*group hug for the sweet reviews*

It seems as if the Doctor and Clara are bonding. . . but isn't Clara forgetting something?

Chapter 11

Clara was too lazy to put her dress back on, so instead, she stole one of the Doctor's shirts which was positively oversized on her small body. She also borrowed a pair of his socks out of the drawer when the doorbell rang and the Doctor left the bedroom to pay the delivery service. Carefully, she followed the sounds he made as he closed the front door and the smell of pizza and she discovered the Doctor as well as their food in the kitchen. Clara smiled at him.

"That shirt looks familiar," he remarked and Clara twirled around playfully as if to show off how much it suited her. His scent was all over it and she couldn't help but love the fact.

"I think it suits me," she replied and reached out to grab a slice of pizza. Clara was starving after their exercise, but still, she couldn't bring herself to regret not going to the restaurant. This was perfect.

The Doctor, however, didn't seem quite convinced.

"Sorry I didn't take you to a restaurant like we had planned," he apologized. "I realize that sex and pizza isn't exactly a proper date."

"I think it's an excellent date," Clara replied, munching her pizza. It was delicious and she didn't have a single complaint to make about their date so far.

Originally, she had meant him to be a one-night-stand but now, Clara could see that even this second time wouldn't quite do it for her. The Doctor was unusual and she wanted to find out more. She wanted to get to know him. Strictly speaking, the restaurant would have been the more obvious choice for a conversation, but this was just as good, maybe even better.

The Doctor looked up and granted her a shy smile. "I had hoped to do it properly after our strange first meeting," he admitted. "Cause I like you."

Clara smiled at him in reply. "I like you, too," she said and before she could think better of it, added: "You can do it properly next time. How about that?"

In response, a small frown appeared on his forehead and Clara giggled.

"Yes, I did just ask you out on another date," she confirmed. "I mean, if you don't mind, of course."

A look of relief crossed his face as he exhaled sharply. "Honestly, I'm just surprised you're still here at all. I have no idea how to date, I haven't done it in decades and I don't know if what I'm doing is wrong or weird or-"

Clara chuckled and dropped the pizza back in its box to take his hand. She softly squeezed it in her own. "You have absolutely nothing to worry about, Doctor," she reassured him. "I mean it. I like you."

The smile he granted her in response was so honest and heartfelt that Clara suddenly felt a stab a guilt in the pit of her stomach. The Doctor, who had done nothing wrong, was beating himself up over not taking her out on a proper date and here she was, lying to him about the most elemental things about herself. If their relationship was going to continue, she would have to tell him the truth sooner rather than later, but she had no idea where to begin.

"Hey, how about you show me that robot dog you're building for your daughter?" Clara suggested. "I must admit that I'm curious."

The Doctor rose from his seat and picked up the pizza boxes before he left the kitchen to walk into the adjoining workshop and Clara followed him on his heels, curious as to what was awaiting her. She knew that he called himself an inventor, but she still couldn't quite picture what it entailed. Once she stepped inside his workshop, however, Clara realized that she couldn't possibly have imagined this. The room was big and crammed with all sorts of things that she didn't even know the name of. There was a computer on his desk, of course, along with a variety of tools and several strange appliances seemed to be scattered all over the place. The robot dog, however, was hard to miss as the metal thing took the prime spot right on top of his workbench.

Clara giggled as she approached the metal dog. It didn't have legs, but the vague shape, the antennae ears, tail and dog collar definitely gave it away. "Does it have a name?" she asked excitedly.

"Uhm, I mainly just call it K-9 for now," he replied hesitantly as he put down the pizza boxes next to his metal pet. "But once I've finished, I can give it any name."

"What does it do?"

The Doctor cleared his throat. "K-9!"

Clara almost jumped when the dog suddenly came to life, its eyes lit up and it started wagging its tail. It was crazy.

"Yes, Master?" the dog's robotic voice answered.

"Oh my God, it can talk," Clara blurted out and beamed at the tin dog. His daughter would be ecstatic, she was sure of it.

"K-9, I want you to meet Bonnie. Say hello to her," the Doctor told it.

The dog wagged its tail a little more and turned its ears in Clara's direction. "Hello Bonnie, how can I help you?"

Still, she giggled at the clever invention. Even though Clara would never have any use for something like this, she found herself wanting one.

"Ask it something," the Doctor told her.

Clara turned to look at him, frowning a little. "What should I ask?"

He shrugged. "Anything. K-9 has access to Google."

"Alright," she said and focused on the tin dog again. "K-9, what is 2+2?"

"The sum of 2+2 is 4," K-9 replied and then, to her surprise, went on. "Please pet me."

She laughed, unsure of whether the robot was being serious.

"Go on," the Doctor urged her. "It has sensors that can detect touch and the robot interprets it as a reward for his help."

Carefully, Clara outstretched her hand and patted the dog's head. It felt odd to reward a machine with affection, but still, the dog wagged its tail at her again. Clara couldn't believe it.

"This is amazing," she blurted out and turned around to look at the Doctor. He seemed proud. "And you built this thing all by yourself?"

He nodded. "I've been working on it for six months, it just needs some fine-tuning now."

"Your daughter is going to be thrilled," Clara told him. "This is the coolest toy I've ever seen in my entire life and it's useful and it doesn't lose hairs all over the house like a real dog."

"I might lose oil if my filter isn't changed soon," K-9 threw in.

"Yeah, I'll get to that," the Doctor replied and leaned forward. He flicked a little switch and the dog powered down. Its eyes went dark.

"I love it," Clara announced as she sank down on the nearest chair, her eyes still fixed on the robot. "You must be a genius if you can just build something like this on your own."

"Oh, I wouldn't know about the genius part," the Doctor replied coyly as he took the seat next to her. He opened the pizza boxes again and took a large bite of one of the slices. "I just love building things. Always have."

"Well, I'm positive that your daughter will love the dog," she said sincerely.

For a moment, the Doctor went quiet and ate his pizza in silence before he looked at her again. "Actually, she's one of the reasons I didn't call you sooner," he explained. "Her mother and I split up three years ago and she lived with her until quite recently. My ex has a new boyfriend and I wasn't sure whether my daughter would be okay with me dating as well. I had to make sure first."

Clara nodded. He was a genius, he was sweet, excellent in bed and he seemed to be a great father as well. Did Clara really just meet the perfect man at a bar completely by chance? "I get it," she reassured him. "Your child comes first. That's how it should be."

Suddenly, the corners of his mouth curled up into a wide smile. "But since she gave us her blessing," he began, "how about I take you out on a proper date next Saturday?"

Clara smiled at him in reply. "I'd love that."

She needed to tell him the truth and she needed to do it soon. Clara opened her mouth. "Doctor, there's something-" she started, but then broke off. How was she going to explain it? How was she going to explain that she had lied to him about everything, even her name? Clara had no idea. She needed more time to prepare herself. She would tell him next Saturday.

"Mh?" he asked, looking up at her with his curious eyes. "What were you going to tell me?"

"Nothing," Clara lied and forced herself to smile again. "Not important. I'm already looking forward to the date."

To cover up the sudden awkwardness, Clara leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on the Doctor's lips. She would tell him. Next week.