

As soon as she stepped inside those doors, I felt guilty. She was already chattering away about how long it had been since I'd seen her last...or, shall I say since The Doctor had seen her last. When she finally saw me, she froze and her eyes widened.
"Did you change or something?" she asked, her eyes flicking up and down, looking over me. "Because it's a pretty good look, but those trousers are rubbish."
I couldn't help but smile. She was exactly how I remembered her...except they weren't my memories. "Clara...I'm not the Doctor."
I gave her a moment to process that, and her eyes got wider still. "Then where is he?" she asked, her tone of voice saying she wasn't sure whether to believe me or not.
"I don't know," I sighed. "That's why I came to find you." I met her eyes, holding her gaze and trusting she would see that I was speaking the truth. Because I sure damn needed her too. "The Doctor gave me some of himself...some of his memories and abilities. But it was the last thing he did."
Clara's eyebrows came together and her eyes got wider still. "What? No, he can't-"
"No, no, no, he's not dead," I interrupted quickly, stepping forward and taking her hand. "It was the last thing he did before he vanished. I was the only person around, so he took the chance on trusting me." I suddenly realized I was holding a very pretty girl's hand, and believe me, that didn't help my concentration any.
"He told me to find him. I don't know how or where he was taken, but I know that I do have to find him. I was hoping you would be willing to help me."
Clara was silent for a long time, simply looking into my eyes. "How do I know you're telling the truth?"
I spread my hands and smiled. "Do I look like I'm lying?"
"No."
"Well, that's the best I can do for you," I said, shrugging. Then I turned and grabbed a lever on the console, flipping it and hitting a button at the same time.
"So," I said, spinning around with a big grin. "You in?"
"Go off with a man I can't possibly trust, who's obviously also mad, in a blue box without a clue as to where I'm headed?" she asked, crossing her arms. I looked up at the ceiling and then back at her.
"Why not?"
She shrugged and smiled, a brilliant smile. "Wouldn't be the first time. But what's your name?"
I gave her a secret smile and pressed another button. "I'll tell you when we find him. Until then, call me the Doctor. The universe always needs a Doctor, but more than one would be more than it could handle. So!" I said, flipping a few more levers. "All of time and space, every sexy species that ever lived...where do you want to start looking?"