"Amy, I don't need to be set up! I am doing quite well on my own, thank you," Clara juggled her phone and coffee as she opened the door to her classroom. This was the third attempted set up by the Ponds, and to be quite honest the first two hadn't gone well.
The last set up was with a friend of Amy's husband from uni, right before the school year was about to start. At first, Clara was pleased with the date. She'd met Danny at a pub and they'd hit it off. He was nice, charming, was a bit of a looker, and to her own surprise, Clara was actually looking forward to a second date. That is, until she found out that the new maths teacher at Coal Hill, Mr. Pink, was Danny. That broke Clara's number one rule- no dating coworkers. Things always get messy.
"Clara, trust me! This time it will work! John's a great guy, he's a writer and he's funny, or he thinks he is anyway. And you know what they say, third time's a charm right?"
Clara sighed. Really what's the worst that could happen, she'd suffer through poor conversation but possibly get a free drink or meal? Plus, if she didn't agree to it, she'd never hear the end of it from Amy. "Fine. Fine! I'll do it."
"Great! I'll send you the details when I get them! Gotta go, I'm getting called to set. Later!"
Clara groaned as she ended the call and set her head down on her desk. One date, and then it would be over. She could do this. A knock on her door made her look up.
"I'm headed to the office and was wondering if you'd like a cuppa?" Danny asked. Clara shook her head and raised her cup of coffee with a smile. She didn't know if she could do this.
Two days later, Clara made her way to a small restaurant called Rose's not too far from her flat. Amy had sent her directions only that morning. It was a suggestion of John's and a place she had wanted to try for a while but never had a reason to. The building was very small, painted a brilliant shade of blue, and seemed to be bursting at the seams with business. Clara wondered how John had managed to get reservations at such a late notice.
When she entered, she told the host she was meeting someone for a date and was led to a small table near a window in the back. An older man sat there, looking over a wine list. This definitely was different, Clara thought. She never thought Amy would have set her up with a man old enough to be her father, but she'd agreed to give him a chance. He stood slightly as she sat down.
"Hello, I'm glad you could make it at such late notice." His voice was pleasant, a slight Scottish brogue Clara noticed. Amy surely hadn't set her up with a family member, the accent must be a happy coincidence, she thought.
"Sorry I'm late, I had a conference with a student that ran late," Clara apologized, offering him a smile.
The man looked puzzled. "Student? I thought you were a journalist?"
Clara laughed nervously. "No, did Amy tell you I was? I'm an English teacher." At the man's increasing confusion, Clara said, "Amy? Amy Pond? Williams? No?"
The man shook his head. "Your name isn't Sarah Jane, is it?"
Clara paled slightly. "No? And you're not John, are you?"
The man's mouth upturned in a kind smile. "No."
Clara blushed in embarrassment. "Oh my stars, I'm so sorry! I mentioned to the host I was here to meet someone and he led me here. I'm so sorry!"
At that moment, Clara's phone vibrated as the man's dinged. Clara pulled out her phone. Clara, something came up and John can't make it. Can I pass along your number so he can reschedule? -Amy xx Clara typed a quick affirmative and put her phone back in her purse. "Well, it turns out I've been stood up," she told the gentleman sheepishly and standing to leave. "I'll, erm… I'll be going now."
"It turns out I've been stood up as well. What a pair we make. We could, erm, I mean, would you like to maybe have dinner with me?" the man asked, the tips of his ears turning pink. He gestured to Clara's outfit. "It would be a shame if such beauty went to waste."
Clara smiled and sat back down. "I'd be honored to. I'm Clara, by the way, Clara Oswald."
"I'm the Doctor."
Clara raised an eyebrow. "Doctor who?"
The Doctor laughed. Clara thought his laugh was a pleasant one. "Doctor James Smith. Sorry, that's a bad habit I've picked up over the years. I run my own practice and as the only doctor, it's my line."
Clara laughed. "Clever."
"Very nice to meet you, Clara," the Doctor smiled. After procuring wine and an appetizer to her liking, he turned back to Clara. "So, who were you supposed to be meeting?"
Clara sighed, rolling her eyes playfully. "I have this friend. She's recently engaged to her boyfriend of three years, and I suppose she's taken it on herself to try and find me that same happiness."
"And you're not buying it?"
Clara sipped her wine. "Not really? I'm very happy with where I am at the moment. I get enough excitement with my students. Who were you supposed to meet?"
"A journalist… Sarah Jane Smith, I believe. She's doing a piece on a potential food poisoning issue."
"Oh! She's wonderful, my dad's a huge fan of hers. He especially enjoys her political pieces. Bit of a conspiracy theorist. My favorite of her pieces was an article on a hidden government agency, Torchwood. A student used it as a source for a science fiction research paper."
From there, conversation flowed freely. It turned out, the Doctor was a huge science fiction fan.
Clara made her way to her classroom the following Monday morning, once again juggling her phone and a coffee. "No, Amy, truly. It's alright!"
"We really thought John was going to be a good match for you! He does tend to disappear every once in a while, though. And to sit through an awkward dinner with a stranger… you poor thing."
Clara sighed. "Amy," she said earnestly, "it's fine! Actually, I had a great time. The Doctor was very kind and really funny once we got to talking. He has a nice smile."
She regretted her last statement when Amy squealed through the phone. "What?! Tell me everything!"
Clara opened the door to her classroom to see a bouquet of orchids with a single red rose on her desk. "Amy, I'm going to have to call you back."
"Clara, no! Wait-"
Clara ended the call and set her things down on her desk. She found the card and nearly dropped it in her rush to open it. In a beautifully elegant script a short message and a phone number was on the card. I wanted to thank you for a lovely evening last night. If you're free, same place same time Wednesday? The Doctor.
Clara smiled and pulled out her phone. She entered the number and sent a quick text. Thanks for the flowers, they're lovely. See you Wednesday. -Clara. She paused and sent another message. You have lovely handwriting, by the way. For a Doctor that is :)
The Doctor's phone dinged loudly, and he muttered an apology as he pulled it from his jacket pocket. "I'm sorry, Miss Smith. I thought I'd silenced it." He opened the text messages and smiled, returning the phone to it's pocket.
The woman across from him smiled kindly in return. "It's perfectly fine, Doctor. Again, let me apologize for cancelling our last meeting. My sitter canceled on me. I was wondering, if you're free that is, if you would let me make it up to you, say Wednesday?"
"I'm sorry, I have plans on Wednesday. Now, you said you had some questions about the influx of food poisoning patients I've had?"