Soufflés and Stars [Whouffle/Whouffaldi One-Shots]

The Start of Something New [Whouffle]

BECAUSE IM A FUCKING SUCKER FOR PREGNANT FANFICTIONS OKAY BYE

there's honestly no plot I just love ideas like this bye

—

It took her so long to notice the signs.

Being a time-traveler, with her lovely time traveling beau- no, husband, at her side, it was hard to determine dates nowadays. She knew when they first had intercourse, it had just been shy since she last had her menstrual cycle. It was amazing -she would always place that word when thinking of her experience with the Doctor- especially since he was much different than most human men. The whole telepathy thing definitely was a different factor of sex, something she wasn't necessarily complaining about. She also found the Doctor, the one with the big chin, flailing arms, and mouth that could speak for ages, was much different in bed, but again, not that she was complaining.

She noticed something was off when her breasts were much more tender than normal as they were running for their lives from a Sontaran fleet that they had accidentally encountered. She also noticed how tired she was becoming, which wasn't very often after her body had gotten used to the near death experiences. She didn't bring it up to the Doctor, however, as it was something very small. She did just come from an exhausting day of working at Coal Hill on the day of that adventure, so perhaps it wasn't anything.

The next time she noticed something was wrong was when she skipped her period the following month of sex. The TARDIS decided to like her at this point and gave her the relative time to which her body was at to assist her, which was around the time she would get it. She strode her way to the TARDIS medical bay and requested a scan on her body.

The screen showed the basics of Clara's physiology and health. In bold letters, the words PREGNANT, THREE WEEKS. It took several times of rereading the three words for it to finally click.

She was pregnant.

Actually, properly, pregnant. The Doctor said they wouldn't be compatible the day they did do it, so how the hell was this possible? Gallifreyans and humans shouldn't mix, he said, it'll be fine, he said. The TARDIS offered a small hum of reassurance as she took a seat in a med bay cot, reevaluating her life to this point. At twenty-five? She still felt a bit like a child rather than any responsible adult to carry the burden of a child. She worried of what the Doctor might think. This was also the point when the Doctor decided to step in. What a coincidence.

"Clara! I've been looking everywhere for you-," one step in and he looked at her, with her eyes holding tears that were threatening to fall. Without even assessing what could be wrong, he rushed to her side and brought her into a warm embrace. The smell of his aftershave made her think of everything to be so domestic for just a split second, how they could be normal with this child, now growing in her.

Oh, how she wished that were the case.

He was a god-knows-how-old time traveling alien who would outlive her, while she was a basic human with nothing more than a pretty face with a bossy personality and her lives scattered in his time stream. She wasn't ready for the repercussions of bringing the unborn baby into the world.

"Clara, Clara, what's wrong?" He asked as he kissed her forehead tenderly, then gazing into her eyes for some sort of answer.

"Doctor," she tried to say more, but her throat felt constricted. The world seemed to crash under the general idea of it all. The Doctor allowed her to calm down, holding her tight in his warm embrace. His hearts always soothed her as he rocked her side to side gently. "Doctor," she tried again.

"It's okay..." The Doctor muttered. Normally, it would be a perfectly fine thing to say, but Clara couldn't be reassured by that anymore.

"That's the thing- it's not." Clara murmured into his tweed, getting the material wet with her salty tears. "I'm pregnant, Doctor." The rocking stopped as his eyes widened in surprise, his heart beats thrumming loudly. Clara felt the light feeling of him in her mind, but she ignored it, her emotions too much in turmoil for anything else to be processed.

"You're-," he tried, but he wasn't sure how to react.

"I thought it was impossible." Clara breathed, "How?"

"I don't know. It's never happened before. The first Gallifreyan-Human hybrid." The fact the Doctor had no clue what was going on made Clara uneasy. He knew everything- always. He pulled away and lifted Clara's chin up to meet his eyes. "Look at me, Clara." Her chocolate eyes met his green ones, "I can't guarantee everything will be okay. This will be an intense experience for you, as a mother and...because that child is mine, I cannot guarantee his safety. You've seen all the enemies I've had throughout my lifetime. The ones that want me dead or use our son as a weapon."

"Our son?" Clara asked quietly. How did he know the sex of the child already?

"I prodded gently when you told me. We always know when looking in." The Doctor explained, "But as I said, I can't guarantee he will be safe, I cannot guarantee that anything will happen as you keep this child into full term. Gallifreyans don't normally have children in this manner, it's mainly in the loom." He frowned, "But I promise you, I will do everything I can to protect you both. It's the best I can do."

"I'm scared." She admitted quietly. The Doctor wasn't used to Clara admitting such things openly, as she was such a strong woman.

"We'll do it, together." The Doctor said, "We'll teach him the best we can and protect him. He'll get all our good qualities. A nice meld of Clara and the Doctor."

"Good qualities, eh? I hope the chin isn't included." Clara giggled. The Doctor was glad her smile was back on her face. He never liked it when she was hurting.

"There's nothing wrong with a prominent chin, this can cut through anything." The Doctor responded, smirking. "I am afraid he might get your button nose; wouldn't work well for a young man."

"Hey! My nose is fine, thank you." Clara swatted his arm playfully. The Doctor chuckled, holding his dear wife in his arms."How will he age?" Clara finally asked. The Doctor scratched the back of his head.

"It's a bit of a lottery, actually. I don't know if he'll have the same regeneration rules or the same anything. I don't know if he'll be more human or Gallifreyan." The Doctor cupped Clara's cheek, "I just know that I got the best woman in the universe for this."

"I won't be here for it all." The Doctor frowned at Clara's honest response.

"I'm sorry." The Doctor wished he didn't choose human companions all the time. Their lifespans were so fleeting, so small. "We'll figure out a way to make it work."

"No, no, you won't make some random solution for me to stay." Clara said, "You'd have our son in memorial to me instead. We made that promise when we became one." A beat passed, "Can we name him Atlas? Atlas Oswald?"

"Atlas? Why Atlas?" The Doctor inquired.

"Is it a bad name?" The fear spilled in Clara's eyes and the Doctor shook his head.

"No, no, I'm just curious why." He explained. Clara looked down to her stomach, which in time, will start to expand for their dear son.

"He will be our world." Clara murmured in explanation. "The world that's birthed from within the cosmos."

"Poetic."

"English teacher, dear." Clara reminded him.

"I like that." The Doctor grinned, "Atlas Oswald, eh?"

"Atlas Oswald-Smith." Clara added.

"Oh, we're bringing in my John Smith persona in?" He raised a delicate eyebrow.

"Well, we have to tie something of yours in." Clara said, then looked to the ceiling. "What do you think, old girl?" A hum of agreement. "She agrees, so it must be good."

"I see." The Doctor smiled. The idea of becoming a father was appealing to the dear timelord, for he hadn't been one in so long. He'd have another little Gallifreyan running around, saving the universe. He wouldn't feel so lonely anymore, having a single constant that would last longer than human companions. He smiled.

Atlas Oswald-Smith. I'll protect you till the end of time.