Am I too quick with the updates? I know, I should take my time. But I'm having a flow at the moment. Thank you for the quick reviews :) I'm really enjoying them – and your theories as well.

Chapter 10

"Shopping went quite well," Clara announced as she joined the Doctor in the conservatory.

"Did it?" the Doctor looked up from his book, "That's nice to hear."

"But I don't think she's too fond of me. Isabel is so distant, it's like she hardly notices I'm there at all," she said. And Clara could only imagine why that was. Sure, they hadn't been off to a great start, but Clara could feel that there was more to it.

"By the way, I won't be home for lunch tomorrow. I'm meeting with another parent."

Now the Doctor put his book away for good and gave her a long, judging look.

"Is it a male parent?" he asked, still staring.

"As a matter of fact, yes," Clara said. Suddenly she got the feeling as if she needed to defend her actions. And she hated it.

"I'm coming with you," said the Doctor and his voice left no room for contradiction.

"No, you're not."

"Why not?" the Doctor wanted to know.

"Because you're you. I want to have an actual conversation for once," Clara absolutely disliked where this was going, but she couldn't stop herself.

"Well, you could have a conversation with me, that would be a start," the Doctor suggested, getting up from his chair.

"We talk all the time and look where it's always getting us. We fight. I'm meeting with Randall tomorrow. Alone. Whether you like it or not."

"I don't like it. And what kind of name is that supposed to be? Randall?" the Doctor said it in a mocking tone, "For all you know he could be dangerous."

"Or you could be just jealous, because it sounds one hell of a lot like it," Clara replied in an accusatory voice.

"Pf, I'm not jealous. Why would I be jealous of some human guy with a kid?"

"Well, I don't know. But you sound like it and you have absolutely no right to be," Clara was determined. He had no right, hadn't he? It wasn't like they were still in a relationship. She could go for a coffee with as many men as she liked. She could even date them.

"If you say so. Go ahead, go out with him. If he turns out to be a menacing alien, don't come crying to me. See if I care," the Doctor said, grabbing his book and vanishing into the TARDIS.

For a moment Clara considered running after him to continue their argument, but she decided to better leave it. Their arguments would continue one way or another. Living together, with no real chance of escaping each other, was a trigger to their already fragile friendship and it would never get better. Not with the Doctor being the Doctor. It seemed as if nowadays there was simply no end to his odd behaviour.

OOO

The diner wasn't too crowded for the time of day and Randall held out a chair close to the window for Clara to sit down. On the way to their coffee date Clara had considered to turn around and walk back to the house several times. The fight she had had with the Doctor the day before just wouldn't leave her alone. She didn't think for a second that Randall could be an alien or even dangerous in any way. He was just Randall, a completely normal guy with a kid. That wasn't the reason Clara had considered not seeing him at all. It was the Doctor's reaction. He was very possessive of her, or jealous, she couldn't know which one of these emotions were going through the Doctor's queer head. But she decided that under no circumstances should they influence Clara's decisions. She was a free woman after all.

"So, how was your shopping day with the teenager? I'm sorry, I have forgotten her name."

"It's Isabel, and it was quite alright. Though we're not exactly best friends. It was a weak attempt to bond," Clara explained, "How is Anna doing?"

"Pretty well. She likes school, loves it even. She gets good grades," Randall said.

"Doesn't sound like a troubled kid to me at all. And I should know. I'm a teacher."

"Really? Where do you teach?" he asked curiously.

Clara pondered her answer for a moment. In 2014 didn't seem like the right way to reply. "Just a school in a small town near Gloucester. You wouldn't know it," that seemed like a save bet.

"You're right. Never been there. Is it nice?"

"Mh-mh," Clara nodded. She didn't really care to get into detail, cause her lie would collapse like a house of cards as soon as she was asked to describe the landscape.

"And the man you're kind of seeing, does he live there, too?" Randall kept asking.

"He, uhm, travels a lot. But visits me often, yeah. Right now he's here in London with me to take care of Isabel."

Sudden Randall seemed disappointed.

"That's too bad. I was kind of hoping we could maybe meet again. For dinner."

"I thought you said there were no strings attached," Clara said, finally taking a sip of her coffee.

"A man can dream," he said, "I have to be honest, Clara. You just caught my eye. You're different from every other woman I have met so far. I'd be a fool not to at least give it a try."

That's because I'm from the future, Clara thought, of course I'm different.

She sighed. It was a waste of his time and she knew it. As soon as Vastra and Jenny would return, she would also return – to her own time, in which Randall was probably almost 70 years old, having grandchildren, maybe even great-grandchildren. She shouldn't agree to go out with him, and yet this proposal had awoken the rebel in her. The Doctor would absolutely hate it and at the moment she was so mad at him, she would do about anything to tick him off. And Randell seemed like a very nice guy, they would probably have a great time together.

"I will go out with you," Clara said finally, "But you have to accept that it will be no more than just dinner. As I've said before, I won't be staying forever and I'm not looking to be anyone's wife and stepmother."

"I can accept that it's your current opinion, but do not blame me for trying to change it, okay?" Randall gave her a big smile.

OOO

Clara thought about it all the way home. She realized she would probably have very much enjoyed Randall's advances in her own time. He was a gentleman, but she was not looking for another romance that was so doomed to fail from the beginning. She would not let herself fall for him, that was for sure, but she could really use the attention. Her last relationship with John Smith had left her heartbroken, no matter how good she was at hiding it. For a long time she had clung to the fantasy that the Doctor still had feelings for her similar to those of John Smith, but she had woken up from that dream. It was time for a diversion, a new flirt. Randall seemed like the guy for the job.

When she opened the door to the Victorian building, she could hear music coming from the conservatory. Monday Monday was bringing back some memories she had desperately tried to forget.

"How was your date?" the Doctor asked. He was sitting on his chair, listening to the song she was starting to loathe.

"It was. . . okay. He's nice. Definitely not an alien. He wants to take me for dinner tomorrow," Clara answered matter-of-factly. She was waiting for the Doctor's reaction. One that never came.

Instead, he got up from his chair and extended his hand to her.

"Care to dance?" he asked her.

Clara took a step back and watched the Doctor closely. He was standing in front of her in his favourite suit, his hand awaiting hers. The song was starting to get too loud to hear her own thoughts clearly. She saw him, but she couldn't take him seriously. This was not the Doctor. This was something John Smith would have done, but not him.

"Is this some kind of joke?" she asked carefully.

The Doctor let his hand sink. "Why would you think that? I was just asking if you wanted to dance. Again, I was only doing what I thought you wanted," he said, his voice defensive.

"Well, you were obviously wrong," Clara raised her voice.

"Yeah, I can see that. Your face has gone all wrong. What's with the face?" he asked.

"I'm hurt, okay? Hurt. I'm not sure if you're familiar with that feeling, but this," she pointed to the source of the music, hardly able to fight back the tears all of a sudden, "This hurts. And you seem to be doing it on purpose."

"I don't understand," the Doctor said bluntly.

"Obviously, otherwise you wouldn't be torturing me with memories of John Smith when it is crystal clear that that man is gone forever!"

Clara couldn't hold the tears in any longer. She stormed off into her room, slamming the door shut behind her. Of all the things the Doctor could have done, bringing back this song, bringing back the memories of the night she had first kissed him, was probably the worst.