John finished unloading the last of his boxes into his new bedroom. The room was slightly smaller than he was used to, but now that he didn't constantly have to retreat to his room to avoid witnessing Andrew and Kayla shagging on the sofa, he didn't mind.

"Where do you want these?" asked the Doctor. He was holding a heavy box that contained most of John's textbooks. Despite spending half his time knocking about the TARDIS with medical school looming around the corner, he finally finished undergrad.

"You can set those in the corner over there. I'll probably try to sell them to unsuspecting freshers for more than I paid for," he laughed.

John decided to move on from his flat with his best mates. Andrew and Kayla eloped, and John didn't want to play the third wheel to a now-married couple. It was bad enough when they'd just been dating. Luckily, Clara had gotten her own flat since moving on from the Maitland's and offered her spare room to John. He knew nothing would happen between them, given she flat out rejected him, but she didn't remember, and the Doctor didn't know either. John still enjoyed seeing the older Time Lord huff and puff at the thought of Clara and John living together.

Clara came into the room.

"So, what's the plan for today? It's Wednesday, after all. Shouldn't waste time unpacking when we've got a time machine."

Her latest adventure ended with the Doctor absent-mindedly declaring that Clara was the boss, and she wasn't about to let him live it down. Instead, she took her role seriously.

"I thought we should go somewhere a bit less, earthbound. Given last Wednesday we were in Yorkshire," added Clara.

"Yorkshire 1893!" exclaimed the Doctor. "And there was enough excitement with the Crimson Horror to count as a true otherworldly adventure, so don't make it seem as though I took you down the road to a bookshop," huffed the Doctor.

John was laughing to himself at their bickering. He was a tad jealous that the Doctor had taken Clara on a "solo trip" as he had an exam. He was even more jealous when he found out that they visited the Paternoster Gang without him. And he was extremely annoyed when he found out that the Doctor had only told them that John was back on Earth and conveniently left out that he was, in fact, twenty-one and not five anymore.

"Why don't we go to that amusement park you told me about, Doctor? You know, the best in the galaxy? You told me all about it when I was little. And you did promise to take me there one day."

"Ah, yes! Hedgewick's World. Clara? Do you approve?" asked the Doctor as he nudged her shoulder.

"Sounds brilliant!"

…

The trio silently stood in the TARDIS after a long day of fighting off Cybermen and dealing with the fact that the Doctor had been under the influence of the "Cyberplanner". John had to tie the Doctor up tightly to ensure he didn't do anything stupid. As for the daft man running his mouth, well, there wasn't much he could do about that. Luckily, Clara hadn't been in the room at the time.

"Do you like her?" asked the Doctor as he stared at the chess pieces in front of him. John was watching the door that Clara had just walked out of to go and help the soldiers. The younger man turned and cocked his head. He wasn't sure if the Doctor or the Cyberplanner had asked the question.

"Well, I mean, yeah. We're friends. Of course, I like her," he replied as he made his way closer to the chess game.

The Doctor's eyes shifted upwards to look at John. John winced, instantly knowing that he was currently in conversation with the sinister mind of "Mr Clever." The Cyberplanner's eyes moved back towards the board as he spoke.

"Well, he certainly does. Thinks about her often…" he trailed off. John wasn't sure what he expected. The Doctor was obviously obsessed with Clara and the enigma that she was. He just wasn't expecting the following words from the older Time Lord's mouth.

"It seems his favourite musings of the "Impossible Girl" are of her lying underneath him, naked, while he proceeds to…."

"Okay!" John yelled as he slapped the Doctor. Just in time too. Clara suddenly reentered the room.

"Ow!" exclaimed the Doctor as he rubbed the side of his face. He then noticed John staring at him with his mouth hanging open. The younger Time Lord turned to look at the hand that had just struck his counterpart.

"You…you weren't you!" said John as Clara came over to the two men.

"What's happened?" she asked.

"John just hit me!" yelled the Doctor. Still rubbing his reddening cheek.

"I hit the Cyberplanner! You…you were saying…things. I just reacted."

John awkwardly made a quick glance at Clara, then the Doctor.

"A bit of pain, neural surge. Just what I needed. Thank you, John. What did he say? How did you know it wasn't me?"

John shuffled awkwardly. "He…just, um…." John was at a loss for words as he once again made a quick glance to Clara then back to the Doctor.

Clara didn't seem to notice, but the Doctor's eyes went wide, then he winced as it occurred to him all of the things the Cyberplanner could have said to make this current interaction extremely uncomfortable.

"Well, no matter. It's me now," he once again focused on the game.

John looked to Clara, who seemed perplexed at everything that was happening. He just shrugged.

"Clara, now, quick rundown. What's our weapons strength?" asked the Doctor.

"One big gun, five of those hand-pulser units and a shiny black bomb that implodes the planet," replied Clara.

"Yeah. Yeah, that one. Now, tell me, does it happen to possibly have a remote triggery thing?"

John's eyebrow raised at the Doctor's question as Clara removed the remote from her pocket.

"Brilliant. Pass it here."

Before Clara had a chance to pass the remote, John intervened.

"Wait! Clara. No." He eyed the Doctor up and down as Clara caught onto what was potentially happening.

John's head turned between the two, watching to see what would happen.

"Why not?" asked the Doctor. It almost sounded like he was hurt.

"In case you're not you right now. Or even if you are, just in case," said Clara confidently. She looked to John for support as he nodded, encouraging her she had made the right decision.

"Oh, don't worry, you two. The Cyberplanner is hibernating between moves right now. Shush."

Clara raised an eyebrow and looked to John once again for support.

"Prove you're you. Tell me something only the Doctor knows."

The Doctor leaned forward towards Clara's face, and his eyes softened as he spoke.

"Clara, I suppose I'm the only one who knows how I feel about you right now. How funny you are. So funny. And pretty. And the truth is, I'm starting to like you in a way that is more than just…."

*SLAP*

…

"Well, that was…fun," said John, trying to ease the tension. Clara had recently turned down Porridge's proposal. They were now parked outside the Maitlands' home.

Clara made her way to the wooden doors.

"Thank you, Doctor," she said with a small smile.

"For what?" he asked, genuinely confused. Why would she be thanking him? He nearly got them all killed…again.

"A day out. Getting us off the planet alive. Whatever you were doing with the Cybermen. Good night. See you next Wednesday." She then looked to John. "Coming?"

The Doctor stiffened and then remembered that she and John now lived together. He still was unsure how he felt about that. She refused to even have her own room on the TARDIS and stay for more than a day. And now she's living with John like it's no big deal. Why does it seem she's always choosing to be with, 'stop,' he said in his head. He didn't want to make something out of nothing. At least he hoped it was nothing.

"Oh, right. Um, Clara, you go on ahead. I just need a moment with the Doctor," John gave her a small smile ensuring everything was fine. She smiled at them both, then turned and left.

The Doctor was now trying to avoid the stare down he was currently receiving from John.

"What?" he finally asked. "You said you needed a moment with me. Go on. Have your moment."

John moved around the console as he contemplated his words carefully.

"The Cyberplanner. What the hell was that all about?" asked John. He'd never seen anything like it except for in the movies.

"The Cybermen. They were going to use me to raise an army and all that. But, it's all gone now. No need to worry. Don't have some dark, creepy robot lurking about my mind anymore," the Doctor gave a tight smile, but John's brow furrowed.

"Right, got that. That's not what I'm referring to. He,…he said things. Things that I wouldn't think a robot would necessarily come up with on its own accord."

"Ah, right, well, whatever he said he must have gleaned from my mind and used it for his own benefit. Cybermen aren't capable of lying. They can only twist the truth…" he clamped his mouth shut, realising what that implied. "And truth as in, well, not, umm…."

John was now standing right in front of the Doctor with a surprised look on his face. The Doctor winced.

"What exactly did he say?" asked the Doctor.

"Oh, a few things. Mainly involving Clara. I slapped you before you said anything too, er, explicit," John was now trying not to laugh as the Doctor's face turned red.

"Clara wasn't in the room, and I won't say anything. Cross my hearts," chuckled John.

The Doctor didn't respond and just went about the console as if the conversation hadn't even happened. John rolled his eyes at the man's inability to admit anything remotely personal about himself and his feelings. Then, sensing that their "moment" was over, John made his way to the door.

"Clara and I will still see you Wednesday, right?" John was starting to think the Doctor my not come back after the day's events.

"Of course!"

The Doctor seemed to have fallen back into his usual demeanour. "Well, a Wednesday, definitely. Next Wednesday, last Wednesday."

John left, shutting the door behind him.

"One of the Wednesdays. Impossible Girl," mumbled the Doctor to himself. "A mystery wrapped in an enigma squeezed into a skirt that's just a little bit too tight. What are you?"

…

John entered the new flat to find Clara sitting on the sofa, drinking some tea and staring at a dying plant on the window sill.

"You okay?" he asked. He knew that the day didn't go as planned, and nearly dying once a week was probably beginning to take its toll on the petite brunette. Finally, Clara seemed to snap out of her daydream.

"Oh," she turned her head and gave a small laugh. "Just… I'm being silly. It's nothing."

John sat down next to her. They'd fallen into a comfortable rhythm with each other. Knowing that Clara didn't see him in a romantic way allowed him to simply enjoy being friends with her. He was fiercely protective of her. He'd even admit that yes, he did love her, but her being in his life was enough. Clara put her fuzzy sock adorned feet in his lap, and he began to massage them.

"What's wrong with silly?" he asked. Not even realising he was echoing the Doctor all those years ago when first meeting Clara in Victorian London.

Clara gave a sigh before speaking. "Everything is wrong with silly when it involves fancying someone who doesn't fancy you back." She took another sip of her tea.

"Ah," said John as the pieces were fitting together in his brain. Clara fancied the Doctor. It was the final nail in the coffin for any lingering hopes she'd return his own affections for her. The irony of her statement. Here he fancied Clara, although her rejecting him was erased from her memory. And now she's confessing that she fancied someone (the Doctor) who didn't feel the same. Although John strongly suspected that the daft old man, did in fact, fancy Clara.

John chuckled. "I know the feeling," he said softly. He looked up just in time to catch Clara's eyes and hoped she didn't notice the longing he felt for her. She stiffened a bit and quickly removed her feet as she chuckled, trying not to make the sudden movement more awkward than it already was.

"You, you fancy someone?" she asked, clearing her throat before taking another sip.

John couldn't help the heat that was running to his cheeks. He was not about to relive her rejection again. "I did. But it didn't work out. I kissed her, and she told me she didn't feel the same." He wasn't lying. In fact, Clara seemed to relax a bit, clearly not remembering it was her that he kissed and rejected him.

"Oh, I see." Clara picked up the remote to the telly and turned on a programme. "Maybe she just wasn't ready," she said as she leaned her head on his shoulder. He knew that she had no idea what that thought did to him. He wished she'd never said it. He had finally got to the place where he didn't really think about her in that way. Again, he loved her, but he also loved Andrew and Kayla. And even the Doctor, for god's sake. But, now, Clara opened the door for him to hope that maybe she would come around. He had contemplated telling her that the Doctor actually did fancy her, but now he wasn't so sure.

…

Clara woke up with a pain in her neck from the awkward position she'd fallen asleep in. She realised that she was still on the sofa. Slowly opening her eyes, she saw John with his head back, and eyes closed, still next to her.

"John?" she whispered. He opened his eyes as he lifted his head. He looked confused.

"Must have fallen asleep," he mumbled as he awkwardly removed his arm that was hooked around her waist. Clara stood up and straightened her dress. "What time is it?" he asked.

"Don't you always know the time? Aren't you a Time Lord?" she asked with a laugh and a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, but it's a skill one develops. I never learned how to properly use any of my more alien abilities. Grew up here on Earth. I'm more human than Time Lord."

Clara gave him a curious look.

"What?"

She then began to laugh. "I can't help but agree with you. You are very different from the Doctor," she said as she went into the kitchen.

John usually would have taken the comment as a compliment. He didn't want to be like the Doctor. But seeing as it was the Doctor who Clara fancied, he felt a bit hurt by her statement. He couldn't blame his looks or even weird quirks as to why Clara didn't feel anything for him. It was simply just him, who she didn't have feelings for.

Trying to bury his feelings, John made his way to the kitchen. The postman slipped some mail through the latch as he passed the front door. John bent down and picked up the stack of papers. Most of it was junk mail, but his eyes went wide as he saw the last envelope. It was from Vastra. He didn't even bother to take the time to notice that the letter was actually addressed to Clara and not him. John tore open the letter and began to read.

Before he even made it through the first sentence, everything went black.

…

Clara was rummaging around the kitchen when she heard a loud thud.

"John?" she called. No answer. She shrugged and continued to look for something to eat. After a while, she grew concerned when she didn't hear any movement from John. He usually stomped around like an elephant.

Clara made her way towards the noise and found John lying on the floor. She rushed over to him, thinking he had fainted. Clara felt his pulse. She then noticed the letter he'd been holding. Clara picked up the letter and read over its contents.

My dearest Clara.

The Doctor entrusted me with your contact details in the event of an emergency, and I fear one has now arisen. Assuming this letter will have reached you as planned, please find and light the enclosed candle. It will release a soporific, which will induce a trance state, enabling direct communication across the years. However, as I realise you have no reason to trust this letter, I have taken the liberty of embedding the same soporific into the fabric of the paper you are now holding.

Speak soon.

Clara's eyes rolled to the back of her head as her body slumped right on top of John.