Hello! I'm back with a new chapter! This isn't quite as long as I would have liked, but I still liked writing this little installment. Maybe it's because this is when everything changes. And by everything changes, I mean things are beginning to get exciting. :)

And who else is excited for season eight? It's coming this Saturday! *does a little happy dance* I've seen multiple previews of Deep Breath [8.01] and I already love the Twelve, though I'm always going to miss and love Eleven. :')

With that said, enjoy this chapter!

"Vulnerability shows us who really cares for you and how much they care."

Chapter Ten.

By the end of the afternoon, the storm had calmed down a bit so that the thunder and lightning and rain weren't as violet as earlier that day. Clara supposed it took away from the cozy feeling of John's apartment, but really, she didn't let that feeling on. Amy and Rory didn't seem to have much of a problem with it, either, so the atmosphere didn't change too much.

There wasn't much talking either, especially after the little discussion between Clara and Amy about John. Speaking of which, Clara still wasn't sure what to think about that. She wasn't lying to Amy – she wasn't quite sure what was with the persistent interest, though.

Ugh.

Clara was still immersed in her thoughts when her phone started to ring. A few seconds ticked by until finally, Amy asked, "Are you going to answer that, or are you going to…?"

Blinking, Clara looked down at her phone. "Oh, right – didn't notice," she muttered and dug it out of her pocket. "Hello?"

"Clara! Hello! Are you still in my apartment? How're Amy and Rory? You didn't set the place on fire, did you?" John's voice blared through Clara's phone. She flinched at the sudden noise and took a few moments to process it all. Finally, she managed to reply, "Yes, I'm still in the apartment – Amy and Rory are fine; they're still playing that board game – and er…why, did you expect me to set the room on fire?"

Both Amy and Rory turned to give Clara a confused, bewildered look and she shrugged in response, mouthing the words, 'No idea'.

Satisfied with that answer, the couple returned to their game. Clara brought her knees to her chest and adjusted her grip on her phone. "Why'd you call?" She asked and took a look out the window. "Did you get lost or something? I don't think it's raining that bad…"

"Well…er…in a manner of speaking, yes, I suppose I got lost." John replied sheepishly. Clara's mouth clicked open. "Are you serious?" She asked, standing up. She could hear John inhale a sharp breath. "I said in a manner of speaking, didn't I?" He retorted indignantly. "And by getting lost, I mean breaking down in the middle of nowhere."

"What do you mean, in the middle of nowhere?" Clara parroted back, casting a meaningful stare at Amy and Rory, who (to her relief) were now looking up intently. There was a short pause on the other end. Then, John replied, "Fine – not in the middle of nowhere…more like twenty miles north from the town."

Clara rubbed her brow tiredly. "What are you even doing there?" She asked dubiously. "I thought you said you were only going to pick up supplies, not…go out of town."

John puffed out a sigh, which was rather irritating to Clara's ear on the phone. "I was looking for light bulbs!" He said in a whiny, childish voice. Clara rolled her eyes – she could almost hear his pout. "And you thought that the nearest store that sold light bulbs were twenty miles away?" She asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Well, that's what the woman in the store said! She said that the light bulbs in the store downtown were all out and the nearest store was half an hour from here!" John shot back. Clara shook her head at it all and asked, "Did you call the police?"

There was a small silence.

Clara groaned. "John, they might have been able to get to you quicker!"

"Well, I don't trust the police! The police aren't always nice!" John replied huffily. "The police make me feel stupid! I wanted to call you instead because at least then I'll have a shred of dignity left!"

Despite the situation, Clara couldn't help but to smile. "Don't be so dramatic, John." She said and went on, "Amy and Rory and I will be there in a bit, alright? For now, call a tow truck or something to get your car fixed up. We can pick you up and save your dignity."

"Thank you." John replied, exasperated and with that, he hung up.

"What did John get himself into now?" Amy asked immediately when Clara turned to her. She rubbed a hand over her neck and said, "John's car broke down somewhere. He just said that he was about twenty miles away from the town and that leads to the highway, right? We'll be able to spot his car."

Swinging her jacket over her shoulders, Clara held open the door and turned to Amy and Rory. "Come on – apparently, he doesn't want to deal with anyone else except for us." She said tiredly. Amy gave Clara a knowing smile and stood up. "We'll be right behind you."

Clara nodded and waited for Amy and Rory to get ready – when they were; she flung the door open and marched out into the hallway. The three made their way down the stairs and headed outside – only to be instantly slapped in the face by a gust of wind.

"Still stormy, then?" Rory yelled, looking up at the sky. Clara grinned. "Apparently!" She shouted back and hailed for a taxi. Before long, the group was seated in a car and being driven out of the area.

During the entire ride, Clara thought back on the little phone conversation she had with John. Her insides warmed unexpectedly at the thought of how he called her first to tell her that his car had broken down. John could have called Amy or Rory, but no, it was her.

Wonder why, she thought to herself, watching water slide down the windows. Maybe John thought that Rory and Amy's phones were turned off. Or something.

Either way, Clara was strangely glad. Well, she should be glad about it, right? This meant that John thought that she was a good friend, even though they had only agreed on it a few days ago.

But you know what he's like. He makes friends quickly. Why wouldn't he call? Clara chided to herself and satisfied by her own answer, Clara settled back to her seat in ease. The rest of the drive flew by quickly. It wasn't that long to locate John's car, either – it was the only one being dragged off, after all.

John was standing outside, his jacket over his shoulders and his eyes squinting narrowly at the road. Clara let out a small snort and, waving at John through the window, said, "Stop here, please!"

The taxi driver obliged and Clara opened the door. John grinned, spreading out his arms. "Hello, Clara! I see you've found me – and Amy and Rory too, just like you said!" He said cheerfully. Clara laughed, taking John's wrist. "Come on – let's get you back home."

"Sounds like a plan." John replied, nodding, and the two managed to squeeze themselves in the taxi. Amy and Rory burst into a conversation with John, who seemed rather intent on describing how annoying the entire ordeal was. "Don't you dare tell anyone else about this!" John said, pointing accusing fingers at Amy and Clara.

"What about Rory?" Amy asked, pouting.

"Rory doesn't like to talk about other people!" John retorted, causing Rory to smile widely at his wife. Amy simply rolled her eyes and lightly punched him on the arm. Clara, on the other hand, pointed out, "Well, if I was to tell anyone about this, I would point out that you were the one begging for help first."

"Oi! I was not begging!" John said indignantly. "I do not beg!"

Clara mocked, "Oh, Clara! Help me! You have to come get me or else I'll have to call the police and I'll be so embarrassed!" She grinned, poking John on the shoulder. "Does that sound familiar to you?"

At Amy and Rory's laughter, John flushed. "Ha, ha," he said sarcastically. "Very amusing – and for the record, I do not sound like that!"

"Keep telling that to yourself, John!" Clara replied sweetly.

The entire drive back to the apartment building was full of giggles and impersonations after that. Clara was surprised that the taxi driver didn't tell them all to shut up, though she was extremely grateful that he didn't. (However, she did notice that he looked relieved once they came to a stop in front of the apartment complex.)

John didn't seem quite finished with Clara, either. The minute they were all outside, John swept Clara into a little twirl, earning himself a shriek of surprise and laughter. "What're you doing?" She shouted. "It's still raining, dummy!"

"I know!" John replied, holding Clara out at an arm's length. "Best time to celebrate the day, don't you think?"

Unable to protest any further, Clara allowed herself to be spun around again. She caught Amy doing the same with Rory, who seemed to have caught onto the idea that John had. A bright smile lit up Clara's face – in that very moment, everything seemed to be a lighthearted, shining matter.

However, Clara couldn't say that out loud. She simply laughed and said, "This looks like something out of a cheesy, sappy Nicholas Sparks book."

"Cheesy book or cheesy people?" John asked quietly, lifting his eyebrows.

Clara paused. She looked up at John, a queer frown on her face. Everything else seemed to drown out of her ears as she replied just as softly, "Cheesy people. Definitely. Cheesy people."

Clara really couldn't explain what happened after that – just that suddenly, John was bringing his head closer to Clara and she was standing on the tips of her toes…and John's eyes were slowly closing and his hand was squeezing Clara's and then –

"I just remembered I have some things to do." Clara said suddenly, pulling away. She could feel her face flushing in humiliation and annoyance – what the hell was that all about? Why was John standing so close? Why was she standing so close? She tugged her hand out of John's and took a few steps backward.

John had a smile on his face, though his eyes looked wounded and disappointed. Clara forced herself to brush any sympathy aside. "Ehm – of course." John replied simply, tucking his hands in his pockets. "I'll see you around, then…?"

Clara shrugged her shoulders halfheartedly. "Maybe." She replied with a small bob of her head. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and turned to the doors. "Well – have a nice day."

For the second time in this week, Clara pushed open the doors, wishing that she could slap and hug John at the same time. She hurried up the stairs, her eyes trained on the ground. What did she just do? Correction – what did John do? Were they going to kiss?

Clara froze in her tracks, her mind running over the thought. Well – John had a nice smile. And so, Clara supposed that meant he had nice lips –

The brunette shook her head violently. Gah, no! John is a friend. Friend, friend, friend! You've been telling that to yourself ever since he first came here! An accomplice! A companion! Not a…potential boyfriend or whatever! With another, final shake of the head, Clara strode to her door. Once she was inside the apartment, she slid to the floor against the door. Clara drew out a long, tired breath and looked up at the ceiling.

All of these thoughts revolving around John was making Clara think like one of those delicate, pansy-like damsels in distress or something. Or at least, a damsel who was in desperate need for a prince or something.

Damsel in distress? Prince? No way! Clara thought to herself with a snort, and she kicked herself up to a standing position. She threw her jacket over the couch and plopped into one of the cushions, automatically reaching for her laptop. With a start, Clara realized that she had left it in John's room.

Another visit from him, it seems…Clara thought glumly and ran her hands over her face. It wasn't that she hated seeing John – but she was dreading what was going to come within the next few hours. It was going to be a repeat of the last time something like this happened, or at least the last time that the actions shared between Clara and John were misinterpreted.

"Oh, God," Clara murmured to herself, lying down on her side. "Please, don't repeat yourself, Clara."

xXx

Later that evening, Clara's phone made a chiming sound, announcing a text message. With a sigh, Clara tugged her phone out from the pocket of her jacket and headed into her bedroom to read the digitized words –

You have your laptop here. I'll give it to you tomorrow. John.

Thanks. Clara.

Are you mad at me? About earlier today, I mean. John.

Clara looked down at the message, chewing on the insides of her cheek and considering what possible answers she could give. Then, she tapped – I'm not mad. We're still friends, right?

Still friends. Yup. John.

Good. Okay. I'll see you tomorrow. Clara.

Okay.

xXx

John didn't appear at Clara's door until late afternoon. Instantly, Clara could tell that something was wrong. For one, John looked tired. It was almost as if he had aged ten years overnight. There were dark, shadowy half-circles underneath John's eyes, for one thing, and his shoulders were rounded over, forcing him into a half-slump.

And even stranger – when John spoke, his voice was worn and lifeless and hollow, as if he had been awake for the entire night. (Actually, he might have, by the looks of it.)

"Your laptop," John said, handing over the said object in Clara's hands.

Clara nodded and looked up. "Er – is everything alright? You look…odd."

"Odder than usual?" John asked halfheartedly. Without waiting for an answer, John drummed his fingers against the pockets of his pants and went on, "I received a few messages last night. A few messages concerning a topic that I do not want to or would like to discuss." His voice rose a bit in indignation at the last sentence. However, before he could go on (or if Clara could possibly ask him what he meant) John exhaled a long, annoyed sigh and looked up at the ceiling. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and said, "So, for now, I'll have to…think this over. All of it."

John let out another sigh and looked back down at Clara with a forced smile. "Anyways. There's your laptop – have a nice day and have a nice…work session or whatever it is that you want to do today and…ahem. Yes." He bobbed his head awkwardly at the laptop and turned back around on his heel, quickly leaving Clara's door.

Clara simply stared at the square of floor that John had just been seconds ago. She gave it a series of quick, uncertain blinks and shifted herself out of the door, turning her head to see where John was going now. However, John was already out of sight.

Biting down on her lip, Clara allowed herself a few seconds to look around the empty hallway. She leaned against the doorframe and shifted her laptop in her arms. She wondered what John could possibly be so riled up about – and if Clara really cared or not.

"Probably nothing." Clara said quietly to herself, going back into the apartment room. She closed the door behind her and placed her laptop on the couch. However, as Clara straightened herself, she couldn't help but to spare a few more seconds on the small moments that had occurred.

Clara stood up and pushed herself back to her door. She propped it open with her foot and stuck her head outside, her eyes scanning the hallway again for…John? At this point, Clara wasn't quite sure what she was looking for now.

She closed the door again, though her confused and bewildered feelings didn't go away.

xXx

Clara wasn't quite sure what happened after that meeting with John, but she noticed that she was seeing less and less of him lately. Then again, Clara was never one to make trips outside of her apartment, but she had noticed that John didn't talk much to her. Not that it bothered Clara (of course not!) but it was a bit odd and unusual.

There were a few times when Clara would run into John and whenever she would, the two would exchange quick helloes, but to Clara's surprise, their discussion never went farther than that. Fairly soon, their helloes shortened to simple nods and acknowledging, halfhearted smiles and finally, eventually…just nothing. Not even a wave or grin or eye-catch – it was almost as though the two hadn't ever met.

That was beginning to annoy Clara. That was beginning to make her feel befuddled and angry and sad all at once – and she wasn't used to that feeling. She didn't like that feeling at all.

xXx

Weeks passed by and still, John refused to show any recognition to Clara.

Only now is Clara realizing that something must be really, truly wrong if he's gone into silence.

Clara doesn't really like the silence.

xXx

It's official. Clara's labeled this time-period the Silence.

xXx

Just the other day, Clara decided to go to the coffee shop that she had went with John all of those weeks ago. It was a bit odd to be there without John, but it couldn't be helped. She ordered the hot chocolate, though she threw it out a few minutes later.

It wasn't as good as she had remembered.

xXx

"Clara!"

"Amy!"

"Gosh, it's been forever since I've seen you!"

"I could say the same about you – where have you been?"

The Scottish woman tossed her hair over her shoulder and shook her head. "I've been in John's apartment this entire time – Rory's there right now."

Clara and Amy were sitting on the park bench, watching a few boys kick around a football and screaming over the excitement of it all. Clara almost couldn't believe her eyes when she had seen Amy round the corner – it had seemed like a forever for her since the last properly talked.

Amy, to Clara's relief, seemed just as glad to see her. The two immediately went to talking and catching up, which felt nice, especially after those weeks of the dreadful Silence.

"What are you doing there?" Clara asked quizzically. "I didn't think you were staying for this long."

Amy grimaced. "Well, someone's got to make sure that John won't do anything stupid – Rory's better at all of this care stuff, but I've been doing my share of the work." The grimace turned into more of a worried, concerned frown. "But to be honest, I think Rory's just offering to do more work because he doesn't want me to aggravate John."

Clara lifted her eyebrows. "Aggravate John?" She asked. Those words together sounded foreign to Clara. Actually, this entire concept sounded a bit unusual.

Amy's brow furrowed. "Aggravate John," she repeated. "Not that I don't blame him…I suppose he should be a bit...annoyed after the turnabout of events."

"What events?" Clara asked incredulously.

Amy blinked and looked at Clara, eyes wide. "Don't you know? I thought he was going to tell you." She said slowly.

Clara liked this situation less and less. She folded her hands together and stared hard at the redhead before her. "Do I look like I know?" She asked in a low voice. "John hasn't been talking to me for a while. I think he might have forgotten that I'm on this planet."

Amy rubbed her temples, shaking her head. "I should have known he'd do something like that," she murmured quietly and looked back up at Clara.

"Clara, John is being forced to go back to England."

A/N: Well - I tried. From here on out, things are going to get much more exciting and interesting. Clara's going to come to realize certain things about herself and about John, secrets will be revealed, and newer characters will be introduced. *slaps hands together* So, are we ready? Geronimo!

Reviews are always awesome - constructive criticism is allowed, but flames are not!