*A/N: Hey guys! Sorry I kept you waiting longer then I expected for this chapter - I promised some of you I would update on Wednesday but I forgot that I had a super busy week this week and I just couldn't find the time!
Thank you for all the lovely reviews and messages I got for chapter 13 - I'm glad to see there are people still interested in the story :) If you haven't left a review yet, please let me know what you think of the story - I'm going to try and reply to all reviews this time so please share your thoughts :)

Also, sorry for all the typos in chapter 13 :S I uploaded it at 5am so when I proofread it I was really tired and missed lots of things - hopefully this chapter is better!

Chapter wise - I've cut this chapter in half because it got far too long again. Therefore it's only a short chapter, but a relatively important one. The next chapter is very very important - I'm going to try and upload chapter 15 by Wednesday if I can, but no promises ;)

Anyway, thanks again for reading and reviewing and I hope you enjoy the chapter - happy reading! x*

Waiting For You
Chapter 14: The Name Of The Doctor

All other thoughts left the Doctor's mind as he watched Clara stumble down the street helplessly. Without even pausing to think, he dashed across the road, dodging traffic in able to reach her as quickly as possible.

Why was she out on New Year's Eve by herself? He wondered. Why does she look so troubled?

By the time the Doctor had reached the other side of the road, Clara had sat down at the bus stop opposite the one that he had previously been stood at. She was looking down at her feet miserably, her brow creased slightly and nibbling her lip, as if she was pondering hard over something.

When the Doctor finally walked up the road to the bus stop, slightly out of breath from all the running, Clara had closed her eyes and put her head in her hands. His concern grew further and he quickly placed himself down next to her on the otherwise empty bus stop bench.

She didn't notice him to begin with due to being so occupied with her own thoughts, but as soon as the Doctor spoke she jumped out of her trance. "Clara, are you okay?"

She almost fell off the bench in surprise, and studied him wide-eyed for a moment before replying. The Doctor noticed they were glossed over, giving the impression whatever anxiety currently possessed Clara had her near tears. Her brows crinkled further in confusion. "What the hell are you doing here?" She spat.

Her tone was a little harsh, which the Doctor presumed was probably due to the fact she was still irritated with him, and also because she was upset about something different.

He shrugged vaguely. "I had a lot on my mind so I decided to go for a walk to clear my head. You know I only live 5 minutes away. What are you doing here?"

Clara studied him silently for a moment, noticing his eyes appeared saddened also. She lightened her glare and leant back against the bus stop, letting her composure drop a little. "I was out with Adam…not that it's any of your business."

He'd expected this sort of reaction. "Course not."

They sat in silence for a minute or so, the Doctor rattling his brain on what he could say next which wouldn't get another peeved response.

He noticed Clara's head drop again, looking down at her shoes as she scuffed her heels back and forth on the pavement. She began biting her lip once more, and the look of worry worsened in her eyes. The Doctor hated more than anything seeing her sad. There was something so innocent about Clara, something so beautiful and compassionate, that facing her unhappy was enough to cause heartache.

Well, it was for him anyway.

The Doctor already realised a long time ago that he never wanted to see her sad again. So he decided to just go for it and try his best to return a smile to her face. "I know it's not any of my business …" He began wearily. "But…you look a little upset."

Clara ignored him, but the Doctor could tell it was because she was finding it more difficult to suppress her sadness. He knew she knew she would break as soon as she spoke.

The Doctor took a deep breath. "Clara…you know I really care about you don't you? The things I did, they weren't intentional…I mean, I didn't want to hurt you. It was just…God, it was all my fault. And it kills me when I think about the impact it had on you. Because I care you you so so much."

Clara finally lifted her head and looked him in the eyes. Hers were still wide and watery, becoming even more so. As she looked into his eyes, her heart began to ache like his, and it ached so much she had to blink away her tears and look away.

Clara sighed, turning to the ground again. "I was out with Adam…and we had this huge argument and fell out. In the end, he sauntered off with some other girls and I walked out. I don't know why I've worked myself up over this…but he was such a bastard about it."

The Doctor suddenly felt guilty for interrogating her. He shouldn't have been so nosy - he shouldn't have pressed on. But all the same, even though he was angry at Adam for hurting Clara, even though he was confused at the fact Adam would want to throw someone as beautiful as her away, he couldn't help but feel a little pleased that he did. Now Clara was no longer dating him, maybe he stood a chance. Maybe there was a tiny possibility that he could be forgiven and it could all work out.

Maybe.

"I'm sorry." He said regardless. Probably mostly out of politeness, he was only sorry she got hurt.

Clara smirked, looking back up at him and smiling slightly at his lie. "No you're not."

The Doctor returned the smile and chuckled. "Yeah okay, I'm not. He was a bastard."

Clara chuckled too, and the Doctor's heart warmed slightly seeing her face light up again.

Unfortunately, it didn't last for long, as Clara suddenly remembered that she was still annoyed at him, and promptly glanced away.

Clara looked up at the digital bus timetable, noticing a cancelled sign next to her bus number and groaned. The next night bus wasn't going to be here for another hour. "Just my luck." She muttered. "Looks like I'm going to be waiting here for a while."

"Good."

The Doctor was gleaming at her smugly; pleased at the news that she wasn't going to be going anywhere. This only frustrated Clara further, who crossed her arms defensively and glared at him again. "I'm sorry, but don't you have somewhere better to be? Like at home with your family, for example?"

Clara's words unexpectedly stung him, and this time it was the Doctor's turn to glance away. Even though there had always been doubt River's baby wasn't his, the fact he found out she'd lied and after the whole encounter with the Master earlier that day, it all still hurt.

He had a horrible feeling it would for a while.

The Doctor smirked bitterly. "What family?"

"Oh, I don't know…" Clara replied sarcastically. "If I remember rightly you were living with your ex and your baby…were you not?"

The Doctor sighed. Explaining this to Amy and Rory had been hard enough, but admitting to Clara the fool he'd been was going to be all the more difficult. He didn't want her to think little of him. He didn't want to feel humiliated in front of her. However, she'd already shared her story that night, so it was his turn to share his.

"I got the DNA results back today…well, after I was drugged, handcuffed to a radiator and then beaten up by my arch enemy…who Amy later battered with a cricket bat"

Clara raised her eyebrows, confused and alarmed.

"But anyway, that's another story…"

He looked down at his shoes at she'd done before, his floppy dark fringe falling in front of his face. "River lied to me, Clara. Luna's not mine. The DNA tests confirmed it."

Clara didn't reply, thinking things over in her head, waiting for him to continue.

The Doctor didn't know whether to continue or not, but there was something about Clara which made him feel so much more comfortable around her. Even after all the time they'd had apart over the last few weeks, he still felt like he could share anything with her.

Most importantly, unlike River, he trusted her.

"I know this shouldn't upset me but…I don't know. I just feel so humiliated and stupid. I hated her. I hate her so much. I don't even know why I considered believing her allegations for a second…but this wasn't just something pointless. This was a baby. An actual, little, human life who could be my child. And she manipulated me with it. She used her own daughter as a weapon to fight her way back into my life… and although I didn't want to…I grew to be quite fond of Luna. I mean, she could have been something that was mine, something I could cherish.
It's the worst feeling in the world when something you grow to love suddenly gets snatched away from you."

Clara nodded, biting her lip to suppress grief once again. "I know."

The Doctor studied her reaction closely. The words had come out as a whisper, only just reaching the surface of her lips. He suddenly realised he'd probably pulled some of her delicate heart strings. Clara had lost so much before. She was the sort of person that was lead by her heart, constantly sharing her kindness and making sure that those she held dear felt loved. Of course she knew.

In different ways, he knew they both did - only too well.

For wasn't that the reason for their first date? The reason they'd worked tirelessly for hours to make her Mum's souffle so perfect?

The Doctor felt his heart flutter as he thought about that day...because that was the first time in a very long time, his heart had felt whole once more.

The love that Clara had begun to share had slowly helped him heal.

The Doctor looked straight into her eyes again, pained with the guilt he felt from what had happened between that day and now. He took her closest hand in his to provide some comfort, even though he thought it would be pointless. She would just pull it away again.

But to his surprise, she didn't.

Instead, Clara turned her hand and interlocked her fingers with his gloved ones. The Doctor felt a large smile grow across his lips. Her hands felt so little in his, but they were her perfect, little, dainty Clara hands – another thing he loved so much about her.

Everything he saw in Clara was effortlessly beautiful. Through his eyes, any imperfections became faultless.

"I'm sorry." Clara said, looking straight into his eyes, as if to try and show him just how much those words meant in that moment. Those words weren't just words; they were how she truly felt.

These were the first steps of making things heal.

The Doctor noticed that the firm exterior Clara had put up to protect herself had finally fallen down. She was finally allowing herself to open up to him again.

The Doctor smiled gratefully back. "It's fine…It's just something I'll have to live with for a while-"

"No." Clara interrupted. "I'm sorry for being such a bitch about the whole thing. I'm sorry for shouting at you and being so horrible to you when you came to me for support. I'm sorry for not listening to word you had to say. I'm sorry for not helping you when you were in a situation where you really needed it. I'm so sorry."

As she spoke, Clara's voice became more and more shaky. It was like everything was spilling out – things she had wanted to tell him for so long, but was too scared of what would happen if she did. She'd wanted to stay firm and secluded because that was the easiest thing to do.

That's the only way to stop yourself from getting hurt.

Because no matter how much Clara wanted to have supported him and shown her love, the risk was too much. Having her heart broken would have just been too hard to bare.

The Doctor felt his heart melt and gave her hand a little squeeze. "No, Clara. It's not your fault, it's mine. I'm the one who hurt you; I'm the one who was ignorant and rude. I deserved all that and more. Please don't feel guilty about this, I wish the whole thing had never happened. I should have just told you why I was so reluctant in the first place."

Clara paused for a moment, her eyes locked on their intertwined hands sitting in her lap. Of course, that had been the main thought in her mind for a long while now. She had to admit to herself that she did desperately want to know why he'd been so coy and why their relationship had hit such a bumpy start. But all the same, she still didn't want to seem too intrusive and rude.

However, she knew in order to move on from this, she really needed to know. Otherwise it was just going to sit there, playing forever in her mind.

Clara took a deep, unsteady breath of cold winter air, building up confidence before taking a risk and asking: "Why? I mean…you never said...Why were you reluctant to make this work?"

The question surprised the Doctor somewhat, but delighted him all the same…because that question meant that Clara Oswald wanted to know the truth behind it all. She was still interested in the man she was with before all of this drama…she was still interested in him.

It was then the Doctor noticed Clara shiver, as she was only wearing a short evening dress with no tights and a flimsy jacket. It was getting later now, which meant that on that chilly winter night it was getting even colder.

He jumped to his feet and slipped off his purple tweed coat, before offering it to Clara. She resisted a little before another icy breeze hit and she shivered again, finally obliging and putting his coat around her shoulders. The Doctor couldn't help but notice how cute she looked in his coat which was far too large, making her look smaller than usual. Seeing that made the fact he was now cold not matter at all.

"Not here." He replied, glancing around him at the still relatively busy bus station. "Let's go back to mine, get you in the warm and have a cup of tea. I want to talk to you properly."

"What…what about?"

"The story behind the name of the Doctor."

*A/N: New chapter will be on soon, your reviews really improved my motivation, so please let me know what you thought of this chapter.*