Sorry for the lack of updates yesterday. I was out on a photography job all day and I should be viewing the pictures now. . . but decided to write instead :D

Chapter 9

Clara woke up happy, yet tired from her night out. The sun was already shining through the blinds when she turned around and saw the man lying next her. Her man. Her husband. The Doctor.

Suddenly Clara was wide awake. No! No! No! No! This wasn't happening, was it? Now the memories of the past day came back to her. How he had touched her in the fitting room, how sad he looked when he told her he was afraid she might leave. How she had taken his hand and lead him to the dance floor. How they had danced almost the whole night through. How nervous she had gotten all of a sudden. And how she had kissed him. No, this hadn't been a kiss out of pure responsibility. Clara had kissed him because at that moment there had been nothing she had sought more desperately. She was falling for the Doctor. And that simply couldn't be.

Of course she was falling for him. The Doctor, or rather John Smith, was the perfect husband. He knew her better than anyone else and he did everything to make her happy. What kind of woman could resist John Smith over a great period of time?

But it wasn't going to happen, Clara decided. She still had the watch. She could open it. As soon as the Time Lord was back, the love would be gone. But they would also be in danger again. How long would it take to the aliens next door to lose interest? Clara didn't know but she prayed it wouldn't take too long.

She didn't dare wake him up. It was not yet time to wake up either him or Isabel, so she crept out of bed to go downstairs. After fetching a glass of water she just sat there for a while, staring into space when a question came to her mind. Why was the Doctor his own complete opposite now? Clara imagined that the thought of having a house, a wife, a daughter and a dog would have driven the Doctor insane. She held the watch in her hand, only now realizing she had brought it downstairs. What would happen if she opened it right now? Suddenly a noise interrupted her train of thoughts. She looked up to see Isabel in her nightgown, holding her puppy.

"Honey, why are you up already?" Clara asked.

"Sammy peed on my bedroom floor," the girl admitted.

"Oh, well, you can tell Daddy when he's up. He'll take care of that," she said and indicated with a wave of her hand for Isabel to come sit by her.

"Do you want breakfast already?" Clara asked her. Isabel shook her head and suddenly her eyes seemed to lock on the watch in Clara's hand.

"Not yet," the little girl suddenly said, looking directly into Clara's eyes.

"What?"

"Don't open it."

Clara was in shock and apparently the little girl felt it because she quickly went on to explain.

"I see through lies," she told Clara, "That's my gift. That's why they are after me."

"You knew the whole time?" she was still baffled. How could this 7 year old girl know when the Doctor didn't. When the aliens next door didn't.

"I was confused for a while. The story, it's in my head. It's not real. I remembered it but I didn't feel it," Isabel explained.

"I feel the same," Clara admitted, "And the Doctor. . ., your . . . Daddy?"

"He believes it's real but I can see the stars in him all the time. You cannot open the watch. The people next door. . ."

"They're the ones looking for you, I know," Clara said, "It was quite obvious, even for me. But aren't you tired of pretending?"

"No," the little girl said honestly, "I never had a family before. I love it here."

Clara smiled at the little girl and stroked her hair.

"I think we'll be here for a while longer. So, why don't you take Sammy out in the back yard and I go make breakfast and wake Daddy?"

Isabel gave her a smile and nodded before happily running out with her puppy.

ooo

When the Doctor woke up, Clara's side of the bed was empty. He had so hoped she would be there. Finally, after two weeks of trying, he had made a breakthrough with her. Whatever had unsettled his wife, it was slowly going away – or at least that was what the Doctor hoped for. But for the first time in two weeks she had kissed him.

The bedroom door opened slowly and Clara's head appeared only a second later.

"Oh, you're awake already," she noticed.

The Doctor couldn't quite place the tone in her voice but decided to ignore it for the time being.

"Yes, I was wondering where you had gone."

"Isabel was up. The dog had an accident in her room."

"Ops, I'll clean it up," he said and got out of bed. Clara would not touch any mess the dog made, she had made that pretty clear.

The Doctor walked up to his wife and put his arms around her.

"Did you enjoy it yesterday?" he asked.

"Yes, very much. Thank you," she said sincerely, but still with a hint of oddness in her voice.

"We should do it again some time," the Doctor didn't wait for her reply. He pulled her closer for a kiss. A kiss that at first she was reluctant to give in to, but he could feel her resistance fading more and more.