Clara awoke the next morning, and rolled over to find that her legs were quite sore from training the day before. She looked around, feeling disoriented at the unfamiliar room. Her lips folded into a smile, however, as she remembered the events of the night before.

As she slid off of the bed and onto her legs, they began to shake tremendously. Clara bent over in attempt to stretch them out, but instead they immediately buckled and she yelled the Doctor's name, fearing that she wouldn't be strong enough to get back up. She was pulling herself toward the door when the Doctor rounded the corner, looking incredibly worried.

When his eyes found her on the floor, a certain amount of relief flooded over him as he realized she was not gravely hurt. He knelt down and scooped her into his arms. He hugged her tight to his chest, just as he had done so many months ago in the depths of his timeline. So much had happened since then, it was almost incomprehensible.

"You need rest," he said as he placed her back onto the bed, pulling the covers up to her chest, "Your body is still recovering and will be in shock after a day like you had yesterday."

Clara just smiled at him, and he smiled back, blushing.

"I'll go get you some breakfast," he said quickly, and hastily left the room.

The Doctor returned a half hour later with a piece of slightly burned toast and a glass of water. Handing them to a very hungry Clara, he said, "Sorry, I couldn't find much, usually I don't eat in the TARDIS. I hope this is alright."

He took her hand as she put the toast aside, no longer thinking about it. "Clara, can we talk about what happened, you know, last night?"

She nodded, unable to read the expression on his face.

"Well, as you know, we are in the time vortex, and have been ever since your accident. That combined with the fact that… it happened in the TARDIS, means that we've created a fixed point in our timelines. We could never go back and change what happened last night."

"But why would we want to change it in the first place?" Clara asked, afraid that he regretted last night more than he let on.

"It's just, I've never done that with a human before. I- Are you okay? I don't know what to do, because this is the first time, as far as I know, that any Time Lord has gotten, um, involved with a human. There might be a reason for this, one I don't know about, and it is really distressing to think that what we did may have caused something terrible," he looked straight into Clara's eyes, and gripped her hand a little too tight. "I'm worried, Clara. If there is some sort of consequence, and there very well may be, I'll have no idea what to do."

Clara broke the eye contact and looked down at their hands. His knuckles were white.

"I don't know what you want me to say, Doctor. I understand that you are concerned, but surely you knew that there would be some sort of risk, and that didn't stop you last night. Sure, it's a fixed time, but it might have been the best time I've ever hand."

Clara looked back up at the Doctor, but as soon as their eyes met, his flitted away. As he began to speak again, his tone was entirely different than it had been before. Each word was slow and measured, and Clara couldn't help but feel that there was something he was holding back.

"Look, Clara, I am going to go away for a while. I don't know how long it will be, but in the mean time, there are some things I need to arrange."

Clara didn't know what to say.

"Don't worry," he ensured her, "I'm not leaving you alone. I have asked Madame Vastra and Jenny to take care of you, to help you in the final stages of rehabilitation. I will be dropping you off with them right away. I know I should have let you know earlier, but, well, I'm afraid we haven't got much choice."

Clara wanted to argue, to say that there was nothing she'd hate more than to be away from him now, but she used every ounce of willpower she had to say that it would be fine, and that he should settle whatever he needed to. She knew that was what the Doctor wanted to hear, and she couldn't help but feel that it was what she owed him to say.

The Doctor leaned down and hugged her tightly before running off, presumably to the console room. Clara heard the TARDIS wheezing, and she knew he was as good as gone.

One week later, Clara was getting anxious with staying with Jenny and Madame Vastra. They were genuinely nice people, and meant the best, but Madame Vastra wasn't the best conversationalist, and Jenny didn't really understand Clara.

Truthfully, Clara just wanted the Doctor back. With more practice, she was walking again. She still occasionally had difficulties, usually just keeping her balance, but each day it was getting easier. All she wanted to do was show the Doctor her progress - to run up to him and embrace his familiar figure, to adjust his bow tie.

There was sort of a routine to how things happened during her stay, Jenny would bring Clara breakfast, and they chatted while she ate.

Sometimes they talked about her and Madame Vastra's relationship, Clara would ask if they enjoyed being married and Jenny would reply with something like, "Oh, yes. We were both so tired of being alone, and enjoyed each other's company oh so much. I couldn't possibly imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone else, so we had this little ceremony, and we traded rings. There isn't anything better than having her in my life. I like not being alone anymore."

Clara enjoyed hearing them talk about each other, for she could see plainly how much they loved each other. She couldn't help but wonder if that's what Lily had noticed, or if the man in Geisha Japan had picked up on it. She felt her love for the Doctor in every breath she took, and she knew that deep down he loved her, too, but couldn't imagine whether they radiated their love in such a way.

On one particular day, Clara could tell something was different from the moment she woke up. She went to ask Madame Vastra, but found that she was sitting in the courtyard reading a letter addressed from the Doctor.

"This letter was written weeks ago," she said, looking slightly worried, and Clara's heart skipped a beat, "I don't know why it didn't come earlier. I suppose you really have ought to know a lot sooner."

"What is it?" Clara asked, unable to take it any longer.

"The TARDIS is coming to pick you up today, dear. We've got to make sure that you're ready in time - it will be here in just under an hour. Well, we better get you all packed up," she glanced at Clara, who was standing there in her pajamas, "And, by the way, you may want to change."

Clara sat on the front steps wearing an outfit she'd been saving specially for this day. Her skirt was blue, just like the doors of the TARDIS, and on top was her favorite pink floral shirt. She wasn't quite sure what to expect, and wondered if there would be any sort of tensions between her and the Doctor. She ached for things to go back to exactly as they had been that night in his bedroom, with so much trust; so much affection.

When the TARDIS finally materialized, she leapt up and ran towards, it, ignoring any stiffness in her legs. She flung open the TARDIS door and breathed in the familiar surroundings. Oh, how Clara had missed this.

But before she could so much as call out the Doctor's name, she felt the machine tremble about. Once it came to a stop, she sprung out the doors and inhaled the sweet fresh air.

Opening her eyes, she took in a sight that she had seen before. Spanning out in front of her were endless kilometers of cherry blossom trees. These were not in neat rows, like in Japan, they were sprawled at random intervals, and they were more beautiful than anything she had ever seen in her entire life. Rather than the regular dusty pink colour, some of these trees were yellow or white, and the variety in colour created a picturesque bouquet for her eyes.

Clara stepped closer and was enveloped in the gorgeous smell that the trees produced. She started to wonder where exactly she was, and why the Doctor had chosen this precise location when Jenny–who had followed her onto the TARDIS– came up beside her. Overwhelmed in awe, she began to walk through the vast expanse of cherry trees.

"This is the Forest of Seasons, if I recall correctly." Jenny said, a slightly mischievous look in her eye. "They say that there are four sections, though this forest is infinite. Spring, summer, autumn, winter, that's the order."

As they passed on through, Clara saw a variety of woodland creatures scampering about. Birds fluttered through the air, littering the forest with their melodic songs. At one point, she even saw a deer off in the distance, covered in cherry blossoms, and ever so graceful.

"Doctor?" she called, unsure of which direction to head, "Are you there, Doctor? Which way do I go?" Jenny stepped up beside her, and with a kindly smile, lead her onward.

After a while, they hit what seemed to a barrier, where a line of cherry blossoms met a line of birch trees, lush and green. The two stepped into this new expanse of forest, and, to Clara's amazement, all of the cherry blossoms on her shoulders and hair floated off and turned green, matching with the rest of the forest.

This forest was absolutely teeming with life, from the dark green moss that grew on the trees to the large animals in the corners of her eyes. It seemed as if, when they stepped in to this new section of the forest, that the temperature had gotten slightly warmer, though not enough to be uncomfortable.

Jenny stopped walking beside her. Clara looked at her for a moment, confused. Warmly, Jenny smiled and said "I'm afraid I can't go with you any longer. From this point on, this is your journey alone."

Still confused, and slightly worried, Clara took another step, before feeling a hand on her shoulder. "One more thing," Jenny added hastily, "there is one section of this forest meant for everyone. They say that you'll know when you enter it, because of what you're feeling, something about you will change." With an encouraging nod, Jenny motioned ahead, for Clara to carry on walking.

She wandered through the forest, nervous without Jenny's company, for several more minutes before approaching another. It was gold and red in color, looking rich and even more beautiful than the last two had been. The leaves crunched under her feet and the whole forest smelled of the tender amber notes of fall.

As she progressed towards yet another section, she began to worry that she had wandered in the wrong direction. Shouldn't she have met the Doctor by now? She stepped into the next section hesitantly, and as she passed into it, something incredible happened.

Her clothes had transformed, in the best way. A strapless gown reached just below her knees, ice blue in colour. The back flowed in the crisp breeze and trailed behind her. This dress had a sweetheart neckline and was made of silk. It fit her body beautifully, and she felt stunning. Oddly enough, her shoulders and feet were bare, but they did not feel cold.

A soft dusting of snow began to fall, covering her like icing sugar. Trees with icicles hanging on them lined a lone path, and reflected the moonlight with a glistening iridescence. Just as Clara was able to turn around, she caught a glimpse of the Doctor's familiar tweed coat from behind a tree.

The path twisted one final time, and she found herself underneath an arch of icicle-clad tree branches, and faced with the most endearing smile she'd ever seen.

The Doctor brought her into a hug, but it was a far more intimate than ever before. One of his arms curled around her waist, and the other against her upper back, his hand pushing her head into his chest. She breathed in his glorious scent - a humble combination of smoke and pine and cinnamon, and, well, him.

"This is so amazing, Doctor," Clara praised when they finally broke apart, "But why bring me here?"

The Doctor smiled at her and reached out to stroke her cheek, letting his fingers linger on her jaw.

"Clara Oswin Oswald, my impossible girl. You are so incredibly special to me. I knew it the moment I met you, and every time I see you, I am reminded. I wasn't quite sure how to tell you, or if I ever would, but when you were attacked that day on Fae, I realized how horrible my life would be without you in it. I realized how much you complete me, Clara. You understand me more than anyone else, even when I am being absolutely ridiculous. I have seen a lot of people I love die, and when I thought you did, it almost killed me, too.

"But Clara, you have always been there for me, even before I knew that you were. You have made my life infinitely better, and for that I am forever grateful."

He paused a moment, and slid down onto on knee. He gazed deep into Clara's eyes, and let his face break out into the biggest of grins.

"Clara, My Clara. My impossible, witty, soufflé making, perfect Clara. I will love you until the end of my days, and nothing could ever make me happier than having you around for the rest of your days."

The Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring, a ruby surrounded by two diamonds, and Clara's heart began to pound.

"Clara Oswald, will you marry me?"

Shaking, he dropped the ring in the snow and Clara couldn't help but burst into laughter as she got to her knees and picked it up for him. Her hands were also shaking, and they felt cold as she handed the ring back to him. There were tears rolling down her face as she held out her hand nodding, not able the words that could even remotely express her happiness.

The Doctor slid it onto her finger without the slightest hesitation, and opened his mouth to say something, but she pulled his lips onto his before he could. His hands found their way to her face, and he ran one through her hair.

Clara could taste his tears as well, and the only thought that could run through her mind was the absolute perfection of the moment. She huddled closer into him, still trying to absorb the fact that she was going to be his wife, and she did her best to ignore the little pink plus that made an appearance earlier that day.