Two hours later Emily put down her fourth empty jam jar of beer on the wooden crate, starting to feel a little queasy but deciding to drink through it.

"Another round?" Emily announced to no-one in particular.

Will was creased in half in an unsurpressable fit of giggles at a YouTube video they had been watching on Jen's phone of a man getting his head stuck in a bin. "Yes babes," he forced out, hanging sideways off the metal beer keg the longer the video progressed. Jen held the phone still, a wide smirk covering her face.

"I'll come with you," Sarah said from the other side of the crate, putting a balled fist on front of her mouth to disguise a loud hiccup.

Emily stood up a little unsteadily, bloated from the large breakfast, the beer and the persevering hangover.

"Your girlfriend," Sarah swallowed heavily, grabbing hold of Emily's right upper arm as they aimed themselves at the bar, "man, what I would not give for something like that."

Emily laughed a little, smiling cheekily as they joined a small group of people waiting for service. "Oh yeah," she sighed wistfully. "I told you, we're not really seeing each other."

"She flies," Sarah paused, running her right hand through her short pink hair, clearly drunk as they reached the bar top, "halfway across the world to see you."

"Something like that," Emily said vaguely, not quite as intoxicated as Sarah.

"She is," Sarah said, placing her left arm around Emily's shoulders, looking blearily at her, "fit as. If you don't want her send her my way. I won't tell if you won't," she looked back towards Jen.

"Fuck off," Emily said playfully, laughing.

"I can deal with the disappearances and the creepy grandad," Sarah continued. "And besides, If you don't start seeing her someone else will," she said in a sing song intonation.

"They'd better not," Emily said out loud as a reaction before she could stop herself, immediately feeling a streak of possession flow through her body.

"Ah ha," said Sarah, pointing over, "you can't fool me with all of this," she impersonated Emily badly, "'we're not really seeing each other' bullshit Emily Fitch."

"Again," Emily repeated, "fuck off. And don't full name me." She caught the bartender's attention by making eye contact.

"Whatever," Sarah propped herself up lazily against the bar when two men next to her departed with their drinks.

"Same again?" the bartender asked Emily with a knowing look, drying his hands with a towel attached to his waist. "Four is it?"

Emily nodded, digging her right hand into her pocket to fish out money, realising she had only coins and no notes. "Fuck's sake," she swore quietly at herself.

"Sixteen dollars," the barman announced, dropping the four jam jars unceremoniously on the bar, spilling at least one sip of the contents of each glass.

Emily retrieved four dollars from her pocket, placing them individually on the counter top, trying to avoid the bartender's glances. "Sarah," Emily said over to her, "do you have money? I'm out."

"Oh," Sarah patted down her pockets, "here." She handed Emily a large collection of coins for her to sort through, picking up the glasses and whisking them away quickly to the others.

"Thanks," Emily said sarcastically, managing to scrape together the remaining twelve dollars. The barman rolled his eyes as he retrieved the coins, disappearing away to the other side where five men were waiting to be served. She wandered back to the table, craving a cigarette, retrieving her jacket and walking to the nearby balcony.

She pulled on her coat as she stood on the balcony, holding a cigarette between her lips as she lit it with the lighter after the fourth attempt. Her phone vibrated in her back pocket. She pulled it out to see a message from Clara.

: Help me. Please save me.

Emily laughed once to herself, inhaling a drag of her cigarette, typing out a reply.

: Well I did try to get you an afternoon off. What's he doing? Still being a fucking prick?

She sent the message, grinning slightly to herself, leaning onto the edge of the balcony as she finished smoking. A call came through a few minutes later.

Emily looked down at the screen, unsure of whether to answer as she was still a little angry, leaving it a good thirty seconds before pressing the green button.

"Hi," Emily said, flicking off some residual ash from the cigarette.

"Hello," Clara said brightly.

"How are your time crystals or whatever the fuck the Doctor needed you to go and do?" Emily replied.

"Oh that," Clara laughed, "turns out that thing I had to do isn't a thing now so I can do something with you."

"OK," Emily said, creasing her eyebrows, confused by how unexpectedly upbeat Clara was, "look it's fine, we can meet up later. The Doctor clearly wants your attention-"

"The Doctor," Clara interrupted, "is a bit of an arse and kind of... ummm... indisposed at the moment. Fixing something on the first floor I think."

"It's cool," Emily stubbed out her cigarette on a nearby ashtray, "do what you need to do, I'm still at Markston's."

"Will I see you later?" Clara asked.

"Depends," Emily replied.

"On what?"

"If the Doctor is still hanging around," Emily said, slightly annoyed.

"The Doctor will not be here," Clara laughed. "You do not need to worry about him."

"So I won't have to blackmail my way in like I did last night?" Emily smiled to herself. "I won't have to get the Doctor to profess his undying love for you to get directions?"

"Hopefully not," Clara said. "If you want to smuggle some drinks in again, though, that would be greatly appreciated."

Emily laughed once, feeling butterflies in her stomach talking to Clara again. "Deal."

"Good," Clara replied. "I am... looking forward to it."

Emily looked back to Will, Jen and Sarah, all now halfway through their respective beers, catching them glancing at her. Will beckoned her over with his hand. "I should go," Emily sighed, "I probably have a video of a cat getting trapped in a fridge door or something to watch."

"I love videos of cats!" Clara exclaimed before laughing quietly. "I am very jealous."

"See you later," Emily said.

"Bye!" Clara said, uncharacteristically brightly.

Emily switched off her phone, looking at it before returning it to her back pocket as she made her way back inside to jeers from the others.

Will handed her the full jar of beer. "What did she want?" he giggled.

"Oh nothing," Emily replied, a smirk on her face, taking a large glug of beer. "Just arrangements for this evening."

Will held up his glass to Emily and winked at her. "Without her dad?" he asked with raised eyebrows.

"Yes, without her dad." Emily smiled bashfully and clinked her glass against Will's.