Do you know what's rarer? Second chances.
The sound of Clara taking a sip of her cup of hot chocolate took the Doctor out of his thoughts. The TARDIS had it especially made for them, along with the fireplace that was the only source of light within the library. He felt that he couldn't help that his Time Lord brain still couldn't fathom that she was curled up by his side. He'd wanted to scan himself to see if he was truly dreaming. Clara would never admit it, but she wanted to do the same.
"Did the TARDIS really make this especially for us?" Clara asked.
"You couldn't get better hot chocolate anywhere else," he said.
"No, I meant all of this," she said. "The fireplace, the hot chocolate, the presents under the tree…"
"Well, why wouldn't she do all of this for you?" he remarked.
"For me?"
The baffled look plastered on her face mirrored his from earlier. He smirked, the burning sensation of where her lips had touched continued to tickle. Of course this is all for you, Clara! His thoughts screamed. Everything was always for her. Everything was hers! Every star, every universe, and every particle of his being belonged to her. One of his eyebrows seemed to rise in disbelief, as if agreeing with him.
"We just wanted to welcome you back home the best way she could," he said.
"We?"
"Yes," he said. "We as in myself and the TARDIS."
"Oh."
She had no idea what to say. There was no longer a doubt that he truly wanted her to stay with him. Am I home? The question rang in her mind once again. No, no, this wasn't like any other thing she could just ponder on. This was her and the Doctor she was thinking about. If you want it to be. She wanted it to be. Oh, and it was.
"I am home," she declared unexpectedly, her voice too soft for him to hear.
"What?"
"I'm home," she repeated with pride.
She shifted her head from his arm to his shoulder to get a good look at him. Never had she seen his face so lit up before. It appeared to her that the lights on the Christmas tree had some competition.
"Clara Oswald," he beamed. "I've missed you."
"I've missed you too," she said.
Without a warning, the TARDIS let out a hum and snapped them out of their trance. They both looked up at the ceiling in unison.
"What the hell was that for?"
"Ever since you've been back, she hasn't stopped bugging me…"
"About?"
"It's nothing, Clara."
"Doctor, tell me," she begged, her inflated eyes doing wonders on him.
His hearts sped up a notch as he reached in the pocket of his hoodie. His hands fumbled with the box. Just do it, idiot! He could hear the TARDIS say. She'd made it for him after all, perfecting the shade of the box to match herself. Shaking, he took it out of his pocket and gripped onto it. Breathe, just breathe.
"Clara," he began. "You've always been more than my Impossible Girl. You're my constant…companion."
"Am I?"
"Yes," he continued. "Clara, will you do me the honor of being- I mean of becoming-"
He once again fumbled while opening the box. A gasp escaped from Clara. She covered her mouth, blinking her eyes rapidly as she couldn't believe what she was seeing. The ring was the same shade of silver as his hair and she could swear that within the deep blue of the diamond, there were stars twinkling. This time, she didn't have to think for the answer.
He was impossible.
"Yes," she blurted out.
She was unable to suppress her giggle as he let out a sigh of relief. He took the ring out of the box and slid it onto her finger. The TARDIS hummed contentedly, her work finally done.
"Let's do this like we've done everything else," she said, intertwining her hands with his.
"Together," he said, finishing her sentence.
She put his lips to his.
Same old, same old.