Thank you so much for the reviews. They do really make my day.

I am glad you are enjoying this fic so much. It makes me feel bad for telling you that this is the penultimate chapter.

But some more cuteness before this is finished.


Old Endings and New Beginning

There was something different about writing to the Doctor, or John, now. Clara put it down to them meeting but everything about the whole thing was different. They weren't just communicating via letter but also by text and phone calls and they were meeting up every week for coffee. It was at a point that they didn't have to write the letters because they could say what they wanted to say to each other in an instant.

But there were a few things that were better said in a letter.

For the last few weeks, Clara had been trying to find the words to express how she truly felt for John. She had fallen for him once before due to the words he used. Now she found herself falling in love with him. She was sure that he felt the same way about her but he wasn't the easiest person to read.

She wondered whether she shouldn't beat around the bush. Whether she should just come out with it. Just tell him that she felt strongly about him. Invited him out on a date or something like that.

Then she wondered whether that was too blunt. She knew that she couldn't be subtle with him but there was also a line between being too subtle and being too blunt.

She knew that she would have to be the one to bite the bullet and do it. She knew that he would hide behind all the insecurities that he has. He would think that they couldn't be together because of the age gap between them and everything that relates to that point. He would just have a slight reluctance to tell her first.

So it was up to her and she had decided. She was going to go blunt. So blunt that she was going to tell him the date, time and restaurant that she is going to book. She was going to be in charge of their relationship and she was going to steer them to where they should go.


John whistled a song as he walked into work that morning. He stopped when he saw Matt and David standing by their doors and turned around to see that every single Doctor was staring at him.

"What?" He said.

Everyone walked back into their office, leaving Matt and David to answer his question.

"You are whistling," David said.

"It must be going well with Clara," Matt commented. "He has been like it since he met up with her, finally."

John rolled his eyes. "It has nothing to do with Clara."

"You have been different recently," David said.

"And it has everything to do with Clara," Matt said.

John shook his head as he walked to his office. He dropped his bag down beside his desk and sat into his seat for another day of reading letters and giving a reply. He tried to ignore them as Matt and David sat in the seats in front of his desk.

"Look I know what you two are after. You aren't the next Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson. Just come out with what you want to say." John said when he realised that they weren't going to move.

"Who is Clara?" David asked.

"Someone I am writing to," John said.

"You know what happened between you and Rose," Matt said to David.

"I still feel bad for Chris about that all. I know that he said that he didn't but I think he fell in love with her as well. I always feel like I have stolen her off of him."

"Well, that is what is happening now. Clara was mine and was given over to John. Although I do get the feeling that she feels more for him than she did for me."

"I will argue that she was younger when she wrote to you," John said.

"I don't mind," Matt told him. "If she has made you less of a grump then it works for me. Come on John, you are happier now. And it was since you met up with Clara. Just admit it."

"Okay, Clara has made me a different person." He said as he went back to his post. "Look don't expect me to go all..." He smiled as he picked up Clara's recent letter.

Matt stood up and looked at the letter. "It's from her."

"Sorry, you were saying," David said.

John looked at both of them. "Shut up. Haven't you two got something better to do than bothering me?"

David and Matt just smiled as they left him to it.


It was unlike him to dwell on things, but as he sat in the restaurant, waiting for Clara to arrive, he couldn't stop himself reaching into his jacket to grab the letter sitting inside the pocket. He took it out and read it for the hundredth time since he received it. He hadn't replied to her by text or when they meet up. Something about it screamed that what they needed to talk about needed to be saved for letters and this meeting.

John knew what he had to tell her but he was struggling to find the words. He was the one that had to find the words this time. He couldn't be helped. It was something for him to figure out for himself. He stood up as he saw her approach the table.

"Hey, you alright?" She asked as she reached him.

He gave her a kiss on her cheek. "Yeah, I was a little early I have ordered us a bottle of wine. If that is alright. It is a school night after all."

She smiled at him as they both sat down. "I can have a couple."

He picked up her letter and placed it back into his jacket. He knew that she had watched him do it but that didn't matter.

"John, I think there are some things that we need to say to each other."

"I know. I am just struggling to find the words to say them." He licked his bottom lip as he thought. "I was married once. I loved her and when I lost her, I thought I had lost everything. I became the bitter man that everyone knows."

"I thought Danny might have been the one. The day that he died, I had told him that I had given my 'I love you' to him and that it was his forever." Clara explained.

"And then we started writing to each other," John said.

"Then we started writing to each other." She repeated.

"Oh, Clara Oswald, I think someone has tried to give us a second chance."

"I am willing to take it with both hands if you are as well."

"Well, when this wine finally turns up, we will have something to toast."

He gave her a goofy smile and she smiled at him before turning her attention to the table and biting her lip.

"This feels like some dream."

"If it is, I would never want to wake up."

She looked back up at him. "Nor do I."