It was a nippy fall evening as the sound of a materializing blue box echoed around the Maitland household, and a young brunette man in a bowtie led a woman to the front door, the differently colored leaves falling all around the pair.

The Doctor pushed the doorbell five times and turned to his companion, Clara Oswald. "Was your trip satisfactory, then?" He asked, a cocky smile on his face.

Clara rolled her eyes and then smirked back. "Minus the man-eating crabs? Perfect," she said, grinning genuinely as the heard the Time Lord laugh and felt him pat her shoulder.

"You're back, finally! Angie and I got a present for you!" The excited babble of Artie Maitland resounded as the kid opened the entryway to the house. "Come on, Clara!" He continued as he took her hand, the Impossible Girl almost falling at the abruptness of the motion as Artie led her into the kitchen.

She smelled the air. Ginger, cilantro, and the known scent of the chocolate she used in her soufflé attempts wafted around, with the kitchen utensils all in place in perfectly marked areas. Just as it should be, Clara smiled.

Artie pulled at her hand again and gestured her and the Doctor towards Angie, who was sitting oblivious to her brother's excitement by being on her phone. "Angie, they're here!" The boy said, yanking her mobile out of her hands.

"Artie!" Angie exclaimed, upset. Seeing her nanny and sighing, the girl reached behind her for a brown-paper bag. "Personally, I thought it was a stupid idea, but here you go. Happy Birthday Clara."

"Oh, presents! Gifts, always good." The Doctor mused as Angie handed off the bag to Clara. "Except when they're actually bombs or mini stink bombs, then which-"

The Time Lord found a finger to his lips as his companion shushed him and then laughed. "Shut up for once, okay Doctor?" Clara steered him to the red leather couch in the living room. "You want to open it up together?"

The bow-tied alien nodded and undid, per Clara's direction, the red bow that was threaded around the bag, then handing the gift off to his brown-haired companion, who stared at the present in shock- it was a book, maybe?

"Clara? Clara? What is it?" The Doctor asked, bound to get down to the mystery of Clara's emotions. However, his Impossible Girl ignored him and instead set the gift on the coffee table and then went to hug Artie and Angie (who was not too thrilled with the display of affection).

"This, this is amazing. Great. Wonderful. Where did you find it?" Clara directed her question at Artie.

"Dad helped us buy it online. We knew she was one of your favorite authors after all," the boy answered enthusiastically. "Do you like it?"

"Yes, yes I do. Thank you so much." The woman stood up and the Doctor, confused, also shot up from the couch. "The Doctor and I have to go now, but thanks again, Artie, Angie," She nodded at the children, springing up and taking the bow-tied man with her.

"Have fun with your boyfriend!" Angie teased, as the pair shot out the front door of the Maitland house back into the wind and the fall leaves.

The Time Lord was still befuddled about her present. "Clara, why did you drag us out here?" He interrogated. "What did they give you? Because if it's a Maruvian gargantula, I TOLD them not to touch that, but they just wouldn't-"

"It's not a Maruvian gargantula," Clara shook her head. "Doctor, look."

So he did. But the man didn't believe what his eyes showed him. It was a book, and the author-

The author-

"Am I-?" The Gallifreyan asked, shooting a look at his companion.

"Yeah," Clara breathed, beaming an incredible smile.

And they started to laugh, regarding at the back cover and reading it over and over again in their mind, their breath mingling with the colorful leaves and the wind and the cups of coffee spilled on the sidewalk. Continuing to grin, the Doctor and Clara turned back over the gift. The Doctor put his hand out, and smiled even wider as his Impossible Girl took it and they rushed through the doors of the time machine.

"Ready for another adventure?" The Time Lord asked.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Clara responded, setting the birthday book on the console seat as she held on to the controls and they blasted to yet another wonder.

It was why she travelled, after all.

And the book, with its worn pages, typed lovingly on a typewriter by an author lost in time, promising more marvels to come soon.

The Mind of a Madman

By Amelia Williams

The Story of an Extraordinary Adventure of Friends

And an Extraordinary Man

Wow. I'm actually done.

For more than two years I have worked on this story, and been sure that I would never complete it many times. But here I am, and I'm both sad and happy. Thank you all so much for what you've done, encouraging me with reviews, favorites, and follows. It means the world to me. And sorry I was late posting this up, there were complications. However, I'm glad I'm here now, and again, thanks for all the support. Check out JUATW and Misstep in the following days- I'm going to work a lot on them, now that this is done!

I love you so much. Every reader helped.