'Doctor, where are you going?' Clara yelled.

He'd set his mug of tea down and was running towards the front door. She bounded after him, carrying both mugs.

'I have to go somewhere. Really. Actually. Me,' he called over his shoulder, before checking his reflection in her mirror.

'You sound surprised, why is that surprising?' She asked, perplexed. 'You always have to go somewhere.'

He adjusted his bow tie and then turned to her, brow furrowed. 'I never have to go anywhere. I just go because I do, because I can.' Then he beamed and sonic-ed the front door. 'Today is a new story.'

He slipped through and half-closed it in her face.

She frowned as she eased it open again with her foot, following him out.

'Can you at least lock the door for me?' she asked, nearly spilling tea all over the tarmac in her attempt to keep up with him. The TARDIS glowed darker than usual. Perhaps it was in a bad mood.

He spun on his heels and frowned at her. 'You're not coming with me.'

Clara took a sip of her tea. 'Yes I am.'

'This isn't a Wednesday,' he remarked, folding his arms.

She passed him the mug and made him take it.

'And yet you're here anyway.' She raised an eyebrow. 'One would think you wanted me along.'

'One would stand corrected,' he retorted.

She smirked.

'I'm coming, like it or not.'

'You're not coming.'

'Why?'

'Because I'm getting married!'

Her smile evaporated. The Doctor continued hastily.

'Yes. Me. Big white wedding, you wouldn't enjoy it.' He took a swig of tea and shifted uncomfortably.

'Again?' she asked, after a short pause.

The Doctor opened his mouth to reply, but stopped. Clara smiled.

'Alright, complete lie, but that's beside the point!' He took her shoulder with his free hand and brought his face close. 'You can't come with me, Clara, not this time. It's very…serious business,' he said quietly. 'And it's too dangerous.'

Clara narrowed her eyes at him. 'Everything's dangerous, Doctor, that's never stopped you before.'

'Before it didn't matter,' he snapped back. 'Now it does, now you can't just come back from the dead every time something tries to kill you. Now you're you, and you're delicate and you're human and if you died you'd be dead for good!'

He turned away and stormed towards his blue box. Then he rested his hand on the wood and was silent, apparently not quite able to stride through.

'I don't believe that,' Clara said softly, from behind him. She stepped forwards and turned his face to look at her. Her eyes twinkled. 'You'd keep an eye on me, keep me out of trouble.'

He smiled down at her affectionately. 'You always get into trouble, that's the problem.'

'Well it's either a journey through the universe with me, or a journey through the universe on your own,' she said quickly. And you don't want to end up a lonely old man.'

He laughed briefly. 'Lonely old man. That's me, eh?' He looked up at the stars grimly. 'I can't be anything else.'

She kissed his cheek. 'Course you can. You can be the Doctor.' She pushed open the door to the TARDIS and skipped inside.

The Doctor waited for a moment, glancing around at the cold. Then he sighed, shifted and pointed his sonic screwdriver at Clara's door. It swung shut and bolted.

He sipped his tea quickly, poured most of it onto a plant and stepped inside his snogbox. One last adventure with Clara Oswald. She deserved at least that, he supposed. He touched his cheek fleetingly and tried to blink back the tears spiking his eyes. They both did.