In Her Eyes (A Whouffle Fanfiction)

Chapter 2-The Game

A/N

This chapter is dedicated to fidelitasinfinite for posting a comment that made me smile. Thank you to everybody who commented, it makes me so happy when I see one and I smile all day like a complete lunatic. Lots of love, you know who you are. Hope you enjoy the next chapter just as much as the last :)

Jazz xx

The Doctor sprinted down the corridor, his long legs stretching farther and moving faster than he had ever thought possible. Every so often he would stop, break into a room, take a frantic look around and then resume his headlong rush through the maze of clinical passages and holding areas that made up the Testing Facility at Taxhyon Spaceport. She had to be here somewhere, had to be. The Doctor tried not to think about the possibility of Clara dying, him being too late to save her, Clara being captured and subjected to some kind of torture because of something he had done. The possibilities were endless, and each scenario played itself with such clarity in his mind that the Doctor felt tears begin to form in his eyes and his chest tighten with every image. He couldn't lose Clara. Not like this. 

The corridor ended and the Doctor cursed as he found himself in a crossroads where four of the corridors met. He span on the spot, the tails of his tweed coat flapping, looking for clues. Nothing. He came to a halt, despair and grief creeping their way across his face. The Doctor was completely and utterly lost; in a maze, in grief, in love with a woman he now feared he would never see again. He squeezed his eyelids shut, suppressing the salty tears that were threatening to fall. He would find her. Even if it took every last breath in his body, he would find her. And woe betide anybody who was stupid enough to stand in his way.

"Oh, Doctor." A voice boomed from above. "I never knew you were the sentimental type. Of course, I had my suspicions, but you do have quite a 'thing' for Miss Oswald, don't you?"

The Doctor opened his eyes slowly. A solitary tear escaped from one of his eyelids as he did so, curving down his face and falling to the carpeted floor.

"What have you done with Clara?" He growled at the speaker in the ceiling, pure unadulterated hate coursing through his veins, replacing his earlier sorrow. He's surprised and slightly scared at just how angry he is. He hasn't felt anything like this since, well, the Time War, and the fact that an ordinary human girl can take him to the same extremes of emotion as full blown violent conflict unsettles him. Whatever had happened to the man who had retreated to a cloud to avoid situations like these?

Clara Oswin Oswald, that's what.

The voice tutted at the Doctor, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"I see your manners have not improved with age, Doctor. Never mind. Let me lay down some rules for the game we're about to play, hmm?"

"Game?" asked the Doctor. That voice. It was strangely familiar, but the Doctor couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Why yes Doctor, a game. How about...hide and seek? I know that you love those sorts of games. After all you did play one with me, all those years ago. And this time the stakes are even higher. And the prize is so very...precious." The voice was smug, revelling in the Doctors ignorance. The Time Lord gritted his teeth, clenching and unclenching his fists hanging at his sides.

"Never." The Doctor spat. He wanted to draw this conversation to a close so he could gather his scattered thoughts and continue his search. The voice, however, had other ideas.

"Oh, this is too good. Did you hear that, girly? The Doctor doesn't want you anymore. Girly?"

There's a moments silence punctuated only by a quickly stifled sob. The Doctor could almost hear both his hearts breaking.  

Clara.

"Anyway," the voice carried on cheerfully, "it's time I laid down those rules, hmm?"

The Doctor didn't answer. He was staring at the speaker with a glare that would have made even the most psychopathic Dalek tremble in it's casing.

"Yes, I think it is." The voice said after realising that the Doctor wasn't about to answer anytime soon. "Rule number one: You may not use the sonic screwdriver. If I hear even the tiniest of buzzes, I will kill the girl, as pretty as she is right now."

"If you lay so much as a finger on her..." the Doctor warned, eyes flashing dangerously.

"You'd better abide by the rules then, Doctor. What happens to her will be down to you. So listen carefully, because rule number two is up next." The voice cleared it's throat. "Rule number two: You may not use the TARDIS. If she moves so much as an inch from her current position, I will kill Clara. In fact, if you do anything at all that I don't like the look of, I will kill her. Got it?"

The Doctor nodded reluctantly. "Yes." he muttered softly. He didn't like this 'game' one bit, but if he didn't go along with this lunatic he had no doubt that both him and Clara would wind up dead. He wasn't concerned for himself so much for Clara; he blamed himself for her being here. The moment he found her again, the Doctor decided, he was taking her home. As much as it would hurt him to leave her behind, the consequences would be much worse if Clara was to continue travelling with him. It was for the best.

"Excellent." the Doctor could almost hear the owner of the voice rubbing his hands together with glee. "You have ten minutes to find us. Better start running, hmm?"