Tell Him Hello
a short story by J. Merrick

Timeline/spoilers: You should be caught up to Clara's travels.
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who

Summary: Because paradoxes resolve themselves. And Clara should get a chance to meet her favorite author.

X X X

Clara wasn't sure how it happened, but she was sure that the TARDIS had something to do with it.

It was the only explanation, because the Doctor had seemingly gotten better at piloting to the correct date, time, and location over the past few months. After the disaster that was having to create three separate pocket universes just so he could return her in time to watch Angie and Artie there had been quite the small discussion.

"Doctor, we can't do this again," she had said, causing him to immediately give her his best example of puppy-dog eyes. The eyes that would probably be the death of her one of these years.

"What do you mean?" he had responded, quite alarmed. His hand was playing with his bow-tie he was that alarmed. Between the eyes and the fidgeting Clara had wanted to hug him like she would Artie when he had done something wrong and only quietly scold him; but the Doctor was over a thousand years old, he could take a tongue lashing.

"The three pocket universes!" she had exclaimed, while walking around the TARDIS counsel. There was no was she could keep a serious look on her face – and if she was honest her hands to herself – when he had that look on his face, "This isn't the first time that you've had to do some trickery with time just to get me back in time!"

She had spun around at that instant because she knew only giving him a glare could cause her mind to skip over how many times she had said 'time' and focusing on it would cause her brain to cringe at how awkward the statement was. Unless you were a time traveler, and she was still coming to terms with that thank you very much.

"Well it's tricky you see," he had said meekly, looking kind of ashamed as he flipped a couple switches and pushed a couple buttons that he had confessed did nothing once, "But I got you home! That's all that counts!"

Then he had gotten a look on his face that she had learned meant that he was about to impress himself with his own cleverness. She mentally prepared herself because the last time he had this look she had to apologize to the workers at the coffee shop that, no, they weren't ever coming back again, and yes, her boyfriend really did mean well, and could you not call the police?

"How about you just stay with me, here in the TARDIS?" he had suggested, with that clever look on his face that if Clara was honest with herself was most of the reason she put up with him, "You stay here enough as it is, you're practically a permanent fixture! That way it's not so urgent to return you to exact dates and times, I've always been rubbish at that!"

She had actually been slightly taken aback by his admission that he had actually been trying so hard with her, not to mention the invitation to come live aboard the TARDIS. If her mind hadn't already been set on one path, she would have been left speechless. As it was, she would smile to herself later about it.

"You're over a thousand years old!" she had returned, her arms crossed, tapping her foot, "You should know how to return at exact dates and times by now!"

He had gotten a slightly hurt look on his face that had caused her to continue on by saying something that she knew was spur of the moment but needed to be said because she just couldn't stand seeing that look on his face.

"If you can figure out how to do it," she had continued, before her brain could stop her, "I'll stay in here, permanently."

His eyes had lit up, causing her to raise a finger.

"But only if you can take us to the right date and time!" she had insisted, which only did so much good as he had immediately jumped forward, enveloping her in a hug with his impossibly flailing arms, "Do you understand Doctor?"

"Oh Clara Oswald," he had responded, his head resting on top of hers, "For you, anything!"

They had smiled at each other for an instant, and she had to stop herself from saying sod it, I'll move in now when he had pushed himself to arms distance and spun her around to face the door.

"Now, out you go, I'll be back on Wednesday! Not just any Wednesday, but this one coming up at 9:53! Pack your bags Clara!"

Then, true enough, he had been back on Wednesday. Exactly at 9:53 as he had said. After proving to her that he had gotten the control needed to pilot the TARDIS to the exact date and time she had smiled and given him a hug, and then invited the Doctor to dinner with the Maitland's, so she could say her goodbyes.

She was actually surprised by George's response that it was,"about time" that she had moved on and that while she was always welcome he was happy that she was moving on as it had been difficult watching her give up on her dreams. Angie and Artie of course had shared a conspiratorial smile with the Doctor, but they had also been happy for their now former nanny.

So thus it had come to pass, that she had moved into the TARDIS after the Doctor had finally, after a thousand years (and a further twenty spent in between that Sunday and Wednesday he had told her later) learned how to make the TARDIS arrive at the correct date and time.

Which was why she knew that the reason for her current predicament had to be the fault of the TARDIS.

They had gone to Washington DC in 1965 to see the Cherry Blossoms because it had been in her book of places to see. They had been having a great day, the Doctor even entertaining some others with how he always managed to look like a drunken Giraffe when he ate a banana. She had told him that before they went out to Dinner she wanted to get changed, so she had gone back to the TARDIS for just a quick moment while he waited outside for her.

That's when everything went pear shaped.

She had just walked back into the counsel room when the door had slammed shut, some levers had pulled themselves, and she had been thrown around like a rag doll for a moment before coming to a stop.

She hesitantly opened the TARDIS door, making sure that her key was securely in her pocket. The outside still looked like Washington DC, but it seemed slightly different. Not too different mind you, but enough that someone who had been traveling in time for over a year would get a funny feeling prickling at the base of their neck.

She turned around and looked at the TARDIS display and noticed why it seemed different: it was five years previous.

Great, just great.

The Doctor had never gotten around to fully showing her how to pilot the TARDIS and she knew that the old cow – as much as she hadn't been acting out lately – wouldn't just let her return to where the Doctor was. Especially if it had been the one to bring her here.

She hesitantly stepped outside again, and when that happened the doors closed themselves and the TARDIS disappeared.

"Oh no! No!" Clara shouted, staring with an open mouth at the spot the TARDIS had just been in, "No don't! Please!"

But it was to late. The TARDIS had gone and she was know effectively stranded.

Well, not totally, she knew that it would be possible to get a message to the Doctor (he was, after all, only five years in the future) but how to do it was her sticking point. She stepped out onto the path that overlooked the river, but unfortunately in her current state she hadn't been paying attention to what was going on around her.

Which is how she ended up walking directly into another person, knocking both them and herself over.

"Oh I'm sorry!" she exclaimed reaching over to help the other person, another woman, up, "I wasn't paying attention!"

"Don't worry, neither was I," came the response from the older woman, with a distinct Scottish burr to it, "Thought I had heard something from long ago and came to investigate."

Clara got her first look at the woman and was immediately taken aback by not only the red hair and the accent, but by how familiar she looked even if much older than the face she recognized her by. She realized that she had been staring when the woman returned an odd look. Clara, feeling embarrassed wiped her hand on her face.

"I'm sorry, it's starting to be a long day, and you look oddly familiar," she apologized, again. She hesitated, and then decided to ask because if it wasn't than it wouldn't matter anyway, "You wouldn't happen to be Amelia Williams by any chance, would you?"

The look on the woman's face was confirmation enough for Clara.

"How do you know who I am?" came the suspicious response, with an arched eyebrow.

"How is a model from 2012 in 1960?" Clara responded, just as suspicious. The pair looked at each other for a moment, calculating each other.

"That was the TARDIS that dropped you here, wasn't it?" Amelia responded in kind.

"How did you know?" Clara asked, arms crossed.

"Did the Doctor ever mention the Ponds?" came the response from Amelia. It took a second, but Clara placed the name.

"You're Amy!" Clara responded, "You were married to Rory!"

Amy smiled, "Ah, so you came after us. I was hoping that he would start traveling with someone again."

"What are you doing here?" Clara asked, remembering the Doctor had mentioned that the Ponds had been stranded in New York City.

"Writing a book actually," Amy responded, taking the younger girls arm in her's, "I've written a few kids books, but my travels with the Doctor inspired me to write a book on traveling. I'm thinking of calling it 101 Places to See."

Clara's face lit up, "I have that book, it's back on the TARDIS..."

Clara looked at the older woman for a second, realizing again who she was talking to, "I have all your books in fact. My mother gave them all to me when I was a kid. I'm Clara by way."

"It's good to see my memory lives on," Amy responded, sitting the pair down on a bench, "So what are you doing here without the Doctor and the TARDIS?"

"I don't know," Clara responded, "I had just gone into it to change before we went out for dinner and the next thing I know it's piloting itself and I'm dropped off here and away she went."

"I think the TARDIS doesn't like you," Amy laughed, patting Clara on the hand. Clara sighed.

"I think the old cow is just mad because I had forced the Doctor to learn how to go to the correct time and place," she told the older woman, "This is probably it's revenge."

"Wait, the Doctor knows how to go to the correct time and place now?" Amy asked, a slight edge to her burr, "Raggedy Man couldn't even get the right decade when I was around."

"Well, it's a fat load of good for me right now," Clara responded, filing that little bit of information in her brain to tease the Doctor with later, "As I have no way of getting a message to the Doctor to come and pick me up."

"I know the feeling," Amy responded with a sigh, before turning to her with a look, "Didn't you say that you had all my books?"

"Yes, 101 Places to See was the reason we were here in the first place," Clara responded, giving the older woman another calculating look.

"Then I know just how to help you," the older woman said with a smile, before getting up, "It was nice to meet you Clara, but I feel I must get going."

"But why?" Clara asked, slightly panicked, she wasn't about to be left alone again was she?

"Don't worry, I don't think you'll have long to wait if what you're telling me is true," came Amy's response, "I need to get back to my husband, he's waiting for me back at the hotel."

The former traveling companion of the Doctor slowly walked away before turning around, "Tell him, 'Hello, old friend. And thank you.' It was nice meeting you Clara."

With a smile the older woman walked away, leaving Clara at the bench. She turned around and sat back down, wondering what she was going to do.

She wasn't sure how long she sat there, but not that much longer later she heard the distinct sound of the TARDIS appearing in front of her. Eyes wide, she jumped up and ran to the door where the Doctor walked out holding 101 Places to See in his hands, reading from it.

"Perhaps you should see the Cherry Blossoms in Washington, where a girl named Clara is waiting in 1960," the Doctor read with a smile.

Clara launched herself at the Doctor, hugging him tightly around the waist.

X X X

"Doctor, you never told me that you traveled with Amelia Williams," Clara said later that night as the two finally sat down for dinner. The mention of his former companion caused the Doctor to trip over himself for a second, bringing a smile to Clara's face.

"I knew her as Amelia Pond at the time," he responded, "But I've told you about the Ponds."

"Well I met her today," Clara continued, seeing a sudden emotional look on the Doctor's face, "Never knew that I would meet my favorite author. She's the one that led you back to finding me."

"She wrote 101 Places to See?" the Doctor asked, "I never realized."

"She said that traveling with you inspired it," Clara related, liking the look of pride that came over the Doctor's face, "She also told me to tell you, 'Hello, old friend. And thank you.'"

Clara decided that for as difficult as the day was, seeing this look on the Doctor's face was well worth the trouble.

And that perhaps always arriving at the correct date and time wasn't always what it was cracked up to be.

Finis

A/N: My head!canon states that Amy also wrote 101 Places to See. I don't know why the Doctor never went back to find/see the Ponds again (as they did send a letter forward in time to Rory's dad through their adopted son), but I think it's because they all agreed that it was time for them to part on their adventures.

It's also my head!canon that Clara at one point wore Amy's perfume.

Reviews would be greatly appreciated, and I thank you once again for reading!