Okay, I have a really big apology to make to all of you. As you know, from the last update, I said that this story was finished. Which it is, but my computer decided it wasn't finished. And it decided to crash. Thus, I had to get a new computer. Ah well. Here I am finally. (Birthday wish used up, just like Hazel and Disneyland...) Thank you all for your support. And here goes, the final chapter.

But then she got a phone call.

A number, ringing through out the universe. The Doctor was calling Clara Oswald.

It felt as if in slow motion, she checked the number, and her whole body seemed to light up. She felt as if she was on fire.

She couldn't even believe that her voice didn't completely falter when she told Danny she'd be right back. Her phone was ringing, and a really important person was on the line. She needed to answer it. A friend was calling. A very old friend. Clara felt as if the whole world could feel her heart thumping. Beating. Alive.

Danny simply smiled at her. It was a polite smile. A smile that said, I wonder who that really is on the end of the line. But polite none the less. He bid his farewells and thanked Clara for inviting him over. Even though it hadn't lasted as long as he would have wished.

She nodded and promised him she would make up for it. The holidays were coming up, they could do something then. Together. Just as friends, of course, but together. She slammed the door shut on his waving figure, and locked it. No disruptions, no distractions. Just The Doctor.

She answered the phone.

He didn't say hello.

She didn't say hello.

There was only silence. Complete, utter silence.

This couldn't be a stupid trick, could it? Someone messing with her feelings on purpose? Who would do such a thing? She had gotten her hopes up for nothing. He was never going to come back for her. He had found some other younger, prettier girl to travel around all of time and space with. Oh why oh why had she even thought he was coming back for her? Why did she... Why did she have to love him?

And then he spoke.

"Clara?"

Her voice caught in her throat. She didn't know what to say.

"Clara Oswald?" His voice seemed so foreign to her. So familiar, yet so foreign. "Clara I know it's you. It's no use being all quiet and pouty. I know you picked up the phone. So you might as well just answer me and we can get all the shouting over with."

Oh that was very much The Doctor. "Hello again. Nice of you to finally call me after three months." It felt longer. It probably was longer.

"Three months? Oh dear." He muttered about dysfunctioning TARDISes. "Clara, I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry. It wasn't meant to be three months."

"You just got caught up in visiting other alien planets, did you?" She could feel the anger bubbling up inside her. Be calm, Clara Oswald. Be calm.

He paused. "I may have visited a few."

Screw being calm. It had been too long. "Oh, and did you just run into another girl and take her and show her the stars? You at least could have said goodbye."

He didn't say anything, so she continued.

"What happened that day? What did I do? I can't remember Doctor. I can't remember. If I could I would tell you I was sorry. I just don't know." Her voice cracked. Don't cry. You're trying to make a point, Clara, don't cry. Not now.

"You..." He hesitated. "Something big happened that day. Something that I regret, and am very sorry that I didn't see coming." He was choosing his words carefully. Almost too carefully. He was hiding something. Why wouldn't he just tell her? "I could have lost you. I could have lost you again."

What?

What did that mean?

"You can't just lose me! I jumped into your timeline, remember? I saved you!" She was shouting at the phone, not caring if Danny was still outside her door, listening to her yell at The Doctor. This needed to be said, so she was going to say it.

"Clara…" A sad voice for a man trapped in his wrongdoings.

There was silence for a moment. He was looking for the right words to say. A man of such words, lost? How unpredictable. "There's something I have to say. I have to tell you. I must tell you."

I was scared. It could be anything, the worst being I found someone else to travel with. But he would never do that to her, would he? "W-What is it?"

"Clara I…" The words were caught in his throat.

He started again. "Clara… I don't want to ever lose you, you understand? You mean the world to me. You mean more than all the worlds to me. I don't think I could bare it. I don't think either of us could bare it. What would you do if you lost me?"

The words came out so quickly, she couldn't stop them. "I wouldn't lose you." The way he talked was like magic, magic to her and her alone.

"Exactly. That is my point. You enjoy being with me, I can see. And I enjoy being with you." She could practically hear him smiling. "So Clara, I'm only asking you one thing. And I hope you'll say yes."

There was a pause, and she thought he was going to at least ask her the question, not just send her thinking about him for months and months. Years, even.

Then a sound started gasping.

The familiar sound of the TARDIS appearing in her living room.

Just as it had so many months ago when this whole catastrophe had first occurred. The weird inhale-exhale-machine-like sound that she enjoyed so much. It brought her hope. It brought The Doctor. The TARDIS appeared and she stared at it, wide eyed. She stared at him.

He was standing, no, he was leaning against a door of the TARDIS. The phone from the outside (which he kept trying to remind himself should be moved to the inside of the TARDIS) in his hand. His thin, strangely dressed self leaning like some sort of model. He smiled awkwardly at her. His small eyes seeming even smaller when he smiled, his hair flopping over his head like usual. His big chin stuck out, oh how she missed that chin.

She dropped her phone. The room was so quiet, the phone hitting the carpet seemed unspeakably loud.

"Will you come with me?"

It took her a second to process the words that had just been said. Her eyes widened even further, if that was even possible, and she gaped at him. Her jaw was slightly open, and her hands were shaking. How could he ask her so quickly. How could he even think of asking her just like that? He was so cruel and unspeakably not human. But, he was The Doctor. He was her Doctor.

And she couldn't think of anything else to do in the world but travel the stars with him.

Thank you for all your support on this story. It's been a blast to write, and an EVEN BIGGER BLAST to hear from you all. This was my first multi-chapter story that I have written, and I hope you all enjoyed it. All of you are welcome to comment and like and favorite and follow me and this story.

~Matteo :33