phone began to ring. In a fleeting moment of hope, she sighed and pulled it out of her pocket, only to find that the caller ID displayed "no caller ID."

Now, her father wasn't particularly tech-savvy (a trait she probably inherited from him—thank god for the Great Intelligence), so it was possible he had accidentally done this. With a mix of frustration and curiosity, she answered, fully prepared to unleash her anger on him.

Little did she know, she couldn't have been further from the truth.

"Hello, Clara, we need your help," a voice spoke on the other end.

"Kate, I'm not in the mood. I just got home from work, so count me out for any alien-of-the-week assistance. The most I can do right now is connect you to the Doctor," Clara said in misdirected annoyance, heading back to the kitchen to fill the kettle.

"Clara, please, we need you. The Doctor is already here, and he's furious," Kate pleaded desperately. Clara groaned, switching off the kettle and acquiring her motorcycle gear.

"Fine, I'll be there in ten," she hung up the phone, hopped onto her motorbike, and wondered what could be happening this time. It wasn't even Wednesday. Why couldn't aliens stick to a schedule?

—————————

Clara walked into the bustling headquarters, where people were running around frantically making calls. To her surprise, the Doctor was amongst them, commanding the chaos with authority.

She walked up to Osgood who seemed to be panicking and snapped her out of her daze.

“So what's happening?" she inquired, her concern evident.

Osgood struggled to explain, "An unknown alien has taken control of all government systems and is forcing countries to surrender one by one."

“A measly hack did all this. Easy fix where’s a laptop I can borrow.” It’s at times like this Clara was glad her amazing skills were not taken when she was downloaded back to her body.

“The thing is not even the Doctor has heard of this type of technology. Maybe you and him could work together to try and fix this.” Clara didn’t want to talk to him because they were still planning their last hurrah after the whole moon situation. It was messy and she was already having a shit day. But, regrettably she might add, if humanity needed them the dynamic duo was back in business.

She walked back to where she last saw the doctor and found him yelling at a bunch of people about them being incompetent. If Clara was honest, she couldn’t understand anything he was saying for them to do, let alone how it would help stop the takeover.

“Hey doc. So what help do you need” Clara spoke in a serious tone with no sense of familiarity or warmness to the time lord. He stopped yelling at the poor workers and turned to face her.

“Hi. Can you get onto a laptop and see what you can translate. It’s old Gallifreyan which I never properly learnt so if you could see if you can undo the mess that’s been made, that would be great.” He spoke in a careful tone as though Clara would explode at any minute from being told what to do.

While she felt a bit guilty because she’s the one who put The Doctor in this state, she does not believe she was in the wrong for what she said after their adventure. He should have given all the information he knew about the topic even if he wasn’t going to help them make the decision. Knowing about how babies don’t usually harm their nests would have been fucking helpful.

Clara then thought about what he had just said. It’s unlikely he didn’t know this language as she knew it was taught in the Time Lord academy through her echo counterpart.  Though he could’ve just ignored it for all she knew. That still didn’t explain one thing.

“Why can’t the Tardis translate it?” She found it odd that he was putting this all on her to do.

“The Tardis is having a bit of a fit right now and refuses to listen to me. It decided to park all the way in Spain so we are gonna have to do without.” Clara easily accepted this as it has happened before back on the submarine, though then it was because of the HADs. Anyways, she got to work.

For the next four hours, Clara tirelessly worked on various monitors, deciphering the old Gallifreyan and undoing the havoc caused. She occasionally glanced at the Doctor, who was mostly barking orders rather than contributing directly, and responded to a few happy birthdays from various workers between all the chaos.

In the midst of her work, Clara stumbled upon a video message hidden within the coding. An odd place to put it she thought.

“Hey Kate, come check this out.” Kate was talking to a group of people but quickly excused herself and walked over. Clara hit play on the video and made sure the sound is turned up.

There is a figure in robes devoid of any colour and they’re wearing a veil which covers their face. Clara felt as though she recognised the robes from somewhere but that thought was quickly washed away by a comforting force in her head.

The figure's voice in the video echoed hauntingly, "Humanity is sick."

Before Kate and Clara had time to make sense of this video and analyse it, Osgood ran up to them in a frenzy. She took out her inhaler and breathed it in before she spoke in a frantic tone.

“Kate we have an issue. There is a video file sent to us by the figure calling himself the emperor.”

“Well there’s two things we know about him. He is called the emperor and he loves recording himself.” Clara smirked as she spoke.

“Play it.” Kate spoke in a tone devoid of any fear or emotion. Clara quickly mimicked this as she was always great at putting on a brave face when needed. Clara pressed play as The Doctor finally moved from his spot and sat down next to her.

It was recording of a video call between all governments around the world. The newly claimed emperor was also on the call. One at a time each nation would either surrender or try to refuse which would end with uniformed people bursting in and the camera turning off. When it was Britains turn, the royal family refused and their screen went black immediately. The emperor then ended the meeting.

Clara's mind raced with the weight of the situation.

"What are we gonna do now?" she asked, glancing around at the crowd of people, each displaying a different emotion.

Chapter Text

UNIT was in panic. Everyone was running from computer to computer, desperately trying to hide files from any government access. Eventually everyone was moved into the black archives, as UNIT was at high risk of being invaded or shut down completely by this new emperor. Clara found a desk nearby and continued working on undoing the hack.

At this point, Clara had given up on retrieving government files until more information about this emperor popped up. So she shifted all her attention to periodically protecting UNIT’s cyber network and essentially erasing their online footprint. In order to do this, however, she needed to recode the entire system to match the Dalek hive just to be sure this alien couldn’t get in, which could take up to a week to complete. She was the best under pressure, but she couldn’t do this in her usual timeframe without awaking some disturbing memories about her echo’s time in a Dalek.

They spent weeks in this room because the fear of being caught was too much for many to bear. The only person going in and out was the Doctor who would give updates on the situation, which was usually the normal takeover shit. New laws, new jobs, new living conditions, and a new way of life. Eventually, The Doctor had some interesting news.

“He’s made his first public appearance.” He spoke to a panel specifically created by Kate. It contained, of course, The Doctor, Clara, Martha Jones, and the two Osgoods.

The panel of people were shocked into silence, itching to hear more as the typing of Clara’s keyboard filled everyone’s ears. The Doctor was clearly drawing this out for effect as he took his sweet time getting up the photos. Clara eventually got sick of this dramatic silence and broke it herself, just to annoy him a bit. 

“Was he cute?” she asked him with a grin on her face. The Doctor was clearly hurt by the interruption to what was bound to be a grand reveal.

“CLARA!” Martha shouted in disgust.

“What?! I haven’t seen a good-looking, emotionally available person in a month, and I miss making Danny jealous.”

“Emotionally available?" One of the Osgood’s questioned.

“We are in the middle of committing treason. Ain’t no one in their right mind.” Clara explained in a dismissive tone, as if treason weren’t that big of a deal.

“Can we please get back on topic?” Kate Stewart begged, clearly uncomfortable. Everyone nodded. “Doctor continue.”

“He did the normal villain speech about how all rebels will be found and forced into the new status quo.” He put up pictures on a projector. In some cases, the emperor was sitting on his throne while others spoke, and meanwhile, he would be making vague gestures for his servants to interpret. His mannerisms seemed familiar to Clara, but she soon felt that thought melt away; in its place, there remained a fuzzy feeling bouncing around her head.

“Did he ever speak directly to the population during this appearance?” Osgood inquired.

“Nope. Not a word.” The Doctor turned off the projector and seemed to be looking for an available seat at the long table. The only one left was right next to Clara, and, sensing this, she nodded and smiled, giving the doctor the ‘don’t make this weird’ signal for him to sit down. All the while, the committee was discussing this new information.

“Maybe he’s trying to hide something that may reveal his identity.” Martha Jones brainstormed.

“Can someone’s voice be that distinct?” The other Osgood added.

“If they are well known, then maybe.” Kate replied.

“I wonder how he communicates with his servants.” Clara whispered to the Doctor so as not to derail the line of thought the rest of the group had.

"Well, depending on the race, there can be a wide range of possibilities. He could have created a hive mind, for example, like with the Cybermen.” The Doctor whispered back a comfortable smile, warming his face and replacing the awkward expression he had developed beforehand.

"Well, we need to formulate a plan to stop him. Doctor, any ideas?” The Doctor and Clara were then tuned back into the conversation by Kate's commanding voice.

“Until I know what species the guy is, I can’t formulate a plan. If your pudding brains can figure it out, I can boot him off the planet with ease. However, it’s too risky without the proper knowledge of his capabilities.” Clara gave him a look of shock. Maybe he was trying something new and not being risky for a change.

“I see, well, everyone is dismissed. Clara, can you stay back for a second?” Everyone quickly exited the room to resume the demanding schedule of hiding an organisation from an alien, tyrannical ruler. This left Clara, Kate, and the Doctor in the room.

"Yeah, what’s up?”

“Alone.” Kate glared at the Doctor.

“What?” He replied with innocence.

"Doctor, you can go back to trying to get your Tardis to come back. I just need to talk to her alone, please.” He rolled his eyes and walked up to Clara. He then leaves the room while muttering insults.

“Give me a shout if she tries puddifiying your brain.” Clara looked at him with annoyance as he left the room.

“Don’t mind him, Kate. He hasn’t been himself since our fight.” She said, in a desperate move, to be polite after the Doctors’ rudeness.

“He goes through these slumps sometimes, but it has never been like this. I was hoping you could ask him for more information about what’s going on with him while we go about finding the emperor's identity. We will need him in a good mental state for when we want to take out the bastard.”

“The Doctor is fine; he doesn’t need any babysitting.” Clara said this, but in reality, she just wanted to avoid any more interactions with the alien.

"Clara, you just saw him say something was too risky.” Clara opened her mouth to come up with a rebuttal, but her mind was blank.

“Fair enough.”

“Just stick with him. Make an excuse or something. We are planning to go back up to the surface and back to our homes, so having him know where you are might be a blessing, even if it’s a bit awkward staying near him.” Kate gave a knowing smile.

“Sure.” She was not looking forward to this. Not only because of the time lord himself, but she also feared she would be sucked back into the exciting adventures that time and space brings. She had promised Danny that after this last adventure, they were planning for it to be over.

“I’ll go through the details of our return to normal life and how we will communicate with each other in the morning. For now, strike up a momentary truce with him, ok?” Kate gestured for her to leave.

“Fine.” She hoped the alien’s attitude would make this addiction easy to kick.

Chapter Text

The Tardis door creaked open as Clara made her way inside. The Doctor was writing in his own language on the blackboard up the stairs. He seemed to be completely entranced by his own world. 

She took a deep breath, preparing herself for the awkwardest conversation of her life.

“You got the Tardis back, I see.” 

The Doctor’s head shot around to find the source of the sound. His eyes were wide with surprise, but he quickly readjusted himself.

"Yeah, it took a bit of convincing.” She thought she saw him glare at the Tardis but decided she was just seeing things.

The time lord started fiddling with his piece of chalk between his hands while refusing to make eye contact with his previous partner in crime. Clara then thought of a classic companion question while they were both standing there awkwardly.

“Any new leads on who the guy is?” The Doctor looked at her like her eyes had gotten even larger than humanly possible.

“Why would you think I have any?” Clara shrugged as she made her way closer to the staircase.

“You always have theories.”

‘And you always like to share them in long monologues that could fill this weird gap of silence we have formed.’ Clara cleverly kept this thought to herself.

"Well, I might have a hunch, but I shouldn’t say anything yet just in case he may be listening.”

She found this strange, as she didn’t know how they could have put any listening devices on the Tardis, let alone inside it, but it is always good to be cautious. It would be a nice, but weird, change of pace.

The Doctor went back to writing on the blackboard as Clara climbed the stairs and found a comfy chair to sit on near by to continue her work on the laptop that might as well be glued to her.

An hour of comfortable silence passes between the two. Clara sometimes caught him staring at her while she worked.

The Doctor suddenly stopped writing to slowly approach the scary human he had seemed to label her as.

“I've got you a small gift.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small white box. She stopped typing and looked up at him.

“For what?”

“Your birthday? Don’t tell me I got it wrong again.”

Clara remembers last year when he set up a confetti canon in her room two months before the desired date. She made him clean up all the confetti as punishment for the fright of her life it had given her when she walked in.

“Oh my god, I totally forgot. Thanks.” It’s hard to remember these things in a literal world take over. Clara opened it to find a small chain bracelet with various charms. “It’s beautiful.”

She put it on and then slapped his arm in slight annoyance.

“Ow! What was that for!?” The Doctor held his arm in defence and pain.

“It's been a month!” She walked back towards the main console as he followed closely behind her.

“We haven’t talked for a month.”

“You could have tried, at least!”

"Oh, I’m sorry. Last time you saw me, you told me to clear off.”

Clara turned around to face a hurt alien and felt a twinge of guilt.

“Listen while I stand by my opinion about that incident.” Her voice softened. “I do realise we could have talked it through a bit more, preferably without the yelling. All this to say, I’m sorry for reacting like that.”

The Doctor's tense stance loosened a bit as he leaned on the control panel, but then he suddenly jumped off.

“And I do see the error in my ways. Mostly. So, I will seek to try and repair them in the future.” 

Clara smiled at the man's attempt at apologising.

“You better! We are partners! Neither of us is better than the other.”

His face lit up with a little hope at his companion's words.

“What are you saying?”

What was she saying? Could she just hop back on the Tardis like nothing ever happened? She didn’t have to let Danny know about it.

“I guess I am saying I want to keep on travelling with you. If you’ll have me?”

The Doctor was now fully smiling at his friend, no longer afraid of her rejection.

"Oh, Clara Oswald I would want nothing more.” She then forced him into a hug while he grumbled less than usual.

He extracted himself from the hug and leant back onto the console. He was quiet for a bit, almost like he was thinking about something. Clara then saw the Tardis electric shock the Doctor as he held his arm in pain and quickly moved away from the machine for the second time, it seemed. She laughed a little at the Tardis being mad at him for using her as furniture.

"Uh, did you want to sleep in the Tardis tonight? I can’t imagine UNIT being any better.” He tried to cleverly cover his embarrassment.

“Those beds are atrocious. I think they all have bed bugs. Clara couldn’t see any cons to this arrangement yet.

“Sure, why not?”

"Well, see you tomorrow.” He waved her away, signalling that he was about to go back into his internal monologue and needed some privacy.

“Night!” She yelled back. She then heard muffled swearing as she walked away.

She then felt the Tardis’ presence in her mind, telling her which direction to go to find her bedroom.

Only that wouldn’t be what she would find.

Chapter Text

Clara was at the whim of the Tardis for hours. She had been wandering the halls via its instructions, which she was beginning to suspect to be another tiger in the bathroom situation.

Clara’s been so bored that she’s made a list of reasons why not to tell Danny she is travelling with the Doctor again. Just for reassurance. Not because she thinks she’s making a mistake. She has 200 reasons so far.

“You know I thought we were on good terms, you and I!?” The Tardis did not respond, only giving more directions to the helpless human.

“If it wasn’t for the fact this place was infinite, I would have half a mind to turn back!” Again, she was ignored.

She continued to follow the purposeless directions, feeling like a pig following the carrot that is sleep. Each corridor looked the same, lacking any difference in colour or material. She peeked occasionally through the slightly opened doors scattered between long hallways. She saw familiar rooms such as the library pool, as well as new rooms like what seemed to be a hat room. Eventually she got fed up.

“That’s it. I’m calling the Doctor.”

“DONT!” A hologram of Clara suddenly shouted this as she appeared in front of the real deal. Obviously the Tardis’ attempt at humour. Or so she thought.

"Ah, she decides to grace me with a hologram double of me. Once again.” The real Clara looked her up and down and began to walk in the other direction as the hologram followed desperately behind.

“Please just trust me.” Clara stopped in her tracks and turned around.

“I just wanna go to bed if that’s all the same with you.” She said, in annoyance.

“And you can after I show you something of great urgency.” The hologram changed to one of a slightly manic woman with big brown hair. Clearly, if the Tardis was willing to not insult her, this must be serious.

“You are lucky that I am too tired to argue. But if I see another one of me again, I will resign to sleeping on the floor.” She pointed to the unappealing floor.

Clara begrudgingly followed the hologram through corridors once more. They walked in silence as the Tardis felt Clara’s frustration grow.

“I am sorry that I have made you walk for so long; it was only because he was still inside this room.” An apology. The circuit must be broken.

“Who? The Doctor?”

“Yes, he doesn’t want you to see what’s inside. I have been waiting for you to stay over so I could show you without him knowing.”

Clara made a face.

“You are betraying the doctor. Has hell froze over.” She joked.

“It's worse than that.” The Tardis remained serious.

They arrive at one of the few rooms Clara has seen multiple times. The Med Bay. Time travel isn’t the safest thing out there. Reason 54 as to not tell Danny that she’s doing this again.

“Why are we at Med Bay?”

“Do a scan of yourself, please.” Clara raises an eyebrow as she steps onto the complicated scanner.

It covers her with green light as it scans her in order to determine if anything is off about her. The Doctor used to insist she do this after particularly dangerous trips. It finishes up as she gets off and goes to read the information.

Name: Clara Oswald

Age: 28

Species: Human, infused with a Mire Repair Kit

“What is that under species?”

The Tardis presses the screen.

Mire repair kits are battlefield medical kits used by the Mire and stored in their battle helmets. These chips link biologically with their patients and repair them continually.

If a species other than Mire is infused with one via moderation for compatibility, it would result in them being functionally immortal. No ageing would occur, and there would be increased immunity to illness and injury. Note that you can still die from major injuries.

Clara sees red; she punches the screen, shattering it and spraying glass shards everywhere, one of which cuts her hand. Did the doctor do this? He must, seeing as it would need modification. When would he have done this? Did he break into her home while she was sleeping? How dare he do this without asking her? What does this mean? Is she even human anymore?

"Oh, I’m going to kill him!” She screamed.

The hologram was clearly distressed, Clara noted. She may have misdirected her anger just a tad. She was glad someone had told her.

“Before you do that one more thing.”

Light engulfs Clara, most likely teleporting her somewhere. Would’ve been helpful so as to avoid all the walking she has been doing.

She forms inside a dark room covered in candles. Books are stacked everywhere, and it is so cluttered she can barely move. The Gallifreyan scribbles all over the many blackboards are unreadable to Clara. Her head begins to ache as she looks at the writings, almost as if she feared what they contained.

“So he has secrets. It's not like I didn’t know. What else could he be hiding that would make me more furious because, honestly, it can’t get any worse?”

Clara made her way through the tiny, insect-sized pathway that was available, looking at the odd memorabilia and decor surrounding her. She came across a much larger blackboard than any other in this room, the chalk almost covering the green background. As she approached it, The Tardis’ hologram scrunched her face in worry.

“Read the blackboard. I have translated a word for your convenience.”

While the blackboard was mostly in Gallifreyan, one word was now in English; it said,

“Valeyard? What is that?”

Clara grasped her head in shear agony as she felt one of her headaches become unbearable, a familiar warning sign that one of her echos is starting to break out of its confines in her mind. She fell to the floor as her vision became blurry.

This had occurred many times after she jumped into the Doctor’s time stream. He put her back together and, in addition, was able to create a system in her head so her human brain could cope with an unimaginable amount of lives swirling around her head.

This made it so she was able to access helpful memories and skills from time to time to help with every day life or the odd adventure. Every so often, however, a certain word or person would trigger one of these lives to break out of its chains.

She lost conscience and found herself drowning in her mind, helpless to the damage occurring in her brain. Clara saw glimpses of this echo’s life while struggling to regain control of her body.

She saw through the eyes of ‘The Coder’ standing among high council Gallifreyans as what seemed to be a trial took place. The Master was on a large screen behind her; the doctor with a brightly coloured ensemble was in the place of the defendant, and a man in black robes was in the place of the prosecutor. The Master began to do one of his trademark evil rants, which made the lady roll her eyes.

“They made a deal with the Valeyard, or as I’ve always known him, the Doctor, to adjust the evidence in return for which he was promised the remainder of the Doctor's regeneration.” The master explained to the Time Lords present in a calm tone while the Valeyard glared at him profusely. He then stood up to speak.

“This is clear-" The Doctor interrupted him.

“Just a minute did you call him the Doctor?” He kept his eyes on the Valeyard as he spoke, refusing to make eye contact with the Master.

“There is some evil in all of us, Doctor, even you. The Valeyard is an amalgamation of the darker sides of your nature somewhere between your 12th and final incarnation,” he laughed. “May I say you do not improve with age?”

The Coder watched as the trial continued, but she did not listen to the words spoken as she was pondering this revelation. Who should she help? Should she help the Valeyard with reformation or assist the doctor in defeating him? She came to the conclusion that she would-

Clara finally felt the Tardis telepathically organise the time lady’s memories into the existing filing cabinet inside her mind created by the Doctor. She had a massive headache as she awoke from this attack.

“Took you long enough!” She exclaimed in anguish.

“Thought some of the memories would provide clarity.” The hologram sat on a stack of books near her.

“I don’t really get how this applies to me.” Clara tried to see the memories more clearly, but it was mainly just a blur of words and people.

“The Valeyard is an amalgamation of the darker sides of your nature somewhere between your 12th and final incarnation.” The Tardis quoted as she stood up.

“Doesn’t mean anything.” The tardis rolled the holograms eyes. Clara bet that she was thinking ‘idiotic humans’ or something along those lines.

“Look around! You are just blinded by your trust in him!” Clara took a second to take in the room more clearly. Aside from the blackboard, there was an outfit hung that clearly matched the Valeyard’s one in her memory; however, the difference was that it accompanied a veil, the exact veil the Emperor wore.

If she thought about it, the entire outfit matched the Emperor’s, as well as the Doctor’s height and figure, which were the same as the Emperors. Even some of the mannerisms are seen in the very little appearances he has made. Or the telepathic communication. It finally all clicked into place as Clara made a frightening revelation.

“He wouldn’t. I mean the immortal stuff I understand because he is quite lonely and selfish at the worst of times. But that is just unthinkable.” Clara tried holding back a swirl of anger, sadness, and worry as she spoke. She had to be brave and face the truth. Why was that so hard?

“You and I both know he would given the right circumstances.” The Tardis took pity on her, and the hologram embraced her fragile figure as she curled up on the floor. While Clara could not physically feel the hug, it definitely was mentally there. Like it was hugging her brain.

They remained there for a moment as Clara collected her emotions and thoughts. She then shot up.

“Shit. How the hell am I going to get out of this? How is humanity going to defeat its only defence against the rest of the universe? How-“ She feels a prick in her skin as she slowly loses consciousness. The last thing she hears is the Tardis’ psychic voice telling her to let the sleep take her.

When Clara awoke, she was in her bedroom. It was nice to know she got there eventually. She had a quick look into her mind and saw that the Tardis had rearranged the few remaining memories as she slept. She will have to thank her for that later.

The Doctor or Valeyard or Emperor or whatever. Clara, too tired to care at this point, opened her door and turned on the lights.

“Good morning.” He smiled as he spoke. How could he say that after all he has done? How could he even face her? Clara just stared at him, not responding to the greeting.

"Clara, are you alright? Are we arguing again? Are you going to stop travelling with me because I said a thing?” That’s one way to put it. She snapped back to reality as she put on a facade.

"Yeah, all good!” She said cheerfully.

“Unit wants a meeting. It’s in an hour.” The Doctor explained, a smile lighting up his worried face.

“Ill meet you down there, just gotta get ready!” The doctor closed her door as Clara waited for the sound of the Tardis doors closing behind him. When she did, she finally processed the events of last night.

“I am royally fucked.”

Chapter Text

Clara eventually emerged from the Tardis with a distorted look on reality. Her trust was at an all time low as well as her self worth. She felt as though it was somehow her fault this had occurred. She had a sultry look on her face as she took a seat next to the man responsible for her troubles and prepared for the meeting.

“Ok is everyone present? Good. Take a seat. We will be talking about our return to the surface today. The Doctor has assisted in planning everything so it will be smooth sailing from here.” Kate Stewart said with confidence.

Clara snorted at that as everyone turned to look at her. She mumbled a quick “sorry” and blamed it on her lack of sleep.

“We will need to scramble the emperors security system placed around the base so we will be holding a party to drown out any noise. This is so we can subtly cover up the cameras with balloons and what not. Luckily Clara has found the location of every security camera in the vicinity.” She had been doing that for a couple of days now. All that work for nothing.

“Except the biggest spy camera of all.” Clara could not care less who heard at this point. It would all end the same way sooner or later.

Kate continued awkwardly, “Um well after the balloons have been placed we will get dressed in the appropriate clothing and leave unit headquarters. The cameras being covered will stop him from identifying any rebels as he so kindly puts it. Once we reach a place with cameras we will be in a crowd among random civilians so he will not be able to spot who left the unit building.” The Emperor or Doctor or asshole or whatever then stood up.

“Kate and I will then find a way to keep in contact with you all however for now you will need to return to your normal lives, Don’t break any rules, if you see family say you were working for the emperor for the last 6 months. Don’t raise suspicions.” Clara interpreted that as ‘keep quiet until you can be dealt with quickly’. My god she needed a drink.

“Clara anything to add?” He turned to her with a bright smile she wished she could eradicate with a swift slap, but that smile unnerved her now that she knew what it was hiding. No wonder he’d been nicer recently, he had something to be happy about. 

“Yeah we have some normal party things set up if you wanna indulge before you leave, seeing as we will be separated and under constant surveillance.” Clara heard groans from everyone at the meeting. She sighed,“I know I know fuck that guy.” She looked directly at the fucker next to her, smirking.

“As well as we might all be killed by the end of the night.” She mumbled afterwards.

Unit began to get ready for this party, setting up the balloons with masks over their faces to conceal their identity from any cameras they found. Clara stayed close to the so called Doctor so that he couldn’t try anything as well as helping with stuff he needed, mainly locations of cameras.

During this, Clara couldn’t help but feel as though she had experienced the death of a friend. It was odd to mourn a person who stood a couple meters in front of you. As they spoke to one another, it was as though nothing happened and that they knew nothing of each other’s intentions. As though The Valeyard didn’t take over the planet that was her home for so many years and as though Clara would travel with him for as long as she could.

Clara selfishly wished she never found out. That she could continue travelling with him and experiencing the universe. Leave the earth to its own demise. Turn a blind eye to his crimes. She felt her eyes begin to water so she excused herself from the tiny group she had been telling locations of cameras too.

She found her way back to the Tardis, mainly for comfort. Weirdly a sentient machine was the only one knowing what she was going through. Clara broke down as soon as the doors shut. She hung onto the railings tightly as the tears rolled freely from her eyes. This was her safe haven and The Tardis comforted her.

When Clara would eventually have to leave, she would have to put on a brave face but for now she could appear as weak as she wanted. She was owed that much as she found herself thrusted into the position to save everyone.

Humans were too naive and aliens wouldn’t hurt a man who has beat them time and time again. Deep down Clara knew if anyone was going to stop this, it was her. And she hated having to do it alone without the man she had and, against her better judgement, still cared about.

The Tardis doors creaked open. She knew who it was. She didn’t care. He could see it for himself what he has done to her.

“Clara? Are you ok? I saw you walk out. I just wanted to check up on you?” The Doctor spoke in a soft voice.

Clara didn’t respond. She couldn’t she just kept crying. He pulled her off the railing and embraced her in one of his best hugs to date. Damn him, even his hugs are getting better.

“You don’t have to talk that’s ok. I know it’s overwhelming this whole empire business. Being faced with your own planets destruction.  Saving the world or even universe takes a toll on everyone after a while.”

Clara chose to believe he was being sincere. That somewhere deep inside he still cared about her. That their partnership wasn’t a lie. That he knew what he was doing was wrong and that he would fix it. Like he always does. The Doctor continued,

“I also sometimes wish it would just stop. That I could take a break from everything. That I could walk past a bad situation and let someone else deal with it. It may seem selfish but its ok to think these thoughts because at the end of the day you’re a living being and deserve to want things.”

They stood like this for a moment in silence. She was trying to figure out whether the Doctor was merely lost in his grief and confusion of this new regeneration or if the Valeyard was truly evil that was formed by the new cycle given by the time lords on Trenzalore. She would never know the true answer of course but Clara needed to make a decision on what she believed was most probable. The man with an undecided name let go slightly and kissed her forehead.

“Take your time and come out when you’re ready. We can mingle until its time to leave for the surface.”

Clara smiled up at him through her dry tears. She finally made up her mind about him and many other questions that bounced around her head.

She decided that it wasn’t her fault that this had occurred and she would be damned if anyone said otherwise.

She decided that it was ok to mourn someone whom she had known and cared about for so long after they had gone astray.

She decided that she was glad she found out who the ruler was as she was never one who liked to be left in the dark and additionally out of control of her own future.

She decided that she would try to save humanity alone, despite everything. She was impossible after all, and there were others out there like her.

But most importantly, Clara Oswald had decided on a name to call the Timelord that she had travelled with, laughed with and almost died with on multiple close calls, a thought that brought a small smile to her features.

She separated from the hug and left with him silently as she then made her way to a small group of people at a near by table.

“Hey don’t forget to pour me a glass!”

At least alcohol would never try comfort her after stabbing her in the back. Unlike the Valeyard. Fucking asshole.

Chapter Text

After she got a drink, Clara settled in a corner of the room next to Martha and Kate. Her mood had significantly improved after a glass or two of her favourite alcoholic beverage, red wine, allowing her to fully acknowledge the decorations they had been painstakingly setting up all afternoon. 

The party’s theme was clearly black and white, as the balloons and confetti that adorned the room suggested; however, sprinkled among them were photos of the emperor surrounded by candles and what seemed to be fucking offerings. Clara herself had no input in the aesthetics of the fake party operation, but she sure as hell can assume who had. 

“So what’s with all the…Emperor shit?” Clara’s question was drowned out by the loud music and chatter surrounding the three of them, ensuring no camera or time lord could overhear her.

“Oh, we had to come up with a theme that was legal in the empire just in case any of the cameras caught anything, so the Doctor suggested we do a celebration of the Emperor’s crowning. Smart, no?” Kate remarked. 

Clara scoffed at that. She had to applaud the egotism of this man. As a massive egomaniac herself, even she was not this desperate for validation. Either the Valeyard thought it amusing, or he had a worship kink. Clara thought that it is likely to be both.

“Someone looks lonely.” Martha remarked as she gestured to the other side of the room, where the mastermind of the operation lurked, looking very contentedly at the pudding brains feigning admiration for his photos. 

He then looked over at them with that same look, prompting Clara to want to puke. She tried to hide her obvious distaste with an awkward smile back at him and a quick glance to the side.

Clearly her friends interpreted her actions as something else because they both exchanged glances and giggled.

“Someone should go see if he wants a drink.” Kate suggested looking pointedly at Clara, who was slowly shrinking into herself, wanting to disappear into thin air. 

If this night was going to consist of her being nudged to go speak to that traitor, then she needed stronger alcohol. Much stronger.

Martha and Kate’s constant giggling brought her back to reality as Kate began to speak. “Hey Clara, maybe-“

“I’m going to the bar.” Clara quickly cut them off, leaving the two confused as she darted for her destination. 

When she settled at the packed bar, Clara grabbed the attention of one of the Osgoods, who were acting as bartenders for the night, and ordered herself a shot, which she downed instantly.

A couple of unit guards she recognised were sitting next to her, so she engaged in polite small talk with them as she ordered a second shot. 

Then a third after the two guards left her to go dancing with their other friends, leaving Clara alone. 

A fourth was then ordered, which was begrudgingly given to her by Osgood after the two argued about how many she has had. Clara hoped she had been ordering from different Osgoods each time; she was not. 

After drinking it, she felt someone sit next to her, but she was so focused on getting the bartender's attention she didn’t even turn around to acknowledge them. They didn’t seem to mind, however, as they remained silent next to her, which, if she was in the right state of mind to notice, suspiciously caused any person who wanted to sit in the vacant spot next to her to quickly leave after seeing him.

By her fifth shot, Osgood had officially cut her off, so she dramatically dropped her head into her arms on the table while pouting. She then lifted her head slightly and turned to the right to see Martha approaching her with a concerned look on her face.

“Heyyyy!!! Tell Ozzie that I am fine to have another shot!” Clara exclaimed rather obnoxiously as she attempted to sit up and look sober but overcorrected herself and leaned all the way back into her chair. 

“I think you’ve had enough to drink, Clara.” Martha replied as she supported Clara’s right side as she stood up. 

“Ok…” Clara surprisingly was able to stand on her own, allowing her to look to her left and immediately freak out at the sight of the Valeyard, causing her to jump behind Martha.

“Woah, are you ok?” Martha shrieked as she became a sort of shield for her drunk friend.

“He gonna hurt me…” Clara muttered into her friend's ear, not breaking eye contact with the man in front of her.

“It’s just the Doctor, calm down.” Martha said at a normal volume. The time lord stood there with his arms awkwardly in front of him as if trying to coax her from behind Martha.

“Clara, it’s just me. I’m sorry I didn’t mean to give you a fright. I thought you knew I was next to you.” As he reassured Clara, he put a hand on her shoulder, causing her to flinch violently at his touch. 

“Backstabber…egomaniac…” She continued to mutter under her breath. The alien looked quite hurt at her rejection, looking down at his hand.

“Don’t take it to heart, she’s clearly out of it. In fact, I don’t think she will remember anything about this.” Martha reasoned as she pried Clara from behind her back to her side. 

“You’re right, we should probably leave for the surface early with her to ensure she gets home alright.” At this suggestion the three of them began to walk out of the building, leaving the party behind.

The time lord walked in infront of them as Martha continued to support Clara. They then make it outside into an alleyway leaving UNIT behind.

“I hope this plan works and we won’t be caught by the Emperor.” Martha whispered as they rounded the final corner leading to a crowd of people seemingly praying to a statue of the Emperor. 

“Already caught, right in front of us.” Martha halted at Clara’s words, hoping it was more drunken talk and not her actually noticing something.

“What are you talking about?” She replied.

“Valeyard.” Clara pointed accusingly at the man in front of them rather loudly. The man in question slowly turned around with an unreadable expression, causing Martha to feel slightly nervous.

“Do you recognise that name Doctor?” He quickly put on a clueless expression, which calmed Martha’s mind. He then looked over to Clara, who had fallen asleep on top of Martha, who could now not move with this extra weight.

“Never heard of it in my life. Must be more drunken thoughts.” He went over and picked up Clara's unconscious form with ease and carried her the rest of the way to her house, with Martha following close behind.

Upon entering, the Valeyard placed Clara onto her couch as Martha draped a blanket on top of her. He then kneeled next to Clara’s sleeping form, not taking his eyes off her as she readjusted. Martha stood and smiled sadly at her condition. 

“I have a feeling this empire business has taken a toll on her. Look after her, yeah?” Martha uttered quietly before turning and leaving the flat, not waiting for an answer.

“Of course, I have a duty of care after all.” He said melodically to himself as he placed a kiss on her forehead before leaving the flat as well. 

Chapter Text

Pain. That’s all Clara felt as she started to wake up. She tried to will herself back to sleep, but this pain in her head refused to give up its hold, so regrettably she opened her eyes. This made Clara realise she was not in her bed but on her couch. Odd, as she didn’t remember ending up there.

In fact, she didn’t remember much about last night, other than witnessing the Valeyard’s massive ego trip that was that party. Ah, that’s it, Clara thought; she must have gotten shitfaced. She deserved it after all she has been through in the past couple of weeks. A terrible thought started to wiggle its way into her head. What if she said something to incriminate herself? 

Clara slowly removed the blanket tucked around her and went over to the window to open the blinds. The sun was quite bright today, which made the rest of her view even more jarring. In the far distance there was a large group of people praying to a statue, which made her head spin. She then made herself a cup of tea to ease her nerves, along with taking an Advil for her headache. Clara sat back onto her couch with her beverage when her phone buzzed with Martha’s name appearing.

Good morning! How are you feeling?

She smiled at the message. Maybe she could clear a few things up about last night.

have a giant headache, but other than that, right as rain 

Do you mind if I call? I have a couple of questions about last night. 

Without responding, Martha quickly called her.

“Yeah, what’s up?” Martha sounded hesitant. Was Clara really that awful last night? She tried to laugh it off.

“I have no recollection of last night. Did I do anything?” She thought of how to put this in a way that wouldn’t warrant any more concern. “Embarrassing?”

She chuckled in response. “No, don’t worry, you didn’t make out with anyone or anything like that.”

“Oh thank god.” Clara laughed alongside her feelings of worry washing away. She felt comfortable enough to take a sip of her tea.

“You were just kind of strange.” At her words Clara’s anxiety returned like a sudden tsunami, along with a coughing fit due to choking on the drink.

“What do you mean by strange?” She asked hesitantly after she composed herself, fearing the answer.

“I don’t know, you seemed…jumpy? Like, almost freaked out? You were especially off when the Doctor and I dropped you off.” Martha responded, her concern more evident as her speech quickened to the point where Clara almost missed that last bit. 

“Sorry, you said the Doctor dropped me off?” Clara resisted the urge to grimace as she spoke his name.

“Well, you were really drunk, and both of us didn’t want you returning alone, so we walked you home. It was actually kind of sweet he picked you up when you collapsed and tucked you in. He even stayed behind a bit to make sure you were alright. You know, maybe this regeneration isn’t as cold as we thought. Maybe—” She tuned the rest out. If Clara wanted to hear someone gushing about that man, she could join those people outside her window rather then listen to the rest of this.

Well, if he did these, as Clara would describe them, ‘performative gestures’, maybe his oblivious nature worked in her favour and he didn’t suspect a thing regardless of her jumpy nature around him.

Clara was then brought away from her thoughts when she tuned back in to Martha’s rant. 

“-Yeah, so anyway, he took your outburst at him quite well.” Her blood went even colder than her now forgotten cup of tea.

“Outbursts?” Her mind raced; slightly nervous was one thing, but an outburst. They say that drunken words are sober thoughts, and Clara’s recent thoughts about the Valeyard were anything but kind.

“Mhm, you said that he was… What was the word…Valebard?” Martha's words forced Clara to stand up in shock.

“I what?” This was bad. Clara’s paranoia began to increase as she frantically began to check every nook and cranny of her house for evidence of tampering. She ran from room to room locking windows and closing all the blinds. Not that any of it would stop a certain Time Machine from spawning in her apartment, but she tried not to focus on things she couldn’t control.

“You mentioned how he was that, and the emperor had already caught us. Slightly odd, I must admit. Anything we should be concerned about?” 

Clara was about to respond when she almost fainted at the sight of the Valeyard’s stupid stick insect caller ID. She should change that to that one villain from The Hunchback of Notre Dame. 

“Hey Martha, I’m going to have to call you back; the Doctor’s calling.” Clara hung up quickly before she could respond. Her thumb hung over the answer button.

“Ok, Clara, you can do this.” She muttered to herself, and her thumb pressed on the green symbol. 

“Hey man, what’s up!” Ok, not a great start, ‘man’. Seriously?

“Do you remember anything from last night?” Getting right into it, cool. One thing Clara disliked about this regeneration is that he didn’t believe in small talk. Oh well, at least he’s remained consistent despite his corruption.

“Other than a lot of alcohol and a killer headache, why?” Clara had to tread carefully. Obliviousness is something she was never good at faking; however, lying was a strong point she could use to her advantage.

“I was just wondering if you remembered any…words said?” Clara’s paranoia reached a peak, to the point where if she paced around her apartment anymore, she would wear down the carpet.

“Well, I…have to be honest, not really. Why did I say anything to offend you?” She was inwardly pleading that he would dismiss her outburst as human nonsense and not a serious threat.

“No, don’t worry. Just odd things.” 

“Good. I haven’t gone drinking in a while so I wouldn’t rule out me doing anything like that.” That part was true; Clara can’t remember the last time she felt this hungover. You would think her newly lengthened life span might come with a faster metabolism. Thanks for nothing, jerk. 

“I remember you begging Osgood for drinks. You might have to apologise to them next time you see them.” The Valeyard chuckled as he spoke, which felt familiar and almost made her fears disappear. Maybe Clara had gotten away with this after all. 

“Oh god, let’s just hope I only offended one, not both.” She laughed alongside him.

“Yeah, it was a sight to witness. You know I never thought you were the grovelling type.” His voice levelled slightly at that quip.

“I’m sure it was, and I am not a groveller, thank you very much, unless I’m drunk, of course.” Clara joked back. 

“Noted.” Clara didn’t pay much attention to the strangeness of his response as she heard a pounding at the door.

Clara rambled to get off the phone, thankful for the interruption.

“You know what? I gotta go someones at the door. Probably those bloody neighbours, ok bye!” 

“Until next time, Clara Oswald.” Then she hung up and finally felt at peace.

“He is totally oblivious. I played him like a fool. One point for Clara.”

She then swung open the door and was met with tall and intimidating men dressed in a black uniform. Clara’s face paled.

“Shit. One point to Valeyard.” 

“You are hereby under arrest on the Emperor’s authority.” 

She was thankful then for her tiny stature as she easily manoeuvred her way out of the doorway and into the halls, breaking into a full sprint.

“Grab her!” Clara heard the secret police exclaim as she rushed down the stairwell and out of the building.

“Thank god I am not wearing heels!”

She ran as fast as her body would allow. Slipping through tiny streets, making nonsensical turns, anything to lose the surprisingly fast guards chasing from behind. After about 3 blocks of not seeing them, Clara made the mistake of taking a breather and ducked into a dark alley. She then poked her head around the corner after a minute and saw them heading right towards her. Clara cursed under her breath and wondered how they knew where she was. It was as she began to run again that she noticed a large number of cameras following her every move. Clearly the Valeyard was not going to let her get away. 

She made her way out of the local streets and towards busier local markets and shops. Clara expertly weaved through civilians and attempted to try and blend into the crowd by slowing down to a walk and keeping her head low. She wasn't able to change before falling asleep, so her clothing was black and white from the party which certainly helped. However, this was short-lived, as she spotted another set of guards patrolling near the large statue in the centre amongst praying individuals quickly whip their heads around and stare directly at her. Telepathic communication must have been used, as she couldn’t see any trace of earpieces alerting them to her presence. Clara began to run again, with not a single person daring to look up at her.

As she desperately tried to escape, a thought popped into her head. Clara got out her phone and began trying to hack into the camera systems. She typed vigorously as she ran, running into far more people than before. Clara spotted a run-down construction site nearby and started heading towards it. Running and hacking were not skillsets that went well together however she was able to shut the whole network down just before she entered the abandoned site.

Clara ducked behind a wall within the site and heard the footsteps of guards passing her. She closed her eyes and attempted to get her breath back. She peeked around the wall and saw the guards standing almost statue-like, almost as if waiting for further orders. Clara was just about to start planning her next steps when she felt her phone buzz. She took it out of her pocket and saw Danny's name and answered. 

“Danny, not right now!” She angrily whispered, trying not to give up her location.

“Are you busy with the Doctor again?” Clara was not in the mood to get in a fight. Well, she was, just not with her boyfriend.

“Believe me, that is the last thing on my mind. We are done for good.”

“I would like to believe that, but your location has been at UNIT for the last couple of weeks.” Danny clearly sounded agitated, but it wasn’t as if she could contact him; there was no reception after all.

“Listen, I get you want to fight, but I am telling you this is a bad time.” Clara peeked her head out again to ensure the guards hadn’t spotted her. It seemed they had left the site and were now patrolling the streets, so she let her head rest against the wall as she listened to her partner.

“What are you getting busy at, an alien party or something? Or maybe-” Clara couldn’t believe how dense this man could be sometimes. An alien party? In a moment of weakness she let her mind drift to how the Doctor would go on a whole rant about how not to call it an ‘alien party’. She felt a smile form on her features, which quickly fell as she returned to reality.

“-I mean how can you truthfully tell me you aren’t cheating on me!” Danny screamed.

“For the last time, we are just friends! Well, right now we aren’t even friends.” Clara sank down to sit on the gravel floor, holding her head in her hands in frustration.

“Clara, I want to trust you, but you have done nothing but lie to me.” That was true. She hadn’t been kind to Danny recently. After this is all over, whenever that is, she is going to apologise and admit to everything. 

“Danny, I promise you that nothing nefarious is going on.”

Danny went silent on the other line. Clara thought this meant he was willing to hear her out, so she rethought her phrasing.

“Ok, nothing you wouldn’t approve of is going on. I mean, I think you would be happy that I am running away from him.”

Clara dryly chuckled at her own words but didn’t receive a response yet again. Her voice took on a sympathetic tone as she attempted to speak to him again.

“Honey? I know you’re mad, but I love you, and when this is all over, whenever that is, we can talk about this and even start a new life. Far away from this mess. And you will never have to hear me talk about that man again.”

Clara closed her eyes as she said this, silently hoping for any response, even just recognition that he’s heard her words. She was going to escape and be with Danny. I mean, that was always what was going to happen, even Clara knew travelling with the Doctor would never last forever. Of course she never thought it would end like this. So why does the thought of this life still give her an ache in her chest?

Clara finally heard a response, but not from the voice she was hoping for.

“Aww, I’m blushing. Clara Oswald, you do know how to make a man happy. I do like the idea of never hearing about P.E again.”

Clara's blood ran cold. What is the Valeyard doing with Danny’s phone? She could feel tears welling up in her eyes at the implication.

“Please don’t do anything to him, ok? I’ll surrender right now just leave Danny alone.” Clara begged.

“I thought you said you only beg when you’re intoxicated. In any case, why should I believe you?”

Clara bit her tongue at his words and continued, desperately trying to appeal to any compassion he may have left. 

“I’m not lying, I swear. I’ll come out with my hands up.”

He scoffed at that. “Now Clara, we both know you’re a good liar, but you’re not good enough to fool me. Besides, it’s a little too late even if you were telling the truth. Humans are so...what's the word? Breakable.”

The Valeyard's voice sounded detached as he spoke, but what he was conveying was clear. Clara couldn’t believe his words. 

“No… Tell me you didn’t…” She could barely get her words out as tears fell from her eyes. “FUCK!” Clara screamed as she slammed the phone onto the ground. This, of course, alerted the guards to her location, and within seconds they surrounded her.

“By order of the Emperor, you are to be incarcerated. Escape is not possible.” One of the guards spoke as both of her arms were seized and they began to drag her to a nearby heavy-duty vehicle. Clara composed herself; if she was going to be arrested, she wasn’t going to give the Valeyard the satisfaction of her being in tears.

“Yeah, well, he must have forgotten what I’m known for.” Clara remarked back as she was thrown into the back. 

“And what’s that?” He turned to face her, holding the car door open.

“Doing the impossible.” It was then slammed shut, locking her in.