Paul woke up that Saturday morning and realised he wasn't in his daddy's bed. He huffed and stomped his little feet towards his father's room. It was morning, and he hoped daddy was having a lie in so they could at least get some morning cuddles. The little boy slowly opened the door and smiled when he saw his dad was still in bed. He quietly entered the room, climbed under the covers and then tapped his father on the back.

Only, when his father turned over to see who was trying to get his attention, it wasn't his father at all. It was Miss Clara.

Paul was shocked and confused as he stared at her. Clara giggled at the familiar expression she'd seen more than once on his father's face.

"Hello, Paul. I bet you weren't expecting me. Your father helped me with something. I must have fallen asleep, and he let me borrow his bed."

Paul smiled widely before putting his tiny arms around her in a big hug. He quickly pulled back with a look of concern.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I don't think we have enough waffles for you too!" He looked like he was about to cry at the thought that Clara couldn't partake in their Saturday morning ritual.

"It's okay! I really don't mind."

That seemed to calm him.

"Good," he said confidently. "Because as much as daddy and I love you, I don't think either of us would give you our share."

He then hopped out of bed. Clara was in a bit of a shock hearing Paul make such a bold claim about his father loving her, but she just chalked it up to the boy's own love for her.

"Come on, Miss Clara!"

She smiled as she followed the little boy to the kitchen.

Craig had long since left while the Doctor was still knackered from healing Clara. He ended up passing out on the sofa and woke to the sounds of giggles coming from the kitchen. Finding Clara and Paul sitting at the table eating waffles covered in way too much syrup put a smile on his face.

"Sorry, daddy. Clara ate the last two!"

He made his way to the kettle and filled it with water. "Not a problem. I'll just stick with tea then." The Doctor set the kettle on the burner then sat down.

"Can Clara spend Christmas with us?" asked Paul innocently.

Since Paul and the Doctor would be on their own and knowing Clara's father and stepmother would be out of town, he figured what the hell.

"If she wants to," he smiled at her, letting her decide.

"I'd love to." Clara ruffled the boy's curls as he laughed.

"This is going to be the best Christmas ever!" He cheered before abruptly getting up from the table.

"Where are you going?" asked the Doctor.

"I have to pee!" he yelled back. Then, they heard the bathroom door slam.

Clara and the Doctor just laughed at the little boy. After a few moments, there was an uncomfortable silence.

"We can do your scan whenever you're ready," spoke the Doctor in a hushed tone. He knew Paul's hearing was finely tuned to conversations he had no business being a part of. Which would lead to about a million questions that the Doctor had no intention of answering.

"May as well get it over with," Clara frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"It's… it's just that I know I can walk again, and everything seems to be fine. I… just can't help feeling that it's still not going to be good news. That we are going to find out that I'll never be able to have my own children. I can't help it. Every time something good happens in my life… it's like the universe has to even out the good with the bad."

The Doctor sat back in his chair and thought over Clara's words. He, too often, had that very same fear. Whenever things were good….almost too good, it seemed as though something terrible was right around the corner. Waiting for him. He leaned forward and took her hand in a friendly gesture.

"I'm not going to sit here and tell you that bad things are never going to happen. But, if we continue to live in fear that just because things are good, the universe will "even the score" with tragedy, well, that just steals the joy from the good things that are happening now. In the end, we're not even able to enjoy what little happiness we do have."

He gave her a sympathetic smile and took his hand away, realising he'd been holding her hand longer than necessary. "Not that it matters, but I'm speaking from experience."

Clara took a breath before sipping some of her tea. Then, sitting the cup down, she relaxed into her seat as she spoke.

"I know you're right. It's just…difficult. I'm aware I'm being irrational, but… it's almost like I'm…."

"Protecting yourself?"

"Yes. If I prepare for the inevitable blow, then maybe it won't hurt as much."

The Doctor simply nodded in understanding. Paul had reentered the kitchen fully dressed for the day. Coat, scarf and all.

"Where are you going, now?" asked the Doctor curiously.

"I was thinking that we should take Miss Clara on an adventure!"

The Doctor scratched at his face nervously but noticed Clara had a wide smile.

"Okay, well, where were you thinking?"

"The park!"

"Park, eh? Okay." The Doctor smiled and shrugged. He assumed Paul wanted to go somewhere in the TARDIS, but he should have known better. Paul didn't seem to differentiate an ordinary adventure to the park from a trip through time and space. He smiled at his young son and looked over to the woman next to him.

"Fancy a walk to the park?"

Clara smiled then made a contemplative face. "You both can walk, but I probably should use my chair. In case we run into anyone." She paused.

"Fancy pushing me and my chair to the park?"

…

Not only was the Doctor now rolling Clara in her wheelchair towards the park near the house, but he also had the extra weight of Paul sitting in her lap. The boy sure knew how to take advantage of situations. The Doctor explained to Paul that Clara had been sick and got tired easily, hence the chair. Paul accepted the explanation and rather enjoyed the lazy ride to the swings.

Now that they were situated, the Doctor sat on a bench next to Clara's chair while Paul ran around with the other children. Clara had a warm blanket wrapped tightly around her. The Time Lord couldn't help looking over at her as she intently watched Paul laughing while hanging from the cold bars. He knew what she was thinking about. Whether she could have children of her own someday.

It pained him because, at any moment, he could just tell her the truth. That she did have a child…in a way. Paul. At least, he thought so. The Doctor still didn't understand how it all worked, but the more he spent time with this Clara, the more he was certain that somehow she was connected to Paul's mother.

But, the longer the Doctor kept that knowledge from her, the less likely he felt he'd ever tell her. How would she react? Knowing he'd kept the truth from her all this time. And what if he was wrong? What if the similarities between the women were just that? Just some strange coincidence? The Doctor felt himself becoming distressed and quickly buried his thoughts as he tried to enjoy the moment he was in right now.

He noticed Clara was smiling and couldn't help smiling too. Besides, she most likely would be able to have children, right? He'd healed her to the point she could walk again, so why would she still be too damaged to have a baby?

…

They spent the rest of the day playing board games and eating junk food. At one point, Paul ran to his room and slammed the door because he kept losing. Clara purposely lost the games, but the Doctor was just as competitive as his son and didn't let the young boy win unless he was actually winning. After it became apparent that staying home and playing games was causing more stress than fun, the Doctor finally conceded and "allowed" Paul to win a few times.

It made for a much more pleasant evening. Although now the Doctor was the slightly grumpy one. Clara just rolled her eyes and chuckled while whispering, "he's 6, for god's sake. Just let him have this one!"

Paul was now in bed, and the Doctor finally took Clara to the TARDIS for her scan. He could tell she was really nervous.

"Clara, I'm sure it will be fine. I mean, you were paralysed and now you're walking."

She gave an unsure smile that turned into a frown.

"What is it?"

"I may have made a mistake."

"What do you mean?"

Clara sighed heavily and composed herself to speak, but she was already tearing up.

"I…I wasn't completely honest with the extent of my injuries."

The Doctor tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I…well, when I came to see you, I told you that the doctors said I may not be able to have any more children."

"Right…" the Doctor was sensing that the terrible thing that was worrying her was about to come crashing down.

"They actually told me that I wouldn't be able to have children…" she took a breath and lifted her dress. The Doctor quickly turned his head, not expecting her to suddenly expose her body. He then slowly looked back saw the scar on her lower abdomen before she let her dress fall back into place.

"They had to remove everything after the accident and losing the…." Clara began to sob. "I…I don't know why I went to you. I knew it wasn't possible to fix, but something inside me compelled me to find you. I…I thought if I told you they did a full hysterectomy that you'd turn me away. I didn't understand what you did when you healed me, and I…I know I can walk again, but the scar is still there, so…" she was crying uncontrollably.

The Doctor quickly went over to her and brought her into a hug. His hearts sank because he didn't need to do a scan to know that even though he'd healed her spine, he hadn't been able to restore her entire reproductive system.

"It's okay…I…" he tried to speak, but the words died in his throat. He couldn't help kissing the top of her head before taking a breath. "Clara… I'm so sorry. Even if you had told me the truth, I don't think I would have been able to fix this."

Clara pulled away slowly and wiped her eyes. "I know. I just…I guess I assumed when I discovered I could walk again that everything was right again. It wasn't until I'd gone to the loo and could clearly see the scar still that I realised that walking was probably the extent of what you'd done for me…and I'm so, so grateful. But then I thought that because I wasn't honest, I'd made a mistake and it could have been fixed, but it was too late. Not that it changes things. But, knowing that it wouldn't have made a difference helps…a little."

She tried to smile as she sat down on a step.

"I'm so sorry for dumping this all on you. We hardly know each other, and I've intruded on you and Paul's lives rather abruptly. Making you do all these outrageous things for me. I'm sorry." She put her head in her hands and started crying again.

The Doctor sat down next to Clara's shaking body and put an arm around her.

"I'd gladly do it all again, Clara. I… Paul, he cares about you so much, and I've seen how you are with him. Thank you for loving him. He…he needs you. Besides, I'm a doctor…well, the Doctor. It's what I do." He gently brought her chin up to look at him.

Clara was smiling through tears. The Doctor's hearts began to speed up as their faces slowly began to close the gap between them. But, before anything happened, Clara turned her head and gave a nervous cough.

"I… I'm rather tired." She turned back to him. "Would it be okay if I slept here again? I don't want to be alone. I can take the sofa. I really don't mind."

The Doctor sat up straighter and adjusted his jacket before nervously running his hand through his hair.

"Oh, yes. Of course. I wouldn't… wouldn't want you to be alone. Besides, Paul will be a tyrant tomorrow if he awoke to find you'd gone without saying goodbye," he chuckled.

Clara stood as the Doctor made his way to the console. He went to turn off the screen. But first, without Clara noticing, the Doctor ran a quick scan and confirmed what they both already knew to be true. And the news hit him in the hearts like it had when he confirmed it with Amy after her run-in with Kavorian.

Clara would not be able to conceive any of her own children.

They quietly made their way out of the attic. The Doctor looked in on Paul before gathering up some blankets for the sofa. He convinced Clara to use his bed while he slept in the family room. The Doctor grabbed some clothes from the TARDIS wardrobe for Clara to borrow. He didn't want her to be uncomfortable wearing the same dress over and over…aside from the fact she had no undergarments.

"You know, it was a really good morning. A good day actually," said Clara as the Doctor made to leave his room. "And even with everything, it's still a good night," she gave a tight smile.

The Doctor smiled and nodded in understanding.

"Good night, Clara," said the Doctor as he closed his bedroom door.

…

Part of the reason the Doctor insisted on Clara using his bed was that he rarely slept. And given he'd slept plenty the night before, he knew he probably wouldn't be tired enough to even have a nap.

Nevertheless, after the emotions of the day, and maybe he was still recovering from…everything, the Doctor found his eyes were heavy as he sat on the sofa. But, every time he closed his eyes, he couldn't stop thinking about Clara. Not just the woman who had been his lover and the mother of Paul, but also the woman who'd been a Dalek, and the woman who was now asleep in his room.

As tired as he was, he could feel his mind still trying to work out what exactly it all meant. Maybe he needed to think outside the box for this one? And by thinking outside the box, he probably needed to take her somewhere while inside a very blue box. The Doctor knew of a woman who might help divine the meaning of Miss Clara. What was her name again?

'Ah yes, Emma. Emma Grayling. Maybe…maybe she could help,' was the weary Time Lord's last thought before finally falling asleep.

A/N: So, my plan for this fic is to take this very non-canon plot and intertwine it with season 7. It will be a bit out of order and still very much non-canon…so don't worry. I'm not going to just interject my own bits into the show's storyline. I don't have the patience for that. It will be more inserting bits of the show into the storyline I've got floating around in my head. I've come to the place where I haven't written any more chapters, but I've got loads of notes and things of where this is all going up until the end. I'll be on holiday for a few days so hopefully, I can crank out some chapters and post more frequently. Although, with my better half still working and the three-nager taking up most of my time I'm not sure how realistic that will be. Here's to hoping :P