Thank you guys so much for your sweet and kind reviews :) They're together now, Clara is slowly healing and they have sort of been open about their feelings. But is all really well?

P.S. I don't know who said that this fic will have 39 chapters, but it definitely has more than that :D Not saying how many because surprise!

Chapter 37

Clara blinked a couple of time before she opened her eyes for good and a smile spread across her face when she spotted him. The Doctor was lying in bed next to her, fast asleep and snoring quietly. She giggled softly when she noticed that he still had his arm wrapped around her waist. A few days ago, Clara had asked him to hold her and something told her that the Doctor wasn't going to let go of her anytime soon. Everything was so strange, so new, so exciting even though he had known each other for almost a year now. What had changed? What had caused them to move from a cold-hearted affair to sleeping in each other's arms in a cosy cabin, dressed in their unsexiest flannel pyjamas? Clara couldn't say, but she definitely appreciated the change. She appreciated that he was kind and loving towards her even though she had made it anything but easy for him.

Still giggling, Clara leaned forward and pecked him on the lips. The Doctor uttered a grunt in reply and stirred in his sleep, but he didn't properly wake up, so Clara made another attempt. This time, the kiss lasted a little longer.

"Good morning," she whispered happily. "The sun's up, the birds are chirping, Clara is hungry."

"It's cloudy, it's winter and Clara is talking about herself in the third person," he mumbled sleepily, barely opening his eyes at all.

"I'm gonna make us breakfast, okay?" she suggested.

The Doctor uttered a grunt in response and pulled her a little closer, but Clara was determined not to waste this time that they had here together. She knew it would come to an end sooner rather than later.

"I'll be back with coffee," she whispered and finally, a smile spread across his face.

A few days ago, the Doctor had told her that she shouldn't feel guilty over something she could no longer change but to instead do better next time. Clara hadn't realized it up until she had woken up this morning, but this was it, this was the next time, this was her chance to do better. She wouldn't treat the Doctor like she had treated Danny. This time, she would be fair and honest and she would appreciate the good things in life and the Doctor was definitely one of those.

Carefully, she wriggled out of his embrace – not entirely without hearing him protest – and reached for her bathrobe. Once she had wrapped the warm piece of clothing around her body, Clara made her way downstairs and even though she had already marvelled at the house last night, she couldn't help but do it again.

The cabin seemed to be made entirely out of wood. There were logs on the outside and logs on the inside wall and she didn't need a lot of imagination to know why the Doctor hadn't wanted to sell it. It was a gorgeous, utterly cosy place and even though they hadn't even left, Clara already knew she wanted to come back here again. Clara had never truly felt at home in her penthouse and right after Danny's death, she had packed up her things and moved back into her small flat. Something about it had felt as if the walls wrapped around her in a comforting gesture. Out here, Clara didn't feel as if she was in need of comfort. For the first time in months, she could breathe freely.

She had only just opened the fridge to decide what to make for breakfast when Clara suddenly became aware of the sound of footsteps behind her and she smiled at the thought of the Doctor following her out of bed.

"Do you want omelettes? Croissants? Boiled eggs?" Clara asked, giggling. "We literally bought everything."

When Clara spun around, however, the smile slowly faded from her lips as she stared into the face of a stranger. There was a woman standing right in the Doctor's kitchen.

"Uhm," Clara spluttered in surprise. "I'm sorry. . . what are you doing here? How did you get in?!"

The redhead crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I could ask you the same thing, sweetheart," the woman hissed.

In response, Clara mirrored her posture and pushed herself up on tiptoes to make herself seem taller than she actually was.

"I came here with the Doctor," she replied sternly. "What's your excuse for breaking and entering?"

Suddenly, the woman's features lit up and her mouth curled into a mischievous smirk. "Johnny!" she called out. "Get your arse out of bed, you dog!"

From one moment to the next, Clara suddenly understood and as the redhead stepped forward to shake her hand, she knew that this woman could be no one but the Doctor's friend who had been taking care of this cabin in his absence.

"I'm John's friend, Donna," she introduced herself. "And it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Yeah," Clara breathed in reply, still feeling a little overwhelmed by the surprise visit and the revelation. "Hang on, John?"

"You must be Clara Oswald," Donna said, smiling broadly at her. "He has told me a lot about you and by that I mean he's told me basically nothing and what I know I had to squeeze out of him, but you know what he's like."

"Donna, what the hell are you doing here?!" the Doctor's voice came from upstairs and when Clara turned her head, she watched him trudge down the stairs while a yawn came over him.

"I'm taking care of your house like you've asked me to," she replied defensively. "Temperatures dropped below zero last night and I came to turn up the heating a bit. Don't want another frozen pipes incident, do you?"

"Thank you, Donna," the Doctor said as he came to a halt next to her. He smiled, but Clara could tell that it seemed a little forced and she didn't need to ask him to know that he hadn't actually planned on meeting his friend here. Though why that was, Clara couldn't say. "Well, we're here, so. . ."

"You want me to leave," Donna finished his sentence and all of a sudden, Clara was hit by a wave of guilt.

"You could stay for breakfast," she suggested before she could think better of it. "I mean, we brought more than enough food. At least you won't have made the trip for nothing."

"Donna has a family. She has better things to do than to have breakfast with us," he growled.

"Doctor, don't be rude," Clara reminded him sternly. "Your friend took care of this cabin for the past sixteen years. The least you can do is offer her breakfast."

While the Doctor mumbled something in reply, Clara watched as a smirk spread across Donna's face.

"You've chosen well, John," she remarked and Clara grinned at them both in response.

"He has," she confirmed, unable to stop feeling at least a little smug.

The Doctor's gaze instantly dropped to his feet. "Clara and I aren't. . . I mean, we. . . uhm."

She sniggered at his shy remark. Well, they weren't officially a couple, but they sort of were in a relationship. A fresh one, a weird one, but they were no longer a meaningless affair. Clara didn't feel like filling Donna in on the details at this point because she enjoyed how flustered the Doctor looked.

"Don't be silly, Johnny," his friend said. "You brought her here, so you definitely are. Well done! Now, you mentioned breakfast?"

"I'll make it," Clara threw in, smiling happily. "It'll be ready by the time he's done blushing."

Giggling, the two women made their way towards the kitchen counter and Clara appreciated Donna's help as they started to prepare the breakfast. Somehow, she could hardly stop smiling. Clara was part of his life now, part of his world. They had let each other in at last and if she was quite honest, Clara had to admit that she had no intention to leave anytime soon.