Thank you so much for your amazing support! Will Clara tell John the truth? Let's find out :D

"Right," Missy began as they entered John's home. She walked to the windows and pulled the curtains back. "That black Mercedes there is one of ours and there's another black Mercedes next to the green bin."

Clara and John slowly entered the living room while K9 ran to the kitchen to fetch his toy.

The head of MI5 stared at the couple intently and thought it was best to reassure them again. "Like I said, you're not in danger since it's the PM that's being targeted but be aware of your surroundings."

The police offer dropped off Clara's luggage.

John sank down on the sofa. "What about you?"

Missy shrugged. "I still have an intelligence agency to run and will spend most of my time at HQ so that's taken care of."

She then turned around and glanced at K9 who had dropped his plushie at Clara's feet.

The school teacher patted the dog on the head before picking up the toy. "Thanks, K9."

"I better be off," the head of MI5 declared. "If you need something, just let the boys outside know."

"Don't forget to use protection," she sang mockingly, staring eye to eye with her brother.

John pursed his lips while Clara froze, feeling a chill down her spine.

"Leave."

Without another word, she left the living room and her brother followed behind her. She knew exactly what was circling in her brother's mind. "Nobody is in danger, that's the truth," Missy whispered as she stepped outside. "Better to be safe than sorry – don't worry too much about it and go comfort your girlfriend, she could really use it right now."

John nodded. "Thanks, Missy," he said, shutting the door.

When he returned to the living room, Clara still stood where she was, staring at the soft toy in her hands while K9 stood next to her like a guard dog.

Slowly, he approached her before gently grabbing her hand. "Clara."

She finally looked up when he pulled the plushie away from her. "Sorry, I'm just thinking."

John placed the toy on the sofa before wrapping his arms around her. "Look, I know this seems terrifying," he began.

Oh, he had no idea what he was talking about.

"But Missy assured me we have nothing to worry about – we're in no danger at all."

Clara rested her head on his chest, exhaustion finally creeping on her after all the stress she endured. She couldn't possibly tell him now. She couldn't tell him she was carrying his child when they were currently in a serious situation. Even if she wanted to, she didn't think she would have the courage.

What if it ends up ruining their relationship? She didn't want to lose John, but she couldn't hide the truth from him forever. Soon enough, she would start showing signs of pregnancy.

She felt him kiss the top of her head. "Why don't we lie down in bed, hmm?" he suggested with a smile. "We can watch that strange show."

"I thought you didn't like it," she murmured as she pulled away slightly.

"Yes, but if it makes you happy, then I don't mind," he replied. "K9?"

The German Shepherd barked in agreement, tail wagging. Whatever made Clara happy made him happy.

"You're very sweet John Smith," she said, kissing his cheek. It was then she remembered the conversation she had with Dr Grant. She was told John was in a relationship last year. Now there were two possibilities – either he was lying to her or he was lying to the hospital staff.

She was tempted to ask but she couldn't ask without arousing suspicions. He would surely ask why she had gone to the hospital and might connect the dots.

Clara was snapped out of her thought when John gently tugged her hand. "Come on," he said, nodding to the staircase. K9 was already on the steps. The same soft toy he had given earlier now in his mouth.

John couldn't help but notice how distracted his girlfriend seemed. Her eyes were looking at the TV mounted on the wall, but it was clear her mind was someplace else.

They were lying in bed together, with his arm wrapped securely around her and she had her cheek resting against his shoulder while K9 was lying in his dog bed by the corner. Maybe he should tell her she could tell him whatever was on her mind? She did say that to him after all and he felt much better after breaking the silence on his past relationship.

He cleared his throat, catching her attention. "Is there something on your mind you would like to talk about?"

Clara paused for a moment, hesitating before quietly uttering a 'no'. There was a lot on her mind, but she couldn't just tell him everything at once. Should she ask him about the hospital thing or should she tell him she was pregnant? No, that sounds bad. Should she ask him what he thinks about kids? Would that be a dead giveaway?

"Well, I'm more than willing to listen if you need to talk," he offered, kissing her head, not entirely convinced his girlfriend was fine.

She forced a smile, never looking at his direction. "Thank you."

As if on cue, K9 grabbed the soft toy lying next to him and jumped on the bed before dropping it between the couple.

John arched a brow. "I'm sure you've shown Clara your toy before," he commented.

The pup barked twice before he pushed the toy forward towards Clara with his snout.

Slowly, she grabbed the toy and took a good look at it. It was then it hit her. The soft toy was a tiger cub. The dog couldn't possibly know, could he?

One good look at K9 was all it took to answer her question. The dog knows.

"I think he's trying really hard to cheer you up," John chuckled, ruffling his pet's coat.

"Yeah," she automatically agreed, swallowing a lump in her throat. "I'm fine, K9," she insisted and allowed the German Shepherd to rest his head on her stomach.

"He's just very protective of the people he loves," her boyfriend commented with a smile before diverting his attention back to the TV.

"And a very smart dog," she muttered. Then again, she shouldn't be too surprised. Dogs are highly sensitive to hormonal changes.

Eventually, it was dinner time and when Clara had offered to cook, she was immediately told not to leave bed as John had suggested ordering takeaway. He thought they could use a treat.

"I'm just going to pop outside and tell the police officers we're expecting a delivery soon," John said after he had placed an order online. He gave his girlfriend a quick peck on the lips before leaving the bedroom.

As soon as he was out of sight, Clara let out a tired sigh. It was killing her over her indecisiveness to tell John the truth. The timing wasn't right and not to mention the fear bubbling up inside her over how he will react. He wouldn't ask her to get rid of the baby. That she was sure of.

She snapped out of her thoughts when K9 placed a paw on her arm. "You know, don't you?" she murmured.

"Know what?" John said as he stepped into the bedroom.

She froze temporarily before making up a half-truth. "That I'm a bit terrified."

Well, it was true. She was terrified of becoming a mother. She was terrified of what the future holds. Where their relationship will go with a baby on the way.

John returned to bed, wrapping his arms around her. "I know it's scary that a bunch of police officers showed up and said that you were under threat," he whispered. "But I trust my sister and when she says we're safe, then we're safe and I'm here with you so before anyone can get to you, they'll have to go through me and K9 first."

She finally cracked a smile. "That's very sweet of you, John – thank you."

"Would you like to know the silver lining of this whole thing?" John Smith said as he settled into bed later that night.

Clara joined him after plugging her phone charger into the socket. "What?"

He circled his arms around her, bringing her closer to him. "I get to spend more time with you," he whispered, kissing her as his hand disappeared underneath her t-shirt.

If her mind wasn't in such a turmoil, she would have happily played along. As a matter of fact, she probably wouldn't let him leave the room from the beginning. The problem is, she couldn't look at him in the eyes. She was guilty of keeping the pregnancy a secret and she knew she would falter.

When Clara didn't kiss him back, John pulled away, brows furrowed. "Clara, are you sure you're alright – if there's something bothering you, please tell me."

She bit her bottom lip before another lie came to her mind. "I'm on my period."

His eyes suddenly lit up. It would explain why she had been acting strange and avoiding his advances. "Oh... sorry."

She shook her head. "Don't be – if anything, I should be the one apologising for being a terrible girlfriend."

"Far from it," he stated, resting his head on the soft pillow before draping one arm over her stomach. "Terrible and girlfriend shouldn't be in the same sentence."

Clara immediately entwined their hands before bringing the back of his hand to her lips.

The bed sunk a bit as K9 settled in the centre between the couple's feet.

She closed her eyes and let slumber took over as the weight of the day's events took its toll on her mind and body.

While Clara slept peacefully, John wasn't able to get much sleep. He could feel that something was bothering his girlfriend but couldn't put his finger on it. She did mention she was menstruating, but she had never acted so strangely before.

Was it something he said? Is she truly being affected by the incident or has she been upset since before all of this? It was difficult to tell.

He glanced at the sleeping woman next to him, a smile playing on his lips. He had to be the luckiest man in the universe to have met such an intelligent and beautiful woman. What were the odds of her dating an old man like him? Slim to none. But he thanked his lucky stars his flight got delayed. He was glad he had to wait for hours for his next flight that day.

"What are you thinking about?" he heard Clara whisper.

John buried his nose in her hair. "Thinking about you – sorry, I didn't mean to wake you, but how do you always know I'm awake?"

She rolled over, eyes still closed before sighing in content as she snuggled closer to him. "Your fingers tend to caress me whenever you're thinking."

His cheeks heat up. "I'll try not to do that."

"I like it, so don't worry about it, but you obviously need to sleep."

He said nothing as his mind pondered whether to ask her again what was bothering her. He had her so many times now, so it was probably unnecessary. He decided to let it go and catch some much-needed sleep.

At eight in the morning sharp, John's phone started ringing. It rang for several moments before the owner of the phone finally woke up and answered the call.

"Yes," he said with a raspy voice, burying his face into Clara's hair.

"I'm downstairs – got some good news, so open the door," his sister replied.

He hung up before setting the phone back on the nightstand. Slowly, John got out of bed, making sure not to wake up his girlfriend. K9 stared at his owner in curiosity, head tilted.

He placed a finger to his lips, telling his dog not to make any sounds before closing the door.

When he reached downstairs and unlocked the front door, Missy stared at him with a mischievous look on her face. "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything."

"I was sleeping."

"Mrs Smith not up yet?" she teased as she stepped inside.

"So what's the good news?" John asked, changing the subject.

"We captured the suspect last night at midnight and he made a full confession after some… persuading shall we say," she explained. "Turns out the idiot was inspired after watching a few videos on the dark web – the usual crap, but you were never in any danger, to begin with."

Missy twirled around in the living room. "He was only targeting Harold and now that he's been taken care of, everyone is in the clear."

"Great, I'll tell Clara the good news when she wakes up."

His sister smirked as she strode to the front door. "You look like you could use some extra sleep – been having a bit fun all night, John?"

"None of your business," he muttered. It was quite the opposite, actually.

"Oh, that reminds me, you're still coming to the birthday dinner, right?"

"Harold's birthday dinner?" he asked, and she nodded. "Remind me where it is, again."

"Mandarin Oriental."

"Right, yeah."

"Just a head's up – Uncle Rassilon is going to be there."

John frowned. "What?"

"Sorry, but there's not much I can do, I'm afraid."

The last person he wanted to see was his horrible uncle. He didn't want the man to be anywhere near Clara. "Can't you kidnap him or something."

His sister chuckled. "Tempting, but that would be an abuse of power unless someone can prove he's a threat to the country."

It seems that he would have to deal with it. "Thanks for telling me."

"Don't mention it – now go back to Mrs Smith – she's probably wondering where you are."