Clara's POV:

I checked my phone. It was 20 minutes until my first class started.

It was also 16 days, 10 hours, & 40 minutes since my last trip with the Doctor.

I had told him that I wanted to take some time to take care of things at the start of the term, but I never thought it would be so difficult. Things here just felt so meaningless now. Why should I hang around one school on one planet when I had the opportunity to see all of time & space?

I sat at my desk, trying not to think of how long it's been since my last adventure with the Doctor, trying not to wonder when I'd see him again & what he's been up to without me…when I heard it.

It was the TARDIS!

It wasn't coming from my classroom, so I ran out into the hallway. It sounded like it was coming from the room next to mine.

He's was going to land in the wrong room!

"Oh, hello Clara!" Adrian said as I burst into the room.

"Hello." I said, looking around for the TARDIS. The sound had stopped, so the Doctor must be around somewhere. "Is everything ok?"

"Yes, yes. I was just trying to vacuum up some chalk dust, but I can't get this thing to work." He shook the vacuum cleaner in his hand. "It won't stay on." He turned it on again, only for it to stop a few moments later. He did this a few more times, & I realized that I had heard the vacuum cleaner. It wasn't the TARDIS after all.

I tried not to be too disappointed as I went back to my class room.

It has been 16 days, 15 hours, & 18 minutes since my last trip with the Doctor.

I tried not to think about it too much as I had lunch with some of my friends on the faculty. I wasn't paying too much attention to the conversation. I couldn't help but think about how incredible the food had been on Zuthea. I'd love to have some of that sushi right now instead of a boring cup of soup…

A startled cry caught my attention, & I leapt up. One of the older teachers, the one who had yelped, was standing by the coffee machine. He let out a string of words that he was only able to say in the faculty room.

"What's wrong?" I asked. "Are you ok?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine." he said. "I've just managed to spill coffee all over myself, that's all." He looked at me quizzically. "What's that for?"

I still held the spork I had been eating with, holding it as if I had to defend myself…

"Nothing." I said, aware that everybody in the faculty room was looking at me. "I dropped this one, so I'm just getting a new one." I said, covering quickly. "Let me get you some napkins."

I sat by my window that night with my tea, looking up at the stars. I had been getting texts from people all day with various spork jokes, thanks to my little incident at lunch. I gazed out at the night sky longingly. The Doctor was out there somewhere.

I wanted to be out there too.

But it was close to midnight, which meant that I should probably get some sleep. I'd have to be able to work tomorrow…

But that's when I heard it.

This time, it wasn't a vacuum cleaner. The TARDIS was arriving in my living room!

"Have you any idea what time it is?" I asked the Doctor.

"I'm a time traveler. Of course I know what time it is!" he said. "You've just finished up your teaching duties for the day, & now you're ready for an adventure!"

"Actually, it's closer to midnight."

"Oh, well, that's a shame. I suppose you'd rather sleep, instead of meeting the Royal Knights of Zeta Delta 5."

"I never said that." I said, following the Doctor inside with a big grin on my face.

I have been waiting so long for this.

I think we're all starting to feel like Clara, waiting for the Doctor. The vacuum cleaner joke was even based on a real experience...lol

Well, we don't have too much longer to wait…

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