Chapter Seven

The Doctor's eyes darted back and forth as he fiddled with the cords to Jenny and Vastra's satellite receiver. Vastra had recently mentioned that that their surround speakers had stopped working properly ever since they switched satellite carriers. The Doctor had shown up early to their party, so instead of sitting on his hands, he figured he'd make himself useful.

"Oh, Doctor," Jenny chided when she spotted him on his hands and knees in front of the television. "You don't have to do that."

"Nonsense! I think I've almost got it figured out. Ah!" The Doctor flinched when something shocked his finger and shook it out. He received a similar shock when he looked up to see a blonde in a tiara and a rather magnificent pink dress standing where he expected Jenny to be. "Blimey."

Jenny's birthday was on the same day as Hallowe'en, so every year she celebrated with a fancy dress party to which that she invited nearly half of London. The Doctor hadn't attended the year before, something Strax had made clear was unacceptable even as Jenny and Vastra attempted to discreetly discourage his insensitive behaviour.

The Doctor hopped to his feet when he finished rewiring and turned on the television to check the sound. Laughter echoed from the wireless speakers spaced strategically throughout the room. He grinned at Jenny, who thanked him with a familiar smile and a touch of her hand to his elbow. The Doctor tucked in his chin and blushed a little, but was forced to look up and grin when Vastra stepped into the living room dressed in the elaborate costume of the Wicked Witch of the West.

"Oh, it's a theme!" he observed with delight.

"And what are you supposed to be?" Vastra asked curiously.

"Isn't it… oh!"

He raised a finger, signalling for them to wait and see. He removed his jacket to reveal the red and white striped turtleneck he was sporting underneath, and then pulled a matching knit cap from his back pocket and stretched it to fit atop his head. For the finishing touch, he placed a pair of thick, square-rimmed glasses onto his nose and grinned.

"Eh?" he said proudly as he spread his arms to properly display his costume. "Where's Wally?"

Vastra and Jenny's appreciative chortling was drowned out by the ringing of the doorbell. The Doctor's smile faded as his friends disappeared to welcome the other guests, and he prepared himself for what would be an uncomfortable evening.

The Doctor would smile and socialise and be as lively as anyone could be, but he felt incredibly outnumbered. He touched the cap on his head and thought of the Christmas when Amy had given it to him. He wondered if she and Rory would be celebrating the holiday in New York, or if they were even thinking of him or River. The Doctor found they were all he could think about anymore.

Music played lightly on the background in every room; something the Doctor helped arrange by precise placement of the wireless speakers. He caught himself bobbing his head to the beat of songs he didn't even know as he snacked on sweets and popcorn balls in the kitchen. It was funny how the majority of the people at the party were TARDIS employees and he couldn't name half of them. There was a time when at least knew every face, but the Doctor had retreated so deeply into his own little corner that so many of the new employees had remained strangers to him.

Well, nearly all of the employees.

He heard her laughing in the foyer before he saw her. The Doctor slowly made his way to the dining room doorway from where he watched her greet Jenny and Vastra with warm hugs. He smiled when he saw her costume—Princess Leia's iconic costume and hairstyle from the first Star Wars film. He sipped his drink and watched her put away her coat and hand Jenny a small wrapped gift.

The Doctor found everything about Clara Oswald endearing. She had a way of truly engaging with people, even those who'd become disconnected and even a little standoffish after working too long in commercial London. They had only met a handful of times, yet already he could feel himself drawn to her, as if he were a fish on a hook and she kept reeling him in.

"May the Force be with you," he greeted when she approached. He didn't know if she had walked his way to see him or if he'd just crossed her path. "Love the hair."

"Thank you. I'm surprised I was even able to spot you," she joked, laughing pathetically at her little joke. "I was always rubbish at Where's Wally."

The Doctor chuckled. Clara looked at him expectedly and, after a moment, he realised that he was probably supposed to say something. "Er—Can I fetch you a drink?"

She inhaled slowly as she waged some internal debate before grinning. "Yes, please! This is a party, after all."

"It is, indeed."

They stayed in the kitchen for half an hour after he handed Clara her first drink chatting about everything and nothing. The Doctor realised he was keeping her from mingling with other people, but could care less whenever he made her laugh. He was tempted to ask her about last summer, but he backed down every time the opportunity presented itself. Besides—it was pretty obvious she didn't remember him.

Clara's laughter unfortunately served as a beacon for an unexpected guest at the party, who appeared beside them as if he'd materialised out of thin air. The Doctor didn't know whether or not to smile or groan at his arrival.

"Turning on the charm already, Doctor?" Jack greeted with a toothy grin. He was dressed in a white and navy airline pilot's uniform, the matching hat tucked under his left arm as he offered Clara his right hand. "The name's Jack, by the way. How do you do?"

"I am fine, thank you very much," Clara replied, sounding impressed than she should. "I'm Clara."

"Well hello, Clara," Jack said roguishly before pressing a light kiss to the back of her hand. Clara giggled, and the Doctor selfishly hoped it was because she'd had too much to drink.

"Would you please stop?" the Doctor pleaded in exasperation.

"What?" Jack said defensively.

The Doctor rolled his eyes and finished Jack's sentence for him. "You were just saying hello. You know you haven't said hello to me yet."

He regretted the words immediately. Jack took the Doctor's hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it as well. "No need to be so jealous."

"What are you even doing here?" the Doctor asked, suppressing a smile even as he pulled his hand away. Jack was impossible, but it was good to see him.

"You didn't think I'd miss a party like this, did you?"

Clara looked a little lost as she glanced between them both, so the Doctor added, "Jack works for the Cardiff office."

"Oh. I didn't even know there was a Cardiff office," she admitted with a little laugh of embarrassment.

"I take it you're new to the company?" Jack said.

Clara nodded. "Only two months in."

"Are you liking it?" Jack asked, leaning ever so slightly closer towards Clara.

The Doctor shifted uncomfortably where he stood and folded his arms. "Captain Harkness?"

Jack tore his gaze from Clara. "Hmm?"

"Why do you have a badge on that says Captain Harkness?" the Doctor asked, eyeing Jack suspiciously. He added to Clara, "He's not really an airline pilot."

A look of betrayal crossed Jack's features before his trademark grin reappeared. "So… Long story."

Five minutes later they were laughing loud enough to draw the attention of the entire party. Jack offered to freshen up the Doctor and Clara's drinks and then disappeared to the bar after giving the Doctor a conspiratorial wink.

"So…" The Doctor began awkwardly. "Are you a big Star Wars fan?"

"I was when I was a kid. I had all the little figurines on a shelf in my bedroom. My friend Nina teased me mercilessly when she found it. Called it my secret shrine of shame."

The Doctor laughed.

"So what does this Jack Harkness do?" Clara asked curiously as she watched the dark-haired man chat up Cleopatra while he scooped ice cubes into their glasses.

The Doctor frowned. "His last name isn't Harkness," he insisted. "He's one of the head salesmen in Cardiff. He worked in London for a long time before transferring a few years ago."

"Why did he transfer?"

"I think his name was Alonso."

Clara's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Ah, gotcha."

Jack returned with full glasses for them both. Clara immediately took a large sip and the Doctor watched her warily. She was drinking awfully quickly for a person her size, but he wasn't anyone's mother. He took a sip of his own drink and nearly spat the liquid all over Jack's white uniform. "It's a good thing you're not a barman. Did you even add any orange juice to this?"

Jack shrugged and laughed defensively. Clara spotted someone she knew from marketing and excused herself. The Doctor watched her weave through the crowd into the lounge with a surge of disappointment.

"So, who is she?" Jack asked knowingly as he leaned against the kitchen counter next to the Doctor and sipped his own drink.

"I wish I knew," he replied enigmatically.

Hours later, the crowd had thinned considerably even though the noise level of the party continued to grow. Jack was in the dining room telling stories about his university days that left everyone around him struggling to breathe between fits of laughter. Jenny had to pull Strax away from a terrified couple he'd chased out of his bedroom with firecrackers. The Doctor could hear her screaming about him burning the house down even as he trotted upstairs to the bathroom.

He knocked twice to make sure no one was inside and the door swung open at his touch. He froze when he saw the familiar silhouette of Princess Leia draped over the rim of the toilet.

"Clara?"

She squinted up at him. "I haven't gotten sick," she insisted, then groaned. "Although I really, really wish that I would."

The Doctor shut the door behind him and then knelt beside her on the floor. "Too much to drink?" he asked, pulling strands of loose hair from her eyes. She nodded and leaned into his touch. Her cheeks were warm. "Do you need some water?" he asked, unsure of what to do.

Clara shook her head. "God, I'm so embarrassed."

"It's alright," he assured her softly as he continued to smooth her hair back.

The Doctor became acutely aware of his heartbeat when she met his eyes. "I don't usually drink like this… Ugh, and at my boss' house."

"Shh, it's alright," he insisted as she sank against his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her and shifted to where he was sitting with his back against the bathtub. "You're not at work now, Clara. It's alright."

"You're so nice," she mumbled into his jumper. "Why are you so nice?

He held her to him and smiled fondly. "Because you've always been so nice to me. Even though you don't remember…"

"What?"

He rubbed her arm soothingly. "Nothing." He sighed. "We should probably get you home to bed."

Clara groaned and tugged weakly at his jumper when he tried to stand. He chuckled and settled back against the tub and placed his hand on top of her head.

"I suppose we could wait a few more minutes."

They sat in silence for the longest time. The Doctor felt her breathing slow and looked down to see that she'd fallen asleep. She looked so uncomfortable, so he tried holding her closer, but feared she'd wake up and get the wrong idea. Luckily someone walked in on them and they were forced to leave, but Clara was reluctant to move.

The Doctor lifted her into his arms and carried her downstairs. Jack spotted them and walked over, offering to drive them both home and he grabbed all of their coats. The Doctor made sure Jenny and Vastra knew that they were all leaving before he helped Clara into the back seat of Jack's car.

"Clara? Hey." He patted her cheek lightly as her head lolled against the seatbelt. "What's your address?"

She didn't open her eyes. The Doctor looked helplessly to the driver's seat, but Jack could only shrug.

"Clara? Can you hear me?"