Chapter Eleven

Clara had been playing with the idea that it was her who caused the glass to explode back when she, Kate and UNIT had been captured by the Zygon's. Hadn't the Doctor had a theory that the Huon in her DNA could have amplified her telepathic abilities? She had only joked about moving things with her mind like Matilda however the more she pondered what happened that day the more she wondered if it might actually be true.

It started a few days after the Zygon's. She decided to try something small and after busting nearly all the light bulbs in her flat, and apparently one next door – though this did confirm it was her who killed the lights while they were trapped – she managed to shoot the paper clip off the kitchen table and across the room. She was more than thrilled. Actually she was a little scared, but this kept her mind off the Doctors continued absence.

After another month she'd managed to go from paper clip, to pencil, to small spoon flying from her kitchen table across the room. She had no control over the direction and had few bruises from the spoons – they packed some force! But it was fun.

She'd just been hit with another spoon when there was a frantic knock on the door. She recognised the little voices calling her name and was more than happy to open the door to her oldest cousin, Luke and his three kids – the kids immediately rushed into Clara's flat eager to find something fun.

"Hi Clara I know this is sudden and I should have called but can you watch the kids tonight? Maya's sister has just gone into hospital across the city and she needs me to driver her over and… well you can imagine what it'd be like to bring those three onto a ward and try keep them quiet." Luke looked desperate.

"Oh its fine Luke, you go Maya's probably worried sick" Clara assured her cousin with a smile. He didn't waste time running from her apartment to his car outside.

Clara turned back to the trio. They were invading her shelves looking for a film to watch. Adam, the oldest at age 7 was insisting they watched the movie version of Peter Pan with all the pirates. Bianca, the middle child at 5, was yelling that she was sick of pirates and wanted to watch something with a princess in it. Talisa the youngest at 4 was holding up a DVD she had brought with her, which Clara took with a smile knowing that she'd won the fight over what they watched by not fighting at all.

Clara was watching the kids when she realised something in her head. She was slipping into her old life again far too easily. It disturbed her a bit, what if the Doctor left her too long and someone noticed her differences? She had noticed them easily, especially when speaking with someone like her dad who knew her very well. She was more calculating more… more like the Doctor himself. It made her bite her lip in worry – what if he left her for years? They'd surely notice that she'd stopped aging?

Talisa tugged at Clara's leg, bringing her out of her thoughts. She smiled down at the little girl, albeit a bit sadly before she raised her voice over her brother and sister. "Alright kids!" the other two stopped "Talisa chose he DVD because last time you two chose and she didn't get to pick. She's chosen… blimey I haven't seen this one, Frozen isn't that the one you kids where all excited about?"

Bianca looked appalled "Aunty Clara hasn't seen Frozen?"

"Does this mean Bianca and I get too choose the sweets?" Adam looked hopeful.

"Yes, but I think I only have popcorn?"

"Oh." Adam shrugged "That's what I was going to pick anyway."

Later after the DVD was put into the player and Clara had microwaved two bags of popcorn, she sat on the couch snuggled under a blanket with the three kids, Talisa snuggled under one arm and Adam and Bianca under the other. She watched with amusement when the kids animatedly sang along with the songs and was just as horrified when the prince turned out to be a bad guy. The kids fell asleep before the film ended – she was no better, she stayed awake long enough to see princess Anna punch that prince in the face which was a satisfyingly good ending for Clara and she fell asleep too, her face snuggled into the now greyish coloured fabric of the scarf the Doctor left for her.

~ O ~

The TARDIS landed in familiar surroundings with an almost relived sound accompanying her usual wheezing groan and the Doctor stepped out cautiously. He hadn't any idea how long he had been away from Clara, he sincerely hoped it hadn't been long enough to cause an argument. Who was he kidding he knew this was going to cause an argument no matter how much time had passed, he would just have to suck it up and take it.

The bedroom was pitch black, but even his eyes could see that she wasn't in bed and her blanket was missing. Frowning and for a second more worried than he probably should have been, he noticed the glare from the television in the main room and stepped in there quietly instead – knowing that if she was awake he was probably going to get hit with something for scaring her but finding that more preferable to just bumbling around like an elephant in her flat like his previous self would have done.

The TV screen was blue, whatever she was watching had long since ended. He found her on the couch and she wasn't alone. Three young children snuggled into her sides, her arms where draped over them as though protecting them from something even in her sleep.

How long had he been gone? The photos on her walls where the same, he couldn't have been gone that long. It would be absurd to assume these where Clara's children – not matter how much the little brown haired girl on her right side might look like her. Just a bit. The Doctor noticed the tartan blanket on the floor by their feet, it must have fallen off at some point because it was cold enough in here that they wouldn't have kicked it off willingly – then again children did have funny preferences while they were asleep. The Doctor picked the blanket up and carefully wrapped it around Clara and the children, tenderly making sure it was tucked under each of the little children's chins and not covering their faces. He was about to tuck it under Clara's face to keep herself warm but found that rather than being calmly asleep, her brown eyes were staring at him questioningly.

He hesitated, his hands where still on the blanket under her face. "You're awake?" he whispered sounding dumb to himself.

"I wasn't asleep" she replied also whispering "the TARDIS woke me but… I just thought it was a dream."

The Doctor watched as her eyes downcast and got watery. She didn't give him any time to say anything else. She moved, shifting slightly and lifting the smallest child, the little brunette one that looked like her, into her arms. She stood as the child sirred lightly, looking from the Doctor to the toher two children he got the hint and lifted the boy into his arms without waking him and followed Clara to her room where she put the little ones into her bed without waking them. She tucked the first two in while the Doctor went back for the third little girl and put her in with her brother and sister, then he retreated to the bedroom door and watched Clara. She tenderly brushed the hair out of the blonde girls face, her expression soft and loving, she paled a kiss to each of the children's heads and whispered a goodnight before leaving the room, letting the bedroom door stay open a crack.

When she turned back to the Doctor her eyes where shiny with tears again. "I thought you weren't going to come back" she confessed to him still whispering.

"Oh Clara…" he was completely prepared for the hug she threw at him this time and accepted it, pulling her in closer. He turned his face into the top her head, breathing in her strawberry scent "Clara, my Clara… of course I was going to come back."

"Two months is a long time to wait."

"I'm sorry Clara, I'm sorry…"

She pulled away from him a fraction onto to place her hands in either side of his face, just to make sure it was him. He didn't complain, he was almost relived at her touch. He was a bit more startled when she kissed his cheek, and did it again, then his nose and other cheek. She was peppering kisses wherever she could reach. "Please" She kissed his cheek. "Never" she kissed his other cheek. "Send" she kissed his forehead. "Me" she kissed his nose. "Away." She kissed his chin. "Again" she gave a quick peck to his lips.

Clara was going to pull away, thinking she'd gone a bit too far with her enthusiastic greeting, but the Doctors arm at her back tightened and his other hand went to the back of her head holding her still as his lips came down on hers suddenly, hungrily. It wasn't at all soft, it was a fierce battle for control between the pair of them after Clara got over her initial shock. She didn't make it easy for him – but eventually after a few more insisting bites on her lip Clara succumbed to the Doctor with a moan and allowed him control of the kiss.

Her moan seemed the wake the Doctor from the little dream he'd fallen into while he kissed Clara. He remembered that she at least needed to breathe and pulled away leaving them both gasping.

"Wow…" she mumbled, her forehead resting on his.

"Wow" he agreed "I'm just as happy to see you too…"

She glanced at him and grinned "I know, I can feel how glad you are to see me…"

"Clara!" he admonished in a loud whisper to not wake the kids, but he didn't pull away from her like he would have in the past.

"Sorry, but your far too cute when your all flustered like that." She pulled away finally, still in his arms however. She yawned.

"Come on you." He pulled her towards the couch, sitting on it he allowed her to cuddle up to him, her legs on the rest of the couch and her head on his chest, he threw the blanket over her.

A thought occurred to Clara as she lay on his chest. "How have your nightmares been while you were away?"

"I didn't do much sleeping." He replied, his voice did sound exhausted.

"Oh. Sorry."

"Don't apologise. I love hearing your voice." He sounded half asleep even as he said it.

Tentatively as she snuggled down into him intending to be quite and go to sleep herself, she felt the first lick of his mind against hers – a sensation she'd sorely missed as she was going to asleep while he was away. She was curious about whatever could have been in his mind from while he was away, but she didn't pry. She allowed her mind to curl around his channelling all her happy emotions from that moment into the energy she used. He relaxed even further underneath her and within minutes his breathing was heavy and Clara knew he slept. It took her a few minutes before she joined him.

~ O ~

The Doctor blinked away quickly. He was being stared at, the sensation alone was enough to wake him immediately and rile him up a fraction before he realised it was just the youngest child that looked like Clara. She was blinking at him now with eyes that defiantly made her not look like Clara – the child's where small and very blue, while Clara's where wide and brown.

He glanced down, Clara was still asleep.

"Hello" he tried to smile nicely at the child, but he'd been told his face wasn't very good at pulling off nice anymore.

"What happened to your eye?" the child was very blunt in asking.

"I was fighting off monsters. Don't worry, I won." He smiled again.

The little girl's eyes narrowed as though she was trying to decide whether or not to believe him. Then she nodded firmly. "Good. You must be the nice man Aunty Clara told about."

The Doctors eyebrows raised in surprise. "Oh?"

"Yes. She said a big grumpy man might land his blue box here and that we shouldn't be scared because he's just here to fight off the monsters so they don't hurt us." The little girl smiled.

The Doctor smiled too, glancing down again at the sleeping Clara and affectionately stroking her long hair over her shoulder. "I'm the Doctor. Your Aunt Clara helps me fight off monsters."

The little girl gave her sleeping aunt a wide eyed stare before she looked back at the Doctor. "I'm Talisa."

"Well it's nice to meet your Talisa."

The little girl bit her lip, and her stomach growled loudly. "Would you get me some breakfast Mr Doctor?" she asked shyly looking at her toes. "Mommy says I have to wait for a grown-up to do it because I smashed a bowl last time."

"Don't worry. I smashed lots of bowls when I was little too." the Doctor assured the girl, gently moving Clara from his lap. Talisa took his much larger hand in hers and walked with him to the kitchen.

Sometime later the sound of a child's laughter woke Clara. She sat up on the couch, the tartan blanket falling from her shoulders as she rubbed the last of the sleep from her eyes. She stood and walked into the kitchen hoping the kids hadn't made a mess – instead the sight surprised her. Adam and Bianca where sitting at the table laughing and clapping. The Doctor stood at the stove holding Talisa in one arm and using a spatula to flip a pancake in the other.

Something in her melted at the sight of the Doctor holding a little girl with long brown hair and little blue eye, but she squashed it with a blink afraid of the kind of wishes that sort of thought would bring up.

She said nothing of course and enjoyed the moment as she watched the Doctor. He noticed her eventually of course when he set Talisa down at the kitchen table with the pancake. "Oh you're awake Clara" he smiled.

Clara caught sight of his face which she hadn't been able to see in the dark last night. The skin around his right eye was red and raw, a large gash over his eye didn't look exactly health either. Thankfully the eye itself looked fine. "Oh my god, what happened to your face?"

"He was fighting monsters!" Adam proclaimed proudly.

The Doctor caught Clara's disapproving face. "I didn't give them details!" he defended.

Clara just rolled her eyes "I don't even think I want to know what you were doing the past two months if you've come back looking like that. I hate it when you go off into danger without me."

"I explained why before I left…" he looked a little pained.

"I know. That doesn't mean I like it anymore."

They both stared at each other for a minute, neither able to say what they wanted to say with the kids around. Kids who'd gone awful quiet and where watching them. Clara, looking for a distraction spotted a spoon on the side of the table and with what limited control of this new telekinesis she had stared at it under her lashes discreetly for a few minutes until it had wriggled off the table and fallen to the floor with a loud clatter making everyone look at it. She used it as an excuse to pick the spoon up off the floor and head to the sink to do the dishes.

Chatter amongst the kids started up again pretty soon – though the Doctor remained quiet – once the kids had finished up their breakfast and had gone to watch cartoons, Clara took the Doctor's hand and lead him to the bathroom.

He sat on the side of the bath when she indicated and silently let her inspect the cut on his head. "Do you think this should have stitches?" she asked "It's very deep."

"It wouldn't matter" he replied quietly, barely more than a mumble "The venom in their claws prevents the wound healing for seventy two hours. My immune system is already battling the venom of course which is why it is not bleeding – but it's also why it hasn't healed any more than that yet."

"Oh." She bit her lip. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For earlier in the kitchen, I didn't mean to upset you or anything…"

"Clara…" his hands came up to her middle holding her there close to him between his legs before she could step away. "You don't have to apologise because I feel the exact same way when you go off…"

"I…" she hesitated. "It just felt a lot like when you sent me home from Christmas."

His grip on her middle tightened, he breathed a little deeply before he loosened a little again. "I won't send you away again Clara if I can avoid it. But if they had gotten hold of you or the TARDIS they would have used you against me."

Clara nodded. "I understand. Being with the man who has a thousand enemies will be hard – but you need to remember it's already changed me, you can't just leave me behind anymore."

There was the sound of Clara's front door opening and closing at the children shouting 'daddy!' Clara pulled reluctantly out of the Doctors grip and went to greet her cousin.

"Hey Luke, everything okay?"

"Oh yeah" Luke smiled "Maya's sister had a beautiful baby boy. Bright red ginger hair already – honestly you should have seen it. Looked like his head was on fire, so much hair for such a tiny thing!"

"Talisa was like that when she was born though wasn't she?" Clara grinned "Though her hair is brown. Thick hair must just run in Maya's family."

"Thanks Clara for watching the kids, I hope they weren't too much trouble."

"Oh no they were fine, we just watched a film."

"And Aunty Clara's friend came back!" Talisa giggled.

"Her friend?" Luke frowned.

"The one in the blue box daddy, he fights monsters!" Adam said as if his dad was being deliberately dumb.

Luke was looking at Clara questioningly. "Uh the friend I'm traveling with, the Doctor, he stopped by last night. I think you met him at Laurens party."

"Oh the old grey one?" Luke teased.

Clara punched him on the arm and he yelped. "I'd rather him than a dumb blonde like you" she retorted.

Luke rubbed his arm teasingly and ruffled her hair like when they were kids. "Oh don't worry little cuz, he kid of suits you. You've always preferred them 'mature' and silver is your favourite colour… and if he makes you happy I aint going to judge."

"Thanks Luke." Clara rolled her eyes.

"Guess this means you're going travelling again?"

"Yeah. I can't wait." Clara grinned hoping the Doctor was still listening. He was too nosy to not be eavesdropping, which worried her about Luke's 'old grey one' comment since he was way to sensitive about being referred to as 'old'. "Will you tell the rest of the family please? I don't want to wait any longer."

"Of course, just remember to drop us all a text or something once in a while and make sure you're not dead."

"Of course." Clara said her goodbyes to Luke – and felt a little sad about saying goodbye to the kids when they cried and hugged her. She waved bye out of the kitchen window as they drove away before she went back to the Doctor in the bathroom.

She crossed her arms and gave him a stern look at his sullen face. "You're going to make some stupid comment about my cousin's 'the old one' joke aren't you?"

"Well he's right, I am old and grey…"

Clara strode across the bathroom, grabbed the Doctor by the lapels of his jacket and brining him forward to she could press her lips to his forcefully. She pulled away just as the Doctor was starting to kiss her back and was satisfied at the little disappointed noise he let out. "I don't care what you look like." She growled at him, letting go of his jacket.

She had walked out of the bathroom by the time he realised what was happening, and it was too late to grab her back. He growled in frustration – and she heard him and smirked. "Now come on Timelord! You owe me, two months on my own! And I hate to help Kate deal with some Zygon's without you!" she stood in the TARDIS doors waiting for him.

He glared at her with a dark look from the bathroom door that had little to do with the adventure she'd had without him. "Anyway" Clara grinned over her shoulder "I have a something to show you, I think you were right about the effect the Huon particles had on me. I learned a few tric-huh?"

The Doctor had come right up behind her. "You can speak in a minute." He said, his voice rough. Clara realised quickly it was the same roughness his voice had when he had been the wolf in the dream world. She had little time to think about it before the Doctor had suddenly pulled her towards him and kissed her roughly – it seemed to be a thing of his to kiss her until she couldn't breathe. When he released her he gave a smug grin and walked past her into the TARDIS. "Now, what where you saying?"

Oh that infuriating… Clara followed him into the TARDIS with a roll of her eyes and a grin on her lips.

Haha hope you guys are happy - guess it kind of happened :P No dirtiness yet, but they finally freaking kissed in real life and not in a dream world! Apparently all the Doctor needed was to run a risk and miss Clara a lot :P Its been fun to write up the tension between them though, bet It'll be more fun now they can... let that tension out I guess ;) Hope the development with Clara isn'ttoo much either - I thoughtit was funny the idea of her flinging spoons aroundmentally, might have her fling them at the Doctor every time he gets cheeky!