A Fools Paradise

The Doctor stopped in front of the Tardis and ran his hands across its pseudo-wooden panels and slowly leaned forward. He felt like calling an ambulance as his head came to rest against the St. John's sticker on the door. The last four days spent on rouge moon 1009-xp4 seemed like an eternity, and though he was loath to admit it, but he was mentally and physically depleted.

"Go and wait for me in the Tardis."

He'd sent her away two days ago and she had gone, without so much as an argument. She'd heard all that Dr. Tasl'stein had to say and never batted an eye. Even the next day, when he told her what he had to do. He hated the fact that she understood and that he didn't even have to justify his actions. What a pair they had become.

Pushing open the door, he and felt the familiar hum of the Tardis wash over him. The room was empty. He reached out to connect with Clara but he couldn't sense her. He went to the nearest console screen and checked the time. It was nearly two a.m. earth time. She was probably asleep. Flipping switches as he made his way to the keypad, he typed in new coordinates and pulled down the flight lever before setting off to find her. Their bedroom door was wide open and he made his way across the darkened room to his side of the bed. He could just make out her sleeping form beneath the covers and her rhythmic breathing sounded like a siren song calling to him as he crawled atop the bed to lie next to her.

The shifting of the bed woke Clara and she rolled on to her side to face him. Reaching out her hand, she found his face in the dark and gently caressed his cheek with her thumb.

"You alright?"

His hand found hers. "I'm ok. I'm just tired."

"Well, that's a first." She hadn't meant to sound so flippant, but when he snorted a quiet laugh she knew everything was alright and she felt him settle in closer. She pushed back her covers and shook him by the arm. "Come on. Let's get you undressed." When he didn't budge, she started on her own at his feet. She tugged off his shoes and then slid a hand up each pant leg and pull off his socks. He knew she wouldn't quit till he was stripped so he sat up to help. He pulled off his coat and tossed it away and then raised his arms as she pulled off his holey jumper and t-shirt. He undid his pants and pushed them down passed his hips. Clara yanked them off the rest of the way and dropped at the foot of the bed. The loud clunk she heard when they hit the floor must have been his sonic screwdriver still tucked into the back pocket.

She waited till he was settled beneath the covers before she joined him. She slipped in and found him lying on his back. She snuggled up to rest her head against his chest and noticed that his body felt warmer than usual. She put a concerned hand to his forehead,

"Are you sure you're ok?"

"It's just a natural release of heat generated by excess of calories burned during the DNA restructuring procedure. When the machine reset the template…"

"Shhh." The hand that was resting on his forehead was now trying to still his lips. "Shhh…that's enough. I know your brain wants to talk, but your body needs to rest. You can explain everything to me when you wake up." She felt him nod and lightly kiss her fingers before he drifted off to sleep.

oooooooooOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooo

He found her in the Tardis kitchen when he woke. He stood in the doorway watching as she mixed ingredients together in a bowl and he smiled when he heard her humming one of those silly pop songs she enjoyed. She was dressed in that ridiculous t-shirt she made him wear to the pub on St. Patrick's day, the hideously green one that proclaimed Kiss Me I'm A Time Traveler in bold white letters across the front. His eyes ran down her legs and lingered on her bare feet. As he stared at her bright pearlescent orange toenails, he realized she'd been right, at that moment he wanted nothing more than to have her barefoot and pregnant.

The sound of Clara's voice brought his eyes up to her face. Her head was turned towards him and she was laughing. He didn't understand why.

"What?"

"I said, I heard that." She watched him blush and shift uncomfortably in the doorway as he realized he was barefoot as well and dressed only in his boxers and a t-shirt.

She set aside her bowl. "I didn't think you heard me the other day."

He rubbed at the back of his neck. "Yes, well..."

She came over, patted him on the chest and kissed his flushed cheek. "It's alright. Come and sit while I finish. I bet you're hungry."

"Ravenous actually." He pulled out a chair and sat. "How long did I sleep?"

Clara returned to her bowl and spooned the mix into a pie pan. "Well, when I looked in on you before starting this quiche it had been about sixteen hours."

The Doctor placed his elbows on the table and ran his hands through his already mussed hair, thoroughly poofing it to new heights.

"You sure you're ok?" She asked as she slid the pie pan into the oven.

His hands slid down his face. "Yes."

Clara joined him at the table. "Did everything go ok?"

He nodded.

She laid a hand on his arm. "You didn't have a choice."

"I know, but I don't like having to take a man's life."

She sat back in her chair. "Gawd, you sound like you killed him. You didn't kill him. You didn't kill either of them."

"It feels like it though. I took a brilliant geneticist and turned him into salvage engineer and I turned his assistant into…well he's still his assistant, but now one that helps him salvage abandoned mining facilities."

"That's not so bad. He's a new man now with a new identity. And, he doesn't have to hide on that moon anymore."

"Ah, speaking of the moon. Is it visible now?"

"Yes. The black hole shimmer is gone."

"The Tardis still in flight mode?"

"Yeah. We're still shadowing the moon if you want to go have a look."

He shook his head. "Not now. Maybe after I eat."

"Well, the quiche won't be ready for another twenty minutes. She stood up and walked around behind him, sliding her hand across the back of his shoulders. "Let's get you cleaned up and dressed while we wait."

His hand reached up for hers and she pulled him up from his chair and led him to the bedroom.

ooooooOOOOOOOOOooooooooooo

He leaned against the shower wall with his eyes closed and felt the hot spray of water loosen the grip the last four days had on his body. He stayed that way till he heard the shower door open and close. When he opened his eyes he found Clara beside him soaping up a washcloth. He frowned at her when she started scrubbing his shoulder.

""I'm quite capable of washing myself."

She continued down his arm. "Then you should have started ten minutes ago instead of just standing there."

He hadn't realized. His lack of resistance to her continued scrubbing was his only reply. He turned so she could scrub his chest. As she continued lower he became aroused as she scrubbed near his groin. Clara noticed.

"Do you feel any different?"

"The actual procedure took only about two minutes. I didn't find it painful as much as I did uncomfortable. I became incredibly hot…from the inside out and…"

"I don't care about the procedure," she interrupted, setting the washcloth and soap aside. "I want to know…," she placed both her hands on his chest. "…is if you feel any different?"

He placed his hands atop hers and took a deep breath, letting it out heavily before he replied. "Physically, no. The changes are too microscopic to actually feel anything. But…there is a difference. It's just, not physical.

"I'm not sure I understand."

He squeezed her hands and stared at the shower wall behind her as he tried to find the best way to explain. "All this time….traveling in the Tardis, I've always felt like this object full of kinetic energy, set on an endless journey through all of time and space. But now, after having this one part of me restored, I feel like…like I'm full of all this potential energy." He met her eyes. "Does that make sense?"

"Yes, I know my basic physics." She smiled up at him. "What I think you're trying to say is that instead of just existing in the universe you can now be part of it again."

His left eyebrow shot up. "How do you do that?"

She breathed out a quiet laugh and reached for the soap and washcloth again. "Oh, the things I could tell you about you."

He stayed her hand. "Oh yeah? And what does this tell you about me?" His lips claimed hers and he pushed her back up against the shower wall. She kissed him back even harder. He slid his hands down her sides and then behind her, grabbing and kneading her ass before lifting her up to feel his hardening erection. Clara wrapped her legs around his waist and squeezed until he broke their kiss to let out a wheezing groan. She caught his bottom lip between her teeth and gave it a playful tug before letting go to whisper in his ear.

"It tells me you really do want me to be barefoot and pregnant."

Twenty minutes later they both ran naked from the bathroom when the smoke alarm began blaring from the kitchen.

ooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooo

Clara told him he was confined to quarters. The Doctor countered by saying he wasn't a soldier so he couldn't be confined.

His newfound fertility had him as randy as a teenager and they'd made love every day, sometime twice a day since that morning in the shower. Clara was afraid that if he left the confines of their home or the Tardis that he might try to mate with that Waddle bug or perhaps even the neighbors Pomeranian and she wasn't about to let that happen.

Of course, she really didn't have to confine him to quarters because he confined himself. He was now focused on finding a new coordinate. One that would break every rule in the book of Time Lord do's and don'ts, and this definitely was a don't. He was determined to travel back into Gallifrey's past…to a time before the Time Lords. Hearing the truth wasn't enough for him, he had to see it, touch it, and experience it. "That's the way I roll", he'd replied when she asked why he would do something so stupid.

Clara secretly hoped something catastrophic would come along to distract him, an alien invasion of earth perhaps or a new intergalactic war. But after the past year, that was highly doubtful. Ever since they had 'scaled back' their travels the unimaginable began to happen. The universe didn't go to hell in a hand basket. It survived quite well without them. An unknown virus spread through the burgeoning Dalek ranks reducing them to a pittance of their former numbers and the three sided GalTec energy war came to an abrupt end when a collapsing black hole turned into a white hole and spewed out an EMP so massive that it sent the three warring galaxies back to the Stone Age. Now, every time they received news of some averted tragedy Clara couldn't tell if the Doctor wanted to laugh or cry. Most times he said nothing.

oooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooo

A few weeks later, Clara awoke one morning to find him asleep in bed. That was a rarity. Most times it was just a quick catnap after they'd made love and he was usually gone before she woke. She turned on her right side to watch him sleep. It was one of the few times she could see his face without those deep worry lines that etched his features and she could catch a brief glimpse of that innocent little boy she comforted in the barn. She reached up to brush back his tousseled hair from his forehead, the same the way she did that day, and what happened next…was confusing.

Everything went dark and her body felt strange, all cold and hot at the same time and there was a pain…no…it was more of an ache…in her groin. She reached down to touch the spot and her eyes flew open. They had been closed…that's why it was dark. When did she close her eyes? She didn't remember closing them and…Oh my god! What the hell is that? Her hand found something…something that wasn't supposed to be there and as she touched it, the sensation was...oh!

She threw off the covers with her other hand and found herself holding onto a penis… his penis. And as she looked closely, she realized it wasn't her hand holding onto it…it was his, and it was his spindly white legs that were stretched out before her.

"No," he voice croaked out. She slapped a hand to her mouth and felt his stubbly jaw line and sharp features beneath her hand…his hand…Oh hell! She reached to her right to wake up the Doctor and found the edge of the bed instead. She was afraid to look to her left. "Doctor." There was his voice again. "Doctor!" She yelled out the second time. Clara felt the bed move next to her. She looked down. Yep…there she was, lying next to herself…oh crap!

Her eyes fluttered open. "Clara?" She heard herself call out.

"Doctor?" She replied looking at herself…looking back at herself.

"Clara?" Her voice sounded alarmed.

Clara watched her body sit up stiffly and look around the room and then back to where she was sitting. Her hand reached out, touched his arm hesitantly and then pinched the hell out of it.

"Oww!" She rubbed her arm…well the Doctors arm, and then punched herself in the arm.

"Oww! What did you do that for?"

Clara was still rubbing the spot on his arm. "Because you pinched me! What the hell is going on? Doctor? What did you do to me? To us?"

"Me, what are you asking me for? I didn't…" Clara saw her eyes grow larger. Wow, how did I do that? The Doctor started laughing and Clara winced at how girlish her own laugh sounded.

"Doctor, you know what happened…don't you?" Clara watched as the Doctor ran his hands over her body. He peered down the front of her nightgown and then fondled her breasts. "Doctor!"

The joy on her own face was evident. "Clara…my Clara! Do you realize what this means?"

Clara shook the Doctors head.

The Doctor placed Clara's hands on her belly. "You're pregnant! Or rather, we're pregnant!"

"What? How do you know that?"

"Because of this," he motioned between them.

"What's this got to do with me being pregnant?"

"Oh, yes…well, it's something bonded Gallifreyan couples are able to do when they're expecting."

"And you were going to mention this to me when?"

"You're human. I didn't know this was even a possibility."

"So how do we…"

Oh! Oh!" He bounced on to his knees (her knees) with a sudden epithany. "You've become a Time Lord!

"Whaaat?"

"Well, more like a temporary Time Lord."

"How…"

"You're absorbing Artron energy!"

"Absorbing it? From where?"

"Our child! From me! O-oh, this is fantastic!"

"We can undo this though? We're not going to be stuck like this."

"Ah…yes, this can all seem a bit strange. But don't worry…its easily corrected. "Though…," Clara watched as the doctor raised her hands and played with her hair, pinched her cheeks, tweaked her nose and tugged on her ears. "It does have its benefits." He was back to fondling her breasts.

"Doctor!" Clara could recognize the Doctors smug grin, even if it was on her own face. "You take those hands further down mister and I'll slap one of us till you regenerate!"

He held up her hands. "Sorry, sorry. It's just been a long time since I've experienced this. I've forgotten."

"You've done this before."

"Yes. With my first marriage back on Gallifrey. You'll get used to it."

"Get used to it? Why would I want this to happen again?"

"Because carrying a child for twelve months is no picnic. You'll appreciate a break now and then."

"Twa…Tweleve !" She managed to make the Doctors voice squeak. "You meant to say nine, right? Tell me you meant to say nine?" Clara watched as the Doctor turned her lips inward, squeezing them tightly together into a mute smile.

"Aaarrhh!" Listening to her frustrations, and mannerisms being spoken with the Doctor's voice, and then listening to herself sounding more and more Scottish, along with his latest revelation, was more than she could take.

"Chang me back Doctor! Change me back, right now!"

Clara saw the sad smile he used to rant on about appear on her face. The Doctor reached out her hand and lightly touched his cheek. It felt like and enormous hand was tugging at her body and she experience a touch of vertigo as the room began to spin. Moments later she could see the Doctor.

"Better?" He asked.

She felt her face and touched her boobs. "Yes…much better. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

She felt better, but she wasn't letting him off the hook. With arms crossed, she gave him her best 'you just pissed off the teacher' look. "So, is there anything else about this pregnancy that I should know about?"

His mouth opened and closed and his eyes looked upwards as he searched his memories. "Ahh…no. I believe that's it."

"That's good." She swung her feet off the bed and hopped up. She headed to the bedroom door. "Because I'd like to go tell my dad and Gran the news."

The Doctor made no move to get up as she left the room. He needed a moment.

A few minutes passed. He never heard her when she returned to the room. Her footsteps were quiet. It was the sound of her voice that startled him. "I'm pregnant." He heard her now, moving closer to him with each step. He didn't turn to look at her; he was too intent on twisting his hands into a knot.

"I'm pregnant." She had to repeat it; she still could not believe it was actually true. The whole body switch incident had distracted, and she made it halfway to the console room before the reality what they'd been talking about hit home. "We're going to be parents." He wouldn't look at her or even reply, and a twinge of panic gripped her. As she stood before him, she wondered if he was having second thoughts. She put her hand to his chin and tilted his head back so that she could see his face. She was surprised to find tears in his eyes.

His voice broke as he spoke. "I'm going to be a dad."

Clara's lips trembled as she smiled down at him. She ran a caring hand through his hair and choked back tears of her own. "Yeah. I know."

ooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooo

Six weeks later…

"Doctor!" Clara bellowed his name from the bedroom of their flat.

The Doctor paused his piece of chalk long enough to reply. "In here!"

Moments later, the door to the spare bedroom slammed open against the wall.

"Easy!' He scolded. "I don't want to have to mend the wall again." His comment only made her angrier.

"Where are they?"

He kept on scribbling on his blackboard. "I don't know. They could mean any number of things. You'll have to be more specific."

"Oh, you know damn well what I'm looking for, so hand them over."

He straightened up from the chalkboard and crossed his arms as he turned to look at her, his chalk still poised between his fingers. He smiled innocently. "My…you look lovely today."

Clara stood in the doorway with her hands on the hips of her green tartan skirt, purposely tapping her bare foot on the floor. "Don't." She scolded him with her index finger. "Don't do this. Not today."

He threw out his hands in a wide eyed gesture of innocence and shrugged his shoulders. "Uh…I don't know what you're talking about?"

"Give me back my shoes."

"What shoes?"

"Doctor!"

He grinned mischievously and made his way to where she was standing. "I've told you before…," he rested his hands on her shoulders . "I love you barefoot and pregnant." He moved his hands to her to her face and leaned down to kiss her, but before their lips touched, Clara clamped a hand on his ear and twisted.

"Ow! Ow! Clara!"

She let go and he rubbed at this stinging ear. "Ok, ok…they're in a box just inside the Tardis."

She left him for her shoes. "I was only playing!" He called out to the open Tardis door.

She reappeared with a pair of black pumps in her hand. "You know how anxious I've been about this appointment. Why are you doing this today?"

"I was trying to distract you from your worries."

"How? By making me worry about not finding my shoes in time and being late, or perhaps even missing my first ultrasound appointment altogether."

He clasped his hands to his chest. "Sorry, I was just…" She was glaring at him as she slipped on her shoe. "Sorry."

The doorbell sounded.

The Doctor stepped out of the room and looked down the staircase. He could see a silhouette through the front doors tinted glass. "Now who could that be?"

Clara joined him on the landing. "It's Peterson. He's giving us a ride to our appointment."

His face scrunched up in confusion. "I thought we were taking a cab?"

"Did you call for one?"

"Oh…I forgot. I was…"

"Busy hiding my shoes. Yes, I know."

"Sorry."

"It's alright. I arranged this with Kate a couple of days ago." She gave him a smug smile. "I told her, never trust a Time Lord to be on time for anything."

"Uh!" He couldn't believe she'd said that.

Clara grabbed hold of his hand. "Come on, the UNIT doctor is waiting for us."

"Are you sure you won't change your mind. I told you I know the greatest hospital in the universe. The Sisters if the Infinite Schism are very…"

"No. I thought we already agreed our child would be born here on earth."

The doorbell range again as she tugged him down the stairs.

"Yes. I want that too. I'm just talking about prenatal care. Don't you want the best in the universe?"

Clara stopped at the bottom of the stairs and placed a hand on his chest. "I will have the best on earth. UNIT's Dr. Graff is the best there is and you'll be there to assist him."

"Thank you for your confidence in me."

"I was talking about Dr. Graff." Clara quickly turned away to hide her smile and to open the front door. "Good afternoon Peterson. Lovely day."

ooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooo

Five months later….

She heard him before she ever saw him. His footsteps clomping and his toolbox rattling as he made his way downstairs. He stopped at the front door and set the toolbox down with a heavy thump.

"How do I look?" He did quick spin in front of the doorway to the sitting room.

Clara gave him the once over from the couch. He was wearing the orange caretaker jacket that he'd once used as a 'disguise' at Coal Hill. "You sure about this?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, it's a big responsibility."

"Of which I am quite capable. Honestly Clara…sometimes I think you have no faith in me whatsoever."

"Oh, I have faith in you…just not in your people skills."

"I'm just a maintenance man, not a social worker. I don't need people skills."

"You're more than just a maintenance man, you're a landlord and that means you're going to have to deal with complaints and problem tenants."

"Piece of cake." I was once president of the world, or have you forgotten?"

"No, I haven't forgotten." He'd brought it up when they discussed his idea a month ago.

It all started when he got stuck on his equation for the coordinate into Gallifrey's past. He'd become so frustrated he went on a rant and broke one of his blackboards. Clara began to worry he'd been in one place too long. Adventure and travel had been his way of life for nearly two thousand years. How could he possibly adjust to domesticity overnight?

She told him to go somewhere, to take a short trip in the Tardis, but he refused. He commented that with his track record the universe would conspire against him and he would miss the birth of his child. She agreed, but she insisted that he needed to do something. He bristled at the idea of taking up a hobby.

His solution came a few days later when bout of late night boredom drove him to turn on the telly. And after six hours of binge watching home flipping and home improvement shows through the 'universal' remote upgrade he installed, he had an idea. Even though he rarely had a need for money, his future generations might and property would be a great long term investment, plus he could spend his spare time fixing them up. So with Clara's blessing he called Kate's cousin and within two weeks he was the owner of five rental properties within a four block radius of their home.

He picked up his toolbox. "I'm off."

"Remember…they're people, not Autons."

He huffed at her. "I know."

Four weeks, two days, three arguments, one black eye and a restraining order later; Clara became the boss of Oswin Property Management.

oooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooo

Nine Months Later…

Clara banged open the front door at two in the morning. Not deliberately, she was just too impaired to notice.

"Clara! Is that you?"

She snorted a deep laugh. She laughed at how shrill her voice sounded.

"Clara!"

"Coming! I'm coming!" Her long pale fingers gripped the banister and she tugged herself up the stairs. It wasn't easy. She had a hard enough time adjusting to his longer legs and now that she was drunk, it was near impossible. She missed a step and his shin connected with a step. "Ow!"

"Clara? What's wrong!"

She didn't answer.

"Don't make me get up!"

"Coming!" She snickered again and crawled up the stairs using his hands as feet. Once she reached the top, Clara tried to make herself presentable. She ran her hand through his wavy locks, tugged his jacket straight and tried not to lurch into the bedroom. She felt herself wobble at the last second and grabbed the bedroom doorframe for support.

"Hi honey. I'm home." She tried to keep a straight face, but once the words crossed her lips she couldn't help but laugh.

The Doctor, in Clara's body, was propped up in bed surrounded by a bevy of pillows. "Where have you been? You said you needed a couple of hours! It's been nearly twelve!"

"Sorry. Lost track of time." She tried smiling, but his face only managed a lopsided grin.

"Look at the state of me! Do you realize how much alcohol it takes for me to consume to become inebriated?" Do you?"

"About seventeen shots." She mumbled.

"What!"

And eight beers."

"Clara, I entrusted you?"

"Oh, now don't get all grumpy. This was the first time I've asked for a break. I just got a little carried away, that's all."

"A little?"

Clara waved a dismissive hand. "Pttthh!"

The Doctor struggled to sit up straighter in the bed. "Don't be dismissive. I've been left alone here for hours worrying about you. I can barley get about in your body. It took me forever to climb the stairs and I've spent most of the day running back and forth to the bathroom. So I would appreciate some consideration on your part."

Clara let her mouth drop. "Oh my god!"

"What?"

"Do you hear yourself?" She let out a coarse mocking laugh.

The Doctor angrily crossed her arms above her pregnant belly. "What's so funny."

"I should have done this sooner. Now you realize what it's been like for me these past few months."

"Yes, ok…fine. From now on I won't complain about your complaining. So can we please change back now?"

Clara put his hand to his chin in contemplation. "Hmmm. I don't know. Maybe I should wait till your body has sobered up. I wouldn't want to leave you with a hangover."

"Claaara."

She thumbed over her shoulder. "Plus I really have to take a piss." She turned away too fast and drunkenly stumbled over his big feet as she headed for the bathroom.

"Wait…wait!"

She didn't wait, but returned a few minute later.

"Ah…much better. You know that peeing standing up thing? That is sooo convenient. I can understand why you've never taken on a female form."

"Claaara, pleease!"

"Oh, fine. If you're gonna whine." She plopped down on the edge of the bed. "Gimmie my hand."

They held hands and the change was instantaneous.

"Seriously?" Clara struggled to out of the bed. "I just went to the bathroom."

"That was as me."

"I know." She threw back the covers and held out her hand. The Doctor stood to help her up and nearly toppled over. He ignored her hand and gripped the edge of the bed. "What have you done to me woman?"

"It was just alcohol."

"Way too much alcohol." He straightened up, clutching at his lower back. "Ahhh! I'm going to need to do a liver detox!"

Clara flailed her hand at him. "Will you give it a rest and help me up, pleease?"

"Yes…sorry." He steadied himself before helping her up.

"Next time," she said letting go of his arm as they reached the bathroom. "I'm just going for coffee. I promise."

His eyebrows shot up in alarm. "Next time?"

oooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooo

Twelve months later…

Clara stood outside the door to the spare bedroom. "Did you get my bag?"

"Yes, your bag is already in the Tardis." The Doctor's voice came from their bedroom.

"And my pillows?"

"I'm getting them now." He stepped out moments later, arms full of an assortment of pillows. "I'm sure they will have pillows there."

"Yes, but not these. You know how much my back hurts without the right pillows."

He didn't need to be reminded. He'd experienced it enough for himself.

"But the baby's due tomorrow."

"Yeah…I still think its strange how our baby can tell you when it's going to be born but not whether it's going to be a boy or a girl."

"I told you, all Gallifreyans are able to link with their child in the womb during the twelfth month. It's so much nicer being able to plan ahead than accidentally having your baby in the back seat of a cab, don't you think?"

"But aren't you worried? None of the ultrasounds were able to determine if our child is going to be a boy or a girl. What if something's wrong?"

The Doctor pulled her into a gentle hug to comfort her. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried. Our child will be born a Time Lord. That's never happened before, so I don't know exactly what to expect. But I do know that aside from the gender, the last ultrasound showed normal physical development. Two hearts and one brain, with all its fingers and toes."

"But what if…"

"I told you Clara, no buts." He kissed her forehead.

"Sorry, you're right…it's just nerves. I've never had a baby before."

He put his hand beneath her chin and tilted her head up to catch her eyes. "My offer still stands."

"No. I can do this. Like I said, watching myself give birth…that would just be too weird."

"You might change your mind the next time, first wife did."

"Next time! Let me get through this time and then we'll talk about a next time."

"Whatever you say dear. You're the boss." He gave her a hug and escorted her to the Tardis

ooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooo

It was late in the evening when the Tardis materialized in UNIT's medical facility at the end of a long empty hallway. An entire floor had been allotted to them for the blessed event. Kate and Dr Graff were both there to greet them and they were escorted to a room that had been prepared for the birth. It was the largest room available and it was crammed full of every possible medical device that might be needed in case of an emergency. Wounded combatants were more their specialty, not birthing babies…especially a Time Lord baby, and Dr. Graff wanted to take every precaution. Clara thought it a wonder that they managed to fit in a bed for her much less the small chair positioned next to it for the Doctor. This would be one of the times that his not sleeping would be to his advantage.

Kate set Clara's bag on the floor and watched while the Doctor placed her pillows in a precise arrangement on the bed before helping her up. She smiled as she watched him dote and hover about Clara. She wished her husband had been that attentive when their children were born. He'd 'left her to it' and sat with his family in the waiting room. She should have seen the writing on the wall that day, but she was too distracted by the tiny human pushing its way out of her body to even notice where he wasn't. It took the birth of their second child and a whole lot of retrospect to finally open her eyes.

She couldn't help but ask. "So, are you ready to be a father, Doctor?"

He gave her a knowing look. "No one is ever truly ready Kate. We both know that."

She turned to Clara. "I'd say he's ready. How about you?"

"The only thing I'm ready for is to have this baby out of me. I feel like I've been pregnant forever."

"Not much longer now." Kate glanced around the room. "I know it's not four star accommodations, what with all this equipment, but this is a unique situation and we just want to be prepared."

"Kate, it's ok. It's a hospital room. It's meant to be functional, not fashionable."

She moved next to Dr. Graff who'd been waiting patiently in the doorway. "Yes, well. I'll leave you two with Dr. Graff. Try to get some sleep. Big day tomorrow."

As Kate exited the room Dr. Graff stepped forward. He was a tall older man, rivaling the Doctor in his lankiness. His shock of white hair and his fanboy demeanor belied his age.

"So, are you two as excited as I am? The first alien-human hybrid."

The Doctor thought his comment was a bit rude and frowned. "I believe we're more excited that were having a baby."

"Yes, of course. I'd like to say again, that I am so honored that you chose me as your doctor, Doctor.

The Doctor pointed to Clara. "She chose you, I didn't."

"Doctor!"

Clara knew he had a problem with people idolizing him. He had the same problem with Malcolm before they'd become fast friends, so she had to stop him from saying anything he might regret later.

"Sorry Dr. Graff, we're both just a bit anxious." She apologized for the Doctor and watched as he rolled his eyes at her.

"No need to apologize, it's quite understandable. I just wanted to let you know that I will be sending a nurse around in the morning to hook you up to a monitor and to insert an IV port just as a precautionary measure. Do either of you have any questions for me?"

The Doctor spoke up. "Yes, where did you get your degree from?"

"Shush!" She admonished him again. "Let the man do his job."

"Fine," he sat down in the small chair and mumbled under his breath. "Settle for adequate."

Clara reached over and smacked him lightly on the arm. "No Dr. Graff, we have no questions."

"Ok then, nothing else to do tonight. If anything changes before morning you can press the call button hanging from your monitor, I'm just down the hall and I will be here right away."

oooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooo

Clara awoke early the next morning. The room had no windows and it was dark except for a small glow of light beside her bed. She looked over and found the glow was coming from her clip on book light. The Doctor was reading her book.

"I thought you didn't care for romantic fiction?"

"Well, since Jane Austen seems to be your personal favorite, I thought I'd give it a whirl."

"And?"

"And thank god you're awake." He unclipped the light, clipped it to her monitor and snapped the book closed. "How are you feeling?"

"Very pregnant."

"Ha, ha."

"Oh!" Clara touched her belly.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, baby kicked. I don't think she likes our humor."

"He better get used to it."

Clara laughed and the Doctor placed his hand upon her belly. "I'm going to miss this."

"Seriously?"

"Yes." He rubbed her belly and then slid his hand upward and cupped one of her swollen breasts. "You know how much I love round things." Smiling, he leaned up out of his chair to kiss her. She grabbed hold of his lapels and kissed him back until they were both startled by a voice at the door.

"Am I interrupting?"

"No."

"Yes."

Kate laughed, more from the Doctor blushing than from catching him in the act of feeling-up his wife.

"Don't mind me, not staying long. Just popping in to see if I can bring either of you something to eat from downstairs."

"Not hungry," the Doctor replied briskly. "Though, I will take some coffee."

"Coffee for the Doctor…Clara?"

Clara was the one looking embarrassed now. "Well…there is something I've been craving since I woke up."

"What's that?"

"I would really love some custard and…"

"Oh no, not that!" The Doctor interjected.

"What?" Kate asked.

"Fish fingers and custard! I thought I'd seen the last of that."

Kate was bemused. "What an odd craving."

Clara cut a glance at the Doctor. "Who said anything about fish fingers? I just wanted some custard and a cup-a- tea."

"I'll see what I can do." Kate replied. "Back in a jiff."

oooooooOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooo

The Doctor paced into the room and then back out of the room. He'd been doing this for the past half hour. He looked at Clara propped up in the bed with her chin to her chest. She'd nodded off again. He couldn't blame her; they'd been waiting nearly an hour for Kate to return. He spun on his heel and walked back out. This time when he turned around Clara's eyes were fluttering open.

"Is she back yet?"

"No."

"Well, can you go see what's keeping her? I could really use that cup of tea, or at least a glass of water."

H looked anxious. "I really don't feel comfortable leaving you all alone."

"It's fine." She insisted. "I told you earlier. I have my call button. So there's no reason to worry about me."

He stood at the doorway and peered down the hall. "Alright. "I'll stop by Dr. Graff's office first and then I'll go find her."

Clara gave him a smile of encouragement. "Thanks babe."

The Doctor set off down the hall. He found Dr. Graff's office six doors down on the left. As he pushed open the door he heard a sound emanating from inside. It was snoring. He found Dr. Graff fast asleep with glasses perched atop his head and a book opened across his chest. He left the man to sleep and set off to find Kate.

He made his way to the elevator, pressed the button and waited. When it didn't arrive soon enough, he pressed the button again. And again. And again. It was taking way too long. He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and scanned the door. The readings were surprising. The elevator was out. Not just out, it was completely non functional. The circuit boards and all electric wiring were fried. Even the power to the hard wired emergency button and phone was interrupted. It left the Doctor wondering if the reason Kate was taking so long was perhaps she was trapped inside, seeing as she could have taken the stairs by now. He adjusted the setting on his screwdriver and aimed it just above the elevator door. He sent a surge of electrical power directly through the cables to the lift mechanism. The elevator button lit up and moments later the elevator doors opened. Out jumped Kate Stewart.

"Oh thank god!"

The Doctor powered down his sonic and locked the elevator in place.

"Ever heard of routine elevator maintenance?" He asked.

"Don't be obtuse, of course it's maintained."

He snorted, waiving his hand at the open door. "Yes. Of course." He stepped inside and picked up the tray Kate had left on the floor. "I think I'll pass on my coffee but Clara may still want her tea and custard."

He set off at a brisk pace down the corridor with Kate at his side.

"Have you seen Dr. Graff this morning?" She asked.

"I've seen him. Fast asleep on his couch."

"I'll check in on him and then join you in a few." She left him as they passed by the door to his office.

The Doctor never slowed his pace and continued on to their room. When he reached the door he stopped and observed that a nurse was now in the room and Clara had dozed off again. The nurse's back was to him. She was a tall dark haired woman wearing a traditional blue nurse's dress with its white piping around the sleeves and collar. She was fiddling with Clara's monitor…and then she turned it off. He hesitated at the threshold wondering why she would turn it off.

"Shoes." He whispered, as unease in his grew in his stomach.

The nurse replied with a voice he knew all to well. "You've discovered my one weakness Doctor. Vanity." She turned to face him and his worst fear was confirmed. It was Missy. "But really…I only had time to take the nurses dress…seeing as she didn't need it anymore."

The tray he was holding crashed to the floor at his feet and Clara never stirred.

"What have you done? He demanded.

She raised her left hand. In it she was holding a syringe. "I gave her a special concoction of my own making."

He ran forward and grabbed Missy's hand, bending it backwards with all his might till she flinched and let go.

"Ow! You didn't have to do that. I'd of given it to ya."

He twisted her arm further and pulled her close, holding the empty syringe up to her face as anger redden his. "What is it?"

She smiled innocently. "A belated wedding gift?"

He shook her and growled. "What is it?"

"Such a brute! Its just a little neurotoxin I invented. Thought you might like it."

He shook her again. "What does it do!" His face a snarl of anger

"Nothing too dramatic. Just a coma followed by death…that's all."

"No!" He let go of her arm, grabbed Missy by the neck and squeezed. "Tell me you can stop this!"

"Doctor? What's going on?" The sound of the crashing tray had brought both Kate and Dr. Graff hurrying to the room. "Dear god, no!" She recognized Missy. "How did she get in here?"

Dr. Graff, who was oblivious of their history tried to step forward to intervene. "Good lord man! What are you doing to that nurse?"

Kate grabbed him by the jacket and stopped him. "Don't!" She pulled him back into the hallway. "Stay there!"

The unexpected interruption distracted the Doctor and caused him to lessen his grip. Missy gave him a shove and he toppled back onto the foot of the bed. By the time he regained his footing, he found her aiming her personal data weapon at him. He also heard a round being chambered and looked back towards the door. Kate was brandishing a small handgun.

"Put it down!" She ordered Missy.

"Don't be daft."

The Doctor blocked her shot. "Kate no! I need her alive!"

"Why?"

He held up the syringe. "She injected Clara with a toxin. I need to know how to save her!"

"Oh I'll tell you how." Missy interjected.

The Doctor spun around. "How?" He spat out.

Missy reached into the tiny front pocket of her jacket and pulled out a small pneumatic vial. She tossed it onto the bed. "With that."

Neither Kate nor Missy dropped their weapon as the Doctor picked up the vial. "What's this?"

She rolled her eyes. "The antidote."

He looked at the vial and then back to Missy. "Why would you give me this?"

"Because it will only work if you administer it within the next twenty four hours."

"And?"

"And…because I want you to choose."

"Choose? Choose what?"

She left his question hanging. "You know…I could have forgiven you for marrying her. Your pets have such short life spans. But a baby?" Missy cocked her head at him. "You promised me one…don't you remember? Oh-so many years ago." She feigned an overly sad face and pouted. "How could you Doctor? With a human? It's goes against the laws of Gallifrey."

"Stop this!"

She smiled, fluttered her eyes at him and lowered her weapon. She nodded at the bed. "Which one do you want?"

"What do you mean?"

Missy hated the tedium of explanation. "It means…that vial you hole in your hand. It will save only one."

The Doctor's face fell as he held up the vial. "No." He breathed it so quietly, only Missy could hear.

"The child will be a Time Lord. I think it should have Time Lord parents, don't you? Always wanted to be a stepmother."

"How…?'

"…did I know? She cut in. "I've never stopped watching you, but I did lose track of you for a while. Thought I might of lost you to that black hole. Shimmer confused me. Imagine my surprise when I went back a second time and found a moon with a funny little man whose memory you scrambled. Boy, the number you did on him! It took some doing but I managed to extract his real name before he died…poor fella. I was able to deduce the rest."

The Doctors shoulders slumped; he looked defeated as he reached for Clara's hand. "Why won't you leave me alone?"

"The same reason you won't you kill me."

"Doctor?" It was Kate.

Kate had moved. Her body now was positioned behind the doorframe and all he could see were her eyes and her arm. Her hand still brandishing her weapon at Missy. She locked eyes with the Doctor. He never spoke, but the small step he took to the side said it all. She pulled the trigger.

In the enclosed room, the sound was deafening. The Doctor flinched from the noise and Missy doubled over from the impact of the bullet. They both watched, waiting for her to fall. And then she raised her head…and smiled. "Gotcha!"

Missy stood up straight, with no blood and no bullet hole visible.

She threw out her arms with flourish. "Ta-da! Hard light hologram. Had your friend GUS make me one. Surprised?" She flapped a hand at him. "You should try it…so much easier than regeneration." Then she looked at Kate and grinned. "Oh Doctor…you should have married that one instead. She's got balls. They'd of made up for the one's you're lacking."

"Get out." He mumbled at her.

"What?" She put a hand to her ear. "Speak up."

He pulled his sonic screwdriver from is back pocket and growled. "Get out!"

"Now now. Don't be hasty. You might miss something important."

He aimed the sonic at her hologram, intent on disrupting it. "Like what?"

"Like the fact that the pneumatic vial you're holding…it's a bomb. Any disruption to its molecular structure or any attempt to tamper with the integrity of the device…and it explodes. It can only be administered, not replicated."

A horrified expression crossed his face as he stared at the vial.

"Aren't you glad you didn't zap me away? You might have all died." She stepped up to the Doctor, placed her hand to his cheek and caressed it lightly. "See. I'm not a total monster. I have compassion too." Her attempt at an endearing smile bordered on the maniacal. She never saw him raise his sonic, but she heard it buzz. She gave him a knowing tilt of her head and her voice piqued.

"Uh-Oh." Her image dissipated leaving behind the nurses uniform in a heap on the floor and the syringe in his hand. He dropped it to the floor and Kate watched helplessly as the Doctor wavered against the bed. He grasped Clara's hand and desperately tried to wake her with kisses to her cheeks, forehead and lips. There was no response. He brushed back her hair and whispered into her ear. "I'm sorry my love. I've failed you."

Kate joined the Doctor and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, she understood that platitudes would be nothing more than an insult, and she found herself more than surprised when he took hold of her hand. For a moment she thought he might be seeking mutual comfort, until she felt the cool metal vial being pressed into her hand. "Take it."

"Are you sure?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

His voice broke. "She would never forgive me."

Kate gave his hand a squeeze as she accepted the vial. "Dr. Graff!" She called out to the doctor still in the hallway. He quickly appeared in the doorway.

"Yes?"

She strode towards him. "Call your team and prepare the operating theatre." She handed him the vial. "You have a baby to save."

ooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooo

Clara was transferred to a smaller gurney and taken into the operating theatre and Kate spent the next five minutes trying to roust the Doctor from his stupor. A nurse popped his head into the room. "He's needed now. They're ready to start."

"Give me a hand."

Together they pulled him up from the lone seat and led him to the scrub room. Two nurses scrubbed him up as best they could and outfitted him with sterile gloves, mask and gown. He was put in a chair just inside, and to the left of the doors. He never once looked up. Kate scrubbed up and sat next to him.

He tried to block it all out, but he could only close his eyes, and when it was spoken, it sounded as if someone yelled the word 'scalpel' in his ear. His whole body winced.

As the operation proceeded, Kate would have suspected the Doctor void of all emotion if it wasn't for his tears dampening the paper mask he wore.

"Baby's out." Dr. Graff proclaimed. "Pneumatic injector."

Kate heard the rush of air as the vial was administered and she looked up in time to see baby being taken to a small triage table. They suctioned its nose and mouth and tried to stimulate its breathing. She kept waiting to hear a cry, but nothing came.

"Doctor! Bring the Doctor!" Dr. Graff called out.

He never moved, seeming not to have heard, so Kate leaned into him. "Go help your baby." She said. She didn't have to speak again.

He jumped from his chair and in a few quick strides he as was at his newborn's side. He looked down at the lifeless body and noticed that it was still unformed, neither a boy or a girl and it still wasn't breathing. He only had one option left. He pulled off a glove and shook his hand until it began to glow. The doctor and nurses stood back in wonder as the Doctor placed his glowing hand on the baby's chest. Soon the small body was swathed in a growing swirl of amber light and a wailing cry pierced the air.

Nurses cheered and Kate couldn't help her own tears of joy.

"Back to work!" Dr. Graff called out to his team, and their focus returned to Clara.

Kate crossed to room to be at his side. The Doctor had removed his hand but the light continued to swirl around the infant.

"What's happening Doctor?"

"I don't know. A Time Lord has never been born before."

Tiny sparks began to emanate from the swirl and a sudden blinding burst of energy knocked Kate to the floor. When the light dissipated they could all see the Doctor holding his child. One hand was supporting the head and the other supporting its tiny body.

"We have a son," he said tearfully, looking to the table where Clara's body lay. "We have a son."

ooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooo

Two hours later the Doctor and Kate were alone in the operating theatre. The surgical team had finished closing and decided to leave mother and child where they were for the time being. The Doctor had the nurses clear a space in the corner of the room and he relinquished his son long enough to park his Tardis in the emptied spot. He extended its shields to encompass the entire room. Only then did he feel safe. He found his son cleaned and swaddled when they handed him back and he thanked them all for their help.

'Why did I ever let her live?" The Doctor spoke aloud to himself, more than to Kate.

"Because you have compassion Doctor. That's a rare thing."

"Compassion." He spat out as if it was a foul word. "A compassionate person wouldn't hesitate to put down a rabid dog. That's what Missy is. Nothing more than an insane rabid dog I should have killed long ago."

Kate didn't argue. "Why didn't you?"

He snorted a derisive laugh. "Because I'm egotistical and selfish. I always think I can change people even though I know…they have to want to change."

"There's always a chance that Missy could…"

"No." The Doctor stopped her before she could finish. "She's been mad for over two thousand years and she's only gotten worse. I keep living in the past. Remembering how she was, how I hoped she could be. It's time to put the past behind me." He looked down at the baby in his arms. "I have to live for the future now. Nothing else matters. No one else matters."

"What about Clara?"

"Of course she matters!" He snapped at her. He let the moment pass before he spoke again. "Sorry. I'm sorry. There's nothing more I can do for her Kate." She could hear his shaky intake of breath as he tried to control his grief. "I never expected we'd be together forever, But I thought we'd at least have those sixty two years."

"Sixty two years?" She asked.

He gave her a weak smile. "Just a dream. A dream we lived long ago."

Kate rubbed her hand across his shoulders. It was a small gesture of reassurance, and other than a few inadequate words of sympathy, it was all she had to offer. "I'm so sorry Doctor." She rubbed his shoulders until she felt his body stiffen. She pulled her hand away when he sat up straighter and whipped his head towards her. His eyes were wide and the expression on his face was not one she expected to ever see again. It was hope.

"Do you know who I am Kate?"

She hesitated a moment before giving his her answer as a question. "The Doctor?"

"Yes!" He had a huge grin on his face and his eyes were lit up. "I'm the Doctor. And I save people!"

He pushed his newborn into Kate's arms. "Here, hold him a moment," and he sprinted to the Tardis, not even breaking his stride as he snapped the doors open with his fingers.

Kate expected to hear the wheezing groan of the Tardis dematerializing, but it never came. The door remained open and she looked around in amazement at its vast interior. She'd never seen inside before. He never offered, but maybe one day she'd have the courage to ask if he'd take her somewhere, anywhere…just once.

Minutes later he reappeared, sprinting through the console room and back out the door. He didn't return to reclaim his son, but stopped at Clara's bedside. And she watched as he lifted a red plastic cup to her lips.

Moments later…Clara cried out. Their son wailed. And the universe shuddered.

oooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooo

They spent their first week together as a family aboard the Tardis. It was the only place the Doctor felt safe. Shortly after she had been revived by the Elixier of Life, the Doctor spat out a quick thanks to Kate, an over Clara's protestations, hurriedly ushered his wife and newborn son into the Tardis. He'd told her little about what transpired and as each day had passed, she suspected he was keeping something from her. She didn't doubt his love. Ever since the birth, he was doting father and attentive husband, but sometimes…she would catch a look on his face…like he was expecting her to sprout two heads and turn into a boggin. It made her anxious and she felt like she was always waiting for the other shoe to drop. It all came to a head when at the end of the week she asked him to take them to visit her father and her Gran.

The baby was asleep in their bedroom, carefully bundled into the crib the Doctor had made, with a baby monitor perched nearby on a small table. Its twin was sitting in the center of the kitchen table as they ate breakfast.

"It's not safe," was his reply.

"When will it be safe?"

He hesitated. He'd already been caught in a lie that had almost cost him nearly everything and he may have regained her life, but surely not her trust. He didn't want to lie to her anymore, but he didn't have an answer to give. "I don't know," was all he said. And he mentally cringed when he realized his least favorite phrase in the universe had

just crossed his lips.

He left Clara with no choice. "Then make it safe."

He knew the request would be forthcoming. He had made it to himself as he sat with Kate days ago, but he had been procrastinating. He could no longer put it off.

"I will."

"When?"

He wanted a little more time together as a family. He had no idea how long he would be gone and he wanted to take as many memories with him as he could. "Can I have a week? Just one week? And then I'll take you to your fathers so that he can see the baby, you can visit for a bit while I…" He couldn't bring himself to say the rest…he just couldn't.

"Ok." Clara had replied.

Such a simple word, he thought. Just two letters. But within them lay the power of life and death. And he didn't know it at the time, but it would be the last word his childhood friend would hear spoken from his lips. "It's going to be ok."

The Doctor stayed for less than an hour at her father's house. Any longer and he didn't think he's be able to leave, or worse…he might start crying. He'd parked the Tardis on the front lawn and as he stepped out onto the stoop, David Oswald caught him by the arm. He pointed back inside the house. "Those two…they're all that matter now."

The Doctor's eyes flickered across the man's face, gauging his expression before locking eyes with him. "I know."

Clara's father pulled him into a bear hug, pinning the Doctor's arms to his sides. And even though he had decades on the man, the Doctor couldn't stop his eyes from tearing when he heard him say…

"Thank you son."

He barely made it back to the Tardis before he lost it.

ooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooo

The Doctor stood beside the crib, gripping the railing tightly as he looked down at his son. It wasn't the cradle he'd made, it was a store bought one that Clara's father had purchased and put together. So Impersonal, he thought. But the baby didn't seem to mind. "I wonder what your mother named you," he asked quietly, not wanting to wake the baby or Clara who he found sleeping in a rocker beside the bed.

"I haven't named him yet. I was waiting for his father to return."

Her reply startled him. He'd woken her after all.

"Well, here I am." He said.

"Yes…there you are." She stood up and kissed him. His lips were dry and he smelled of dust and dirt and sweat. It was the smell of days gone by, and she could feel weariness clinging to him like a blanket.

When their lips parted, the Doctor reached into the breast pocket of his jacket. Clara noticed his bottom lip quivering as he pressed a pair of plastic cherries into the palm of her hand. His voice broke when he spoke again. "How long has it been?"

She squeezed her hand closed and dropped it to her side. "Two days." She replied. "And you?"

"Ah…," he gave her a small laugh. "Bigger than a breadbox." His knuckles went white against the cribs wooden railing and he dropped to his knees. Clara threw her arms around him to keep him from toppling over and he stifled a cry of pain. He didn't resist as she lowered him to the floor and rested his head on her lap. She touched his chest and he cried out again. She reached down to unbutton his jacket and the stayed her hand. "Don't."

She ignored his request and pushed away his hand. Opening his jacket, she was shocked by the large red stain soaking the front of his white shirt. "No!"

"Just a scratch," he tried to joke. "You…should have seen the other guy."

"I'm sorry."

He looked up at her face and saw tears swimming in her eyes.

"Don't be." He said. "Had to be done."

"But at what cost?" Several rogue tears escaped down her cheeks and he felt them as they dropped on to his.

"I'm the one…who's sorry Clara." He winced in pain. "Can't seem to get anything right."

"Shut up!"

"Maybe…" his breathing became labored. "Maybe the next guy will."

"Don't you dare! Doctor…"

"You need to go," he cut her off. "Take the baby…go."

"No."

"Clara!" His extremities began to glow and he felt the warmth of regeneration surge through his body. His voice regained some strength. "You have to go!" He pleaded. "I can't control it."

"Rule number one." She said. "The Doctor lies." Clara could tell by the confused look on his face that he didn't understand

"Please! Just go!" The glow was now spreading through his torso.

"I phoned her. Our first night back in the Tardis, when I went to take a shower and you were watching the baby… I phoned Kate."

His mouth dropped open at her revelation, and he could feel the glow as it began to spread up into his neck.

"I had to know the truth. She told me everything that happened, but the one thing she couldn't tell me…is how you saved me. I had to find that out on my own."

"And?" He knew better than to deny the truth anymore.

"And don't have the medical scanner in sick bay linked to the Tardis datacore when you're trying to hide something."

He felt the glow reach his face. "But…," he gritted out the word as the Artron energy began to emanate from his body.

"Shhh. Don't forget rule number two."

He couldn't reply. The forces raging in his body had taken control. His wide questioning eyes spoke or themselves.

She smiled down at him. "The Doctor is an idiot." She rested her head on his chest and held him close as the Artron energy burst forth. Clara's invulnerable body absorbed the energy as fast as his body released it and the regeneration sequence was over before it ever started.

The Doctor found himself staring up into Clara's eyes. He was alarmed to see them glowing. "What's happened?" The glow quickly abated, but he could still see golden flecks flickering in her irises.

"I think I absorbed all of your regeneration energy."

"How?"

She shook her head. "Don't ask me, I've never been immortal before." She caressed his face. "But I'm glad it happened, because I didn't want to lose you. Not this you."

The Doctor reached up and felt his face. It was unchanged. And now that he thought about it, his memories were still intact. "I didn't change," he murmured in amazement. He sat up, yanked open his shirt and rubbed at his chest. The deep puncture wound he'd received from the sharpened tip of Missy's umbrella was gone; the template was repired. Clara laughed as he began squishing his face with his hands. "I didn't change." He repeated a louder as his face lit up in amazement.

"Would you like a bigger surprise?" She asked.

He was still tugging at his face and he began to laugh. "What could possibly surpass this?"

Clara placed her hand against the Doctor's chest and her hand began to glow. "Clara? Wha…what are you doing?" She slowly began to release the Artron energy that she'd absorbed from his regeneration back into his body. "Oh!" His whole body tingled.

"What are you doing?"

"It's got to go somewhere, so I thought I'd put it back where it came from."

"That's not possible!"

"Say's who? "

A few tiny coughs and a staccato cry came from the crib.

The Doctor smiled a lopsided smile. "Says Junior, apparantely."

"No…no…we are not calling him that!" Clara stood up beside the crib and looked down at her crying son.

"Why not?" The Doctor asked, climbing to his feet.

She lifted their son out of the crib. "It's not even a proper name!"

"We'll name him after me, then. It's long standing human tradition."

"What…Doctor Jr.?"

"Nooo!" He drew out the o's with his thick Scottish accent. "I meant my real name."

She looked at him now as if he'd gone mental. "I think I'd prefer Junior."

"What's wrong with…"

"Seriously, he'll have to go to school with that name." She butted in. "That's what's wrong with it."

"It's not that bad?"

"Really? Then why did you call yourself Theta Sigma all those years you were at the Academy?"

His silence ended the debate, but not their search for a name. And much to Clara's chagrin, they took so long in choosing a name that everyone wound up calling him Junior by default.

oooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooo

The Doctor never had nightmares. He only had memories. A nightmarish array of memories that invaded his dreams, which was one of the reasons he rarely slept. But newborns were exhausting and he found himself sleeping, and dreaming a lot more than he wished, and lately his dream was always the same. He relived the day he became the last Gallifreyan in the universe.

It had taken him only three earth months to find Missy. It was hard not to find her, and he didn't even try to understand what the bitch must have been thinking, because she didn't even try to hide the trail of carnage she was leaving throughout all of time and space. He found her on a small pre-industrial planet in the Navaaran System. His dream always started the same.

She was sitting in chair next to a small linen covered table set upon a lush rolling hillside that overlooked the surrounding countryside. She was dressed in her usual severity, with her hat on her head and her umbrella at her side and she was having tea. It would have been a rather mundane setting to find her in if it wasn't for the battle being waged in the valley below.

One of the planets native blue skinned inhabitants stood beside her dressed in rags and bound in chains, waiting on her every need. As the Doctor approached Missy from behind, the blue skinned creature saw him and stepped back in fear. Missy never turned. It was the one time he was thankful for her arrogance. He didn't want to see her face.

She set down her cup when he placed his hands on her shoulders and she waved to the carnage below. "I'm directing a play. My own little version of Romeo and Juliette. Course, I deleted all the love scenes so I should probably change the title. How about…" She passed her hand in the air from left to right to emphasize an imaginary caption. "Capulet and Montague or maybe Hattfield and McCoy? Same diff."

He removed his hands and wiped them across the front of his jacket in disgust. Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out his newly modified cellular disrupter and pressed it against the base of her skull.

"Oh, Doctor. It that your sonic screwdriver, or are you just happy to see me?"

"I don't have a screwdriver anymore."

"Ooh! Grew a pair, did ya? Bout time!"

"Shut up."

She didn't listen; she kept on poking the bear instead. "So, which one did you wind up saving?"

"I saved them both."

"But, that's not…" It only took seconds for her brilliant mind to deduce his solution. The Elixir of Life!

"Oh, Doctor. What have you done?"

"You'll never be able to harm her again."

Missy sorted in derision. "It's a good thing for you Gallifrey is lost, or they'd have throw you and your abomination of a family into the Schism without even blinking."

He knocked off her hat and grabbed her by the hair as he pressed the disrupter harder against her skull. "Shut up!"

"Forever is an awful long time. Look at us." She sounded pensive. "We barely made two thousand."

"Because you're mad."

"I may be mad." She replied softly. "But I was never a fool." And she was never one to go down without a fight.

The dream would wake him, either when her umbrella pierced one of his hearts, or when the sound of his disrupter made her scream. And he would lie awake in the dark next to the woman that he loved, and he would wonder if 'happily ever after' was only possible in fairytales.

Authors note:

Whew! What a labor of love! Don't forget to put me on alert for my next two stories. The first will be about how Jack Harkness became the Face of Bo in "Jack and the Giant Slayer and the second will be about the 'secret of the universe' in "The Ancient History of Gallifrey" Thanks for reading. Would love lots of feedback on the ending! (Good or bad.)