Stars In The Night Sky

3 - Two Helpful Phone Calls

Sat on a cushioned velvet sofa in one of the many rooms in the TARDIS, the Time Lord from Gallifrey was on the phone with his best friend, Amy Pond. She was a fiery woman with the orange hair to match. Her legs were longer than most men knew how to handle, and her skin was as pale as a vampire's. Her Scottish blood would explain her vampiric appearance. He sat on the sofa comfortably, only semi dressed. His blazer and waistcoat were hanging up on the coat rack far away at the entrance along with his heavy boots. His bowtie had been unravelled and was handing loosely around his neck, the top button undone. The sleeves on his shirt had been ruffled and folded and pushed up his arms, ending just above his elbows.
"Pond!" He exclaimed as his best friend picked up the phone.
"Doctor," she replied, her Scottish accent thick. She, herself was sat on her sofa. In the background, her husband could be heard clattering about in the kitchen. The Doctor smiled as the image of his friends appeared in his head.
"So, what can I do for you, raggedy man?" Amy asked.
"What do you mean?" the Doctor asked taken aback slightly.
"You only call me when you need something, so what is it?"
"Amy!" He said indignantly, "That isn't true. I called you just last week!"
"The last time you called was three months ago."
"Well, it's not my fault I'm a time traveller!"
There was a moment of silence between the pair before they both fell into uproarious laughter.
"So then, what's up?" Amy asked.
"It's kind of hard to explain."
"Ooh, that's even better," Amy said shuffling around on the sofa.
"What's that rustling noise, Pond?" the Doctor asked.
"I'm getting comfortable! Sounds like you have a juicy tale to tell!"
"Alright. So, remember the Dalek Asylum. There was a woman who crash landed."
"Umm," Amy said as she racked her brain for a name, "Soufflé girl. Oswin!"
"Yeah, that's right." The Doctor said, still figuring out how he was going to explain it to Amy.
"But she died, remember, she was a Dalek. You told us that."
"I did, because she did."
"Okay so what does she have to do with it?" Amy asked.
"Well, after you and Rory decided to go domestic after Manhattan, I went to Victorian London to be with Strax, Jenny and Vastra."
"Ok, Doctor. What does this have to do with anything because if you're just trying to make me feel bad--."
"Just be patient and listen," the Doctor interjected. "As I was saying, I met a barmaid. There were snowmen and a memory worm. It was a whole thing. Anyway, turns out she was also a nanny to these rich kids and the governor fancied her. There was an ice nanny and the Great Intelligence, and I was Sherlock Holmes. Well, to cut a long story short, her name was Clara Oswald... and she died on Christmas day in Victorian England."
"Wait a second," Amy said, the gears in her brain beginning to turn. "Oswald? As in Oswin Oswald?"
"Yes." The Doctor said.
"Okay, so the lady in the dalek asylum is the same person as the barmaid/nanny in Victorian England?
"Yep." He replied bluntly.
"But she died... She died twice?" Amy asked, her mind racing with questions.
"Indeed." He was running out of ways to say yes.
"I forget how crazy your life can be!"
"Oh, this is just the tip of the iceberg."
"Alright, go ahead."
"So, I figured that it wasn't a coincidence that I met her twice and there had to be another... incarnation of her. So, I tracked her down and now I work in a school."
"Oh my god, who put you in charge of a classroom full of minors!" She scoffed.
"Hey, I'm great with kids."
"No, Doctor. You are a kid."
"Eh, same difference. We bond. It's all cool." The Doctor took a breath. He knew what he had to tell her next and wasn't looking forward to it.
--
Clara Oswald was at home and bored out of her mind. As she laid atop her bed, her hand absentmindedly drifted up to the spot the Doctor had marked. She caressed it lightly as a smile appeared on her face. The events of that day replayed over and over in her head. When she blinked, she saw the way he looked at her when they pulled away from each other. In between each beat of her heart, the feeling of his lips on her flooded her mind. After every inhale, she recalled the feeling of his head buried in her neck. The schoolteacher sat up and reached for her phone on the bedside table nearby. She punched in a number and sat back while it rang.
Clara's childhood best friend, Luna was minding her own business. She had just got home from work, her short, platinum blonde hair was spiking up. She was wearing a baggy navy-blue jumper which was tucked into her jeans. She was completely ready to get in the shower than go to sleep. Her sparkling green eyes were watering. Going to work running on 4 hours of sleep was not her best idea but it was an idea, nonetheless. The tall woman heard her phone ringing from her backpack. She sighed and went over to unzip the bag. The exhausted woman unzipped her back and picked up the phone.
"Hello?" Luna said into her phone.
"I did a stupid!" Came Clara's voice from the other end of the line.
Luna feigned a sigh as she hid a small giggle. "Uh oh. What did you do now?". Luna slipped out of her trainers and shuffled over to the sofa, all the while peeling of her thick jumper and dropping it onto the floor. She slumped down onto the sofa and sighed a sigh of satisfaction.
"Ok, but you're not allowed to get mad at me, okay Luna?"
"When have I ever?" she said. Luna was greeted by silence. "Okay fine. I promise."
"Today, a new teacher started at Coal Hill."
"Alright..."
"And I kissed him!"
"You WHAT!" Luna exclaimed, almost dropping her phone.
"It's not my fault!"
"But you just said."
"I know what I said, Luna!"
"Ok, so explain." Luna was now in her bedroom and her bed was looking extremely enticing. She put the phone on speaker and placed it on her bed as she looked for her pyjamas.
"His name's John, but everyone calls him 'The Doctor' and --."
"What is he, a drug lord? An undercover cop?" Luna joked.
"Hey," Clara said, a broad smile on her face. "Are you gonna let me tell you what happened or not?"
"Go ahead," Luna said, pulling her soft, pyjama trousers up.
"So, he came into my classroom this morning, and I was distracted."
"By?" came her friends voice.
"The stars," Clara replied.
"Alright," said Luna, "What happened next?"
—
"You did what!?" Amy shouted down the phone, startling the Doctor.
"Why are you so shocked?" The Doctor asked, a hint of offence in his voice.
"I just can't believe you kissed her. No. Even better. You made out with her! In a classroom!"
"Yes, Amy. I was there."
"Ok well what's next, Doctor?" Amy asked, settling back into her cushioned sofa.
"What do you mean?"
"I'll put it like this," Amy explained. "Do you fancy her?"
The Doctor paused for a second, considering his answer. On the one hand, he definitely knew he found Clara attractive and enjoyed spending time with her, but on the other hand, he wanted to understand why he was so drawn to her and why she kept on appearing in his life. "I guess so," He decided.
Amy squealed with glee. "So what are you going to do about it?"
"No idea." He replied bluntly.
"Here's my advice. Get to know her for a while. Ask her on a date. Tell her you're a time travelling alien and scare her off."
"Was that... was that actual advice?" the Doctor asked, perplexed.
"I mean, the first two were definitely real advice. Not so much the last part." Amy said as she suppressed a giggle.
"Alright, Pond. When do I get to the whole time travelling alien part?"
"No clue. a that's for you to figure out."
"Great." He said. "Bye Amy."
"Call again soon." She said before tapping the 'end call' symbol.
The Doctor stood up and stretched out his body, a wave of exhaustion rushing through him. Unbuttoning his white shirt, he walked towards the dark hallway of the TARDIS with only one thought on his mind: Clara Oswald. His impossible girl.