Chapter 26

She probably should have said no when the Doctor offered to cook her dinner for her birthday. Over the day she'd had flash backs about the TARDIS oven catching fire and the mess that he made and … really it was the worst idea ever. She remembered once coming back and finding her small flat filled with black smoke.

Subconsciously, she had started to tap her pen against her desk. The more nervous she became, the harder she tapped.

"Miss, could you stop that please?"

Clara blinked as she looked at her students looking up at her. She wondered how long she had been lost in her thoughts for.

"Sorry." She said as she put down the pen and the bell went. "Remember guys, you need to read the chapters before next week. Have a good week."

She sighed loudly as the last student left her classroom. All she had to do was to get all her things together and get back to her flat and she was sure all her nerves would settle. She looked around for one of her folders and groaned as she realised that she had left it in the staffroom earlier. She left her classroom and hoped that there was no one in there. She really needed to get back.

"Clara, good you are here now. Birthday drink?"

She walked over and picked up the folder. "I really should be getting back. You know, the marking doesn't do itself just because it's your birthday."

"Come on. It will only be one drink." Adrian tried.

She sighed. "Just a quick one then."

It was not great for her nerves. They had all ordered there drinks and some had gone up to get them while the rest of them had stayed at the table. Clara had tired to join in with the chat but she was more concerned about her phone and when it would ring.

She had rang her flat to try and tell the Doctor that she would be a little later home and for him not to worry and just to find out how he was getting on. But he hadn't picked up and she didn't know whether to take it as a good sign or not.

"There you go." Adrian said as he placed the drink in front of her. "Happy birthday."

"Thank you." She said as she took a big gulp.

They started to talk about a few things, mainly who they thought that the trouble makers would be and then the silent ones that they should keep their eyes on. Clara had lost track of the time and looked at her phone in surprise at how much later it was than she expected.

"I should really be getting home now." She said as she got up.

"Oh, are you still with your silver fox?" One of the teachers asked.

Clara couldn't understand why she was so shocked by the question. "Oh, no, it isn't like that. He is just a friend. More than likely my best friend."

The teacher winked at her. "Right." She said, emphasising the I. "Yeah, I know best friends that would run into burning building shouting there name, as if they were only friends."

"We are just friends and I really have to go."

The first good sign was the fact that there was no fire engines outside the building. The second sign was no black smoke hitting her as she opened the door. She was actually pleasantly surprised as his cooking filled up the halls. She breathed in deeply and followed it to the kitchen.

She watched from the doorway as he stood with the cutlery draw open. She took a quick look around and saw that whatever he had cooked, he had managed to get away with just using a spoon. He was getting better with that sort of thing but Clara now wondered that it was just in front of her.

"Need any help?"

He jumped at her voice and turned to look at her before the clock.

"You're later than usually."

"Yeah, the other teachers said that we should go out for drinks because it was my birthday. I didn't particularly want to go but it was only one drink." She leant against the worktop next to him and the open drawer. "Doctor?"

"Sorry. I thought I could do something wonderful for you on your birthday and as always I find a way of messing it up."

"What do you mean? It smells great."

He pushed the drawer shut, using a little more force than necessary. "Just I had hoped to do more for you."

"What makes you think that you haven't done enough?" She reached out and rubbed his arm. "Doctor, please."

He turned and faced her. "I'm still struggling. I thought I was doing okay."

"You don't always have to bounce back straight away."

"Clara, I have been back months."

"It doesn't matter."

"It does to me." He sighed loudly.

They stood in silence for a moment.

"You will get there eventually. I know you will. We will just have to … do some things to make it happen faster. The first thing to do is not to beat yourself up over it."

"What if I can't?"

"My family are coming over here, for Christmas. It was decided last year. So we have a deadline. We can fix you up and have a nice Christmas with no dream crabs or saving towns. Then, if it works, in the new year we can jump in the TARDIS and go and save some planets. It can be you, me and the TARDIS again."

"And if it doesn't happen?"

"I will cancel on my family and we will spend Christmas together."

He looked at her in horror. "You can't cancel on them for me. Christmas is a time to be with your family."

"Then we have something to work towards." She sighed. "Doctor, please believe me when I say this, there is no one else that I would rather spend Christmas with than you. Yes it would be great to see my Dad and Gran but I can see them whenever I want.

"You may have not like the last few months of being grounded and slowly healing but from the little you have told me, you have been through a lot. And from what I understand is you left a place that very few have managed to do. We all break sometimes Doctor. Maybe this was your time too. I think that you forget that I have seen the weight that you carry around."

"Oh Clara Oswald, I have never deserved you."

"I have never deserved you too." She moved towards the oven. "Now what is cooking because it smell great and I will admit, I am hungry."