Awww, thank you sooo much for the reviews!

Chapter 12

The Doctor knew it wasn't going according to plan. Clara was aware of his existence and to save his own skin he had told her one lie after the other only to be able to stay close to her. And close he had gotten. He knew that last night he should have stopped Clara from kissing him before it had happened because deep down a part of him had liked the touch of her lips on his own and by now he could clearly see why Danny was so desperate to get his fiancé back. Clara was smart, headstrong and pretty and she had this sweetness about her that just drew him in, which was why he had helped her out with her pupils in the first place. He liked her and yet he was still determined to find out what exactly it was that she had done to attract Mendon's attention. That man wouldn't give up easily, so the Doctor had to stick around, no matter what Clara said. This case had grown quickly and now he was personally involved, something that shouldn't have happened. But it had and now the Doctor had to deal with the consequences.

Something that hadn't crossed his mind when he had decided to stay last night was the fact that he was now leaving her flat on a Sunday morning and the thing he had feared promptly happened. He had just gone down one flight of stairs when the Doctor ran straight into Clara's friend, who stopped dead in her tracks and stared at him.

"Who are you?" her Scottish accent was audible in her voice.

"I, uhm," he hesitated, "I'm the Doctor."

A flicker of recognition crossed over Amy's face and her features softened instantly. "Ohhhh, you were the man that helped Clara out the other night," she realized, "Why aren't you staying for breakfast?"

"Clara, she, uhm, she's not feeling so well. She went back to sleep."

"Oh, well, okay. I'll check on her later then."

The Doctor hesitated for a moment but then figured it was better to mention it. He couldn't be around Clara at all times. "Keep an eye on her, will you?" the Doctor asked, "I think she can be a bit stubborn at times."

Amy frowned, but said nothing in reply.

"Please," the Doctor added, "I don't want her to get into any more trouble."

"You care about her, don't you?" her friend asked him, a bluntness in her voice that caught him a little off guard, "You're not one more stalking creep, right? You do like her?"

The Doctor wasn't quite sure what to reply except with the truth. "Strangely, I do," he said, a light smile on his lips.

"I think she likes you, too," Amy told him, "But you're right. Clara is stubborn."

hr

That wasn't good. That was anything but good. He hadn't meant to like her, Clara was just another case, but he did and if her friend was right and she liked him back, it couldn't end well. And yet he needed to find out what her secret was, what it was that she was hiding from everyone, because whatever it was, it was putting her in danger.

While the Doctor made his way back home he made a list in his head, leading an endless debate with himself about what he should do. He could call Danny and tell him about Clara, warn them both about Mendon and move on with his life – but then he would never know and he would never see Clara again and somehow the Doctor didn't like the thought of that at all.

However when he had turned around the corner, he found a surprise waiting for him on his doorstep.

"I told you I would call you," the Doctor groaned in annoyance when he was still a few steps away from him.

"I was in the neighbourhood. Just thought I'd ask if there were any news of Edith," Danny granted him a weak smile.

The Doctor had made up his mind only minutes ago and for a brief moment the considered changing it back.

"I've had other cases to deal with, but I'm looking into it and I will find out what happened to your fiancé, unless you steal any more of my time," the Doctor replied sharply as he drew out his key to and stuck it into the lock.

"You seem surer about that now than you did last time," Danny's voice was wary and the Doctor knew he had every right to distrust him. Still, it bothered him a little.

He shot around, glaring at Danny. "Well, I'm a really good detective."

The soldier took a step back, but his eyes never left him. "Please," he said after a moment, "I need to know, and if she is still alive I need to see her again."

Slowly the Doctor nodded. "I'll give you a call," he said quickly and stepped inside his house, closing the door behind him before Danny Pink could say anything else.

Once he was alone the Doctor took a deep breath. When the soldier had first appeared in his office the Doctor wouldn't have thought what sort of trouble he would bring with him.

hr

"Hey, feeling better?" Amy stuck her head through the crack in the door and Clara looked up from her book. She had spent the last two hours in bed, not really sleeping, so she had prepared herself another cup of tea and curled up in bed with a good book. The headache had faded almost completely, but her stomach still turned over at the mere thought of food.

"How did you know I wasn't feeling well?" Clara asked her friend.

Amy gave a shrug as she stepped inside. "Met the Doctor on his way out," suddenly Amy broke off and shivered, "Ugh, it's freezing in here."

Her friend approached her bed and sat down at the end while Clara put her book away.

"Did he say anything to you?"

Amy's lips curled into a smile. "You still like him, don't you? I mean, you were dancing with this handsome, young man last night and the next thing I see is the Doctor leaving your flat in the morning. What the hell happened and why were you gone last night all of a sudden?"

Clara let out a sigh and looked at her friend for a long moment, wondering how to tell her about the recent events.

"That handsome, young man put something in my drink," Clara said angrily and she watched as her friend's eyes widened in horror, "Don't worry, nothing happened. The Doctor was there, he helped me out. Again. Brought me home and stayed on the couch to make sure I was okay."

"Clara-"

"I don't want to talk about it," she replied sternly, "In fact, I am done with all of that! They have no idea what I'm capable of and the next man who tries to attack me will get what he deserves! I am not some fragile girl who needs protecting!"

Amy raised her eyebrows at her. "But what about the Doctor?"

"What about him?"

"I think he wouldn't mind protecting you. And it's not a bad thing to have someone watch over you, someone who really cares. And that's what you want, right? Someone who cares about you?" Amy asked, her voice soft, and she wasn't wrong. Clara didn't need a man, but that didn't mean she didn't want one in her life.

And the Doctor was the first man since Danny that had really caught her attention.

"Maybe," Clara replied carefully. She liked him, but she still wasn't sure what to think of him.