The TARDIS Guide to Shipping

Clara x Twelve

The Doctor grabbed Clara by the hand. He held it tightly as they ran through a tunnel that was about to collapse.
     'Run, Clara!' he shouted.
     'I am running!' Clara laughed. Once they reached the exit, the Doctor and Clara stood back and watched the tunnel fall only seconds after they escaped. The Doctor stared at the rubble of the tunnel, horrified by the thought of staying there for a few more seconds. Clara was bent over with her hands on her knees, panting.
     'Clara,' the Doctor said, worried, 'are you alright?'
     'I'm fine!' Clara laughed. 'Woo! Adventuring sure is hard work.'
The Doctor panted. 'I'm getting too old for all the running.'
Clara laughed again. She stood up straight and pushed her hair behind her ear.
'TARDIS,' the Doctor said. 'Now.'
'Sheesh,' Clara said. 'What's wrong ?'
'Nothing,' the Doctor said with the most truthful face he could. 'Let's just get back to the TARDIS.'
'Okay...' Clara knew he was lying.
     The Doctor walked to the TARDIS with Clara trotting and skipping beside him. Every now and then the Doctor would glance at Clara. Every time he did, she had on a bright smile. Clara loved travelling with the Doctor. Even though they face death almost every day, she enjoyed the adrenaline running through her veins. The Doctor, on the other hand, wanted to keep Clara safe and away from danger.

They arrived at the TARDIS. Clara stood by the doors when the Doctor opened them.
'You seem a bit tense today,' Clara said. 'You alright?'
'I'm fine,' the Doctor said casually. 'What do you think is wrong? Is there something wrong?'
Clara shrugged. 'I dunno. Just thought you were cross or something.'
The Doctor and Clara walked into the TARDIS. It welcomed them with a delightful note that cannot be described with words. Almost magical, Clara thought.
The Doctor immediately went to the console and began pressing buttons and pushing levers.
'Maybe it's the eyebrows,' Clara said, examining the Doctor's face. 'You always look cross.'
'I am always cross,' the Doctor mumbled.
Clara leaned against the console as the Doctor worked. 'Uh-huh,' she said. 'Why's that?'
The Doctor didn't make eye contact. 'I regenerated. It's a thing us Time Lords do. It's a dodgy process. This is what happens when you regenerate.' He pointed to his eyebrows.
Clara laughed. 'We need to work on your sense of humour.'
'What's wrong with my sense of humour?' the Doctor asked, looking up from the console. 'I enjoy it.'
'Yeah,' Clara said, getting closer to the Doctor's face, 'you enjoy it.'
The Doctor playfully rolled his eyes and continued to press buttons on the console. 'Whatever.'
'So where're we going next?' Clara asked, walking around the console.
The Doctor paused. 'Uh,' he thought, 'maybe we could go somewhere safe for a while.'
'"Safe"?' Clara asked. 'What d'you mean, "safe"?'
'I just want to relax a bit,' the Doctor said looking at Clara as she walked.
'Safe,' she repeated. 'You never like safe.'
'No, but that doesn't mean I can't–'
'What's going on today?' Clara asked. 'Is there something going on that I should know about?'
'No, it's just–'
'Are you planning a surprise?'
'No, I'm–'
'Then what is it?' Clara asked slowly.
'I just want to keep you safe,' the Doctor finally said. 'That's all. I don't want you getting hurt. I couldn't bare to loose you.'
Clara looked at the Doctor with surprise. Then she broke the silence by laughing. 'Oh, Doctor,' she said. 'Quit pretending to care.'
'But I do care!' the Doctor said with a tone Clara had never heard before. 'I care a lot about you.'
Clara didn't notice that her hands were in the Doctor's. She looked in his eyes. She could see something new in his eyes. It wasn't care though. She had seen care before. No, it wasn't care. She had never seen that look in his eye before.
'Clara,' the Doctor almost whispered. 'I love you.'