Epilogue

'This is the problem with the real thing,' the Doctor grumbled from his position under the tree, 'You can't turn the volume down on the pedestrians, not to mention your primitive twenty first century transport. What made you chose here for goodness sake? There's a whole number of perfectly pleasant parks all across the galaxy. Quiet parks. Parks without people.'

Clara smiled and ignored him, choosing instead to extract a large chocolate cake from a smaller on the outside hamper and start dividing it up on plates. K-9 took the hint and shot over to the pond where he began to circle barking. He knew his duties once the food was being distributed and away he went scaring ducks and waterfowl.

'Now the dog's at it too,' the Doctor grouched. 'Remind me to alter his maximum volume.'

'What's the matter with you today anyway,' Clara laughed, 'You're like a bear with a sore head.'

'Yes well I didn't sleep much,' the Doctor whined, 'Some of us still need sleep, Clara, we can't be up all night because someone's full of e-number induced energy or had a nightmare about something under the bed.'

'I thought you'd cut the e-numbers out?' Clara asked him.

'Not me, you idiot!'

'Do you still get that dream?' she asked.

'No,' he confessed, 'The thing under the bed has become the thing in my bed. Although it can be just as disruptive when it steals the blankets.'

She snorted and handed him some cake. 'Here, totally e-number free. Made it myself.'

He eyed it suspiciously for a moment. 'Right, well, at least your baking is improving. Been long enough trying to get it right.'

'Shut up or I'll take it back and give it to the dog.'

'K-9 isn't actually a real dog you know…' he began.

'Shh,' Clara gestured at him, 'Yes he is, he's a totally one hundred percent real loyal canine dog who is very much loved by this family and most explicitly by your children whose hearts will break if they realise he's just a robot.'

'He's not just a robot!' the Doctor argued. 'But he isn't a dog either he's a …'

'Kids!' Clara called over him, 'Come and get some cake, leave the ducks alone and stop throwing stones in the pond you're scaring them!'

There was a small kafuffle and then two small brown eyed humans and a robot dog trotted across the parkland to the cluster of trees their parents had chosen for today's picnic. At a guess they were no older than three or four and took after their mother. The little boy crashed to a halt by his mum, attacked his cake and was immediately covered in melted chocolate by some unfathomable means; but his sister, a year younger and sporting a pleasant wide face chose instead to climb into her father's lap and carefully eat her treat. A breeze blew and a smattering of blossom feel to the ground. She wiped it carefully from her yellow dress. The Doctor picked petals from her hair.

Clara was right of course, the real Regents Park was much better than the one he had made on his holodeck.

More noise, more traffic, more people.

More family, more love.

More cherry blossom than he had expected. Thick in the trees and falling like a blanket to the ground around them. The Doctor watched as Clara brushed the crumbs from her hands and poured herself another glass of lemonade. He smirked and she stopped, pressed one hand to her chest and tried to repress a smile as she mouthed 'stop it' to her husband and 'not now.'

He couldn't help but laugh. He never tired of making her heart flutter.