John Smith checked the time on his phone for the fifth time that evening. He stood outside the restaurant, dressed in a simple black jacket, a white shirt and a pair of black trousers. One can't go wrong with simplicity.

It was five minutes till seven and Clara hasn't shown up yet.

"You sure she didn't jilt you or something?" a waiter, around the age of seventeen, commented as he stepped outside.

John shot an icy look at the boy who merely laughed. "Your comments are not needed, Tyler."

The boy shrugged. "Whatever you say, detective and just so you know, there's a tub of ice-cream reserved for you in case she doesn't show up."

That was exactly when John spotted Clara walking up to him.

"Just go and get our table ready or something," he whispered. "And pretend you don't know me."

Tyler had his mouth agape when he spotted the schoolteacher before looking at the detective. "How did you manage to ask her out?"

This time, it was John's turn to be smug. "I have my secrets," he said before Tyler scurried back into the restaurant.

"I'm so sorry I'm late," she said the moment she reached him.

He shrugged. "You got here just in time."

She would have arrived sooner had it not been for Danny insisting on following her at a safe distance to make sure that she was unharmed. It was clear her father had something to do with it. In the end, she won the argument since her bodyguard was more loyal to her than her father. "I'm sorry if you had to wait long."

"Four and a half billion years wasn't that long," he said sarcastically, receiving a giggle from her. He then cleared his throat. "So, dinner?" he murmured as he offered his arm.

Clara happily wrapped her arm around his and beamed.

Dinner had gone exceptionally well. They had both discovered that the other is a fan of David Bowie and share a love of travelling.

"I have this book I keep with me, it was my mother's, 101 Places to See," she explained with a hint of sadness in her eyes. "I had this grand plan to travel after graduating from uni, but sometimes the universe decides to steer you in a different direction, and I became a nanny."

"Where did you plan to travel?" he asked quietly, mesmerised by her beauty.

Clara flashed a grin. "I had always thought it would start with Paris."

John raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"

She merely laughed, cheeks reddening.

"It can't be that embarrassing."

"It's the city of love."

The detective paused for a moment. "If you think about it, any city could be a city of love, it's just a matter of perception."

She set her glass of wine down. "I know, it's the reason why I changed it to York," she replied. "My mother's hometown."

John smoothed the back of his curly hair, using it as a distraction as he wasn't sure what to say.

"But enough about me," the schoolteacher said. "What's your favourite place to visit?"

"Glasgow," he answered. "I used to live there until my mid-twenties, and I visit whenever I could."

Their conversation was momentarily interrupted when Tyler came to their table with a slice of cake. "It's on the house," he said with a smile before leaving.

"Well, this is quite the pleasant surprise," Clara commented. The cake was chocolate and it looked delectable.

The detective then looked over his shoulder and spotted the owner of the restaurant grinning and giving him a thumbs up.

"Judging by the looks you're getting, you're a regular here?"

He focused his attention back to Clara. So much for trying to be discreet. "Every now and then, with my team."

She cut through a small piece with the fork and tasted it. "Cake?"

"Oh, right," he murmured, grabbing the other fork. "I hope it's good."

"Good would be an understatement," Clara commented, taking another piece.

John couldn't help but smile. He made the right choice and was almost certain that their next date is secured.

Once dinner was over, he offered to walk her home and she was more than happy he did.

Clara chose to take a longer route so that they could pass the park and savour as much time together with him.

Their journey to her flat had mostly been silent, with the occasional small talk here and there and without a doubt, a lot of shy glances.

After some time, they finally reached their destination. The couple stood in front of the entrance to the building.

John hid his hands in the pockets of his trousers, feeling awkward and nervous. Is this the part where he kisses her or is that still too early? This is what happens when he's out of the game for far too long.

"Dinner was lovely," Clara said, all smiles. "Can't wait to be surprised next time."

His eyes immediately lit up. "Next time, as in…"

"Our next date," she confirmed. "What else, silly?"

John chuckled. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Good night, John," Clara said, not moving an inch.

He scratched the back of his head. "Good night, Clara," he whispered, leaning in and eyeing her lips.

In the final moment, he lost all his confidence and his lips landed on her cheek instead, surprising her. It was awkward, to say the least.

"I'll see you Friday next week, then?"

"Friday sounds fantastic."

She flashed him a smile and he returned the gesture before she entered the building.

The moment Clara was out of sight, John groaned. "You're an idiot, Detective Idiot," he mumbled to himself. He should have kissed her properly but instead acted like a coward. He vowed to make things right on their next date.

At least everything else went smoothly and according to plan. He made a mental note to send Tyler and his family a gift basket or something for helping him tonight.

"Good morning, Miss Oswald," a short plump man said as soon as the door swung open. "May I take your coat?"

Clara beamed. "Morning, Strax," she replied and handed him her coat. "Is Aunt Vastra home?"

"She's upstairs on a phone call with a client, shouldn't be too long," a voice replied as she descended down the staircase.

"Hi Jenny," the schoolteacher greeted as she hugged her aunt's wife.

"Is Mr Pink joining us, Miss Oswin?"

"No, he'll just wait in the car."

"Very well then," Strax answered before shutting the door.

Jenny couldn't help but notice that Clara seemed to have a spring in her step. "Tea?" she offered as they headed for the living room.

"No, it's fine since I won't be staying here for long."

"In which case you should since you're always in a rush to go somewhere," Vastra stated as she strode into the room and hugged her niece.

"I suppose a cuppa wouldn't hurt."

"That's more like it."

Once they were all settled in and Clara felt that she was at ease, she finally set aside the small talk.

"Dad phoned me a few days ago," she revealed. "He proposed to Linda."

It made sense why Clara didn't sound all that enthusiastic. Her future stepmother was anything but nice. Well, according to her that is. Vastra hadn't seen her brother-in-law in her years, but she wasn't all that surprised he found someone after fifteen years of being a widow.

"But that's not even the worst part," the schoolteacher continued. "We're having dinner tonight."

Vastra set the cup she held aside. "I know you don't like Linda at all, but don't think about her, think about your father – I'm sure he'll be happy to see you."

Clara pursed her lips. When was the last time they had dinner together without Linda tagging along and making snide comments over how she was still unmarried.

"Enough about them," Vastra said, changing the subject. "How have you been?"

Clara merely smiled in response. "Fine, and I went on a date last night."

The older woman raised an eyebrow.

"It was our second date," her niece added quickly. "Nothing serious, but it was pleasant – he's a bit awkward and he's from Glasgow."

"Second date and you're gushing about him."

Clara chuckled, leaning back against the cushions. "The first meeting was a bit strange though."

"Why is that?"

"We met in the men's room."

If she recalled correctly, her niece had mentioned something about having no interest in dating any of her colleagues. That was quite some time ago and might have changed her mind.

"It's not anyone from school."

Vastra took another sip of her drink. "Right, what prompted you to enter the men's room then?"

Clara began recounting the incident to her aunt who listened intently from start to finish.

One thing's for sure is that the Ravenwood girls sure have an unusual way of meeting their significant other.

"Hmm, sounds like your average chief inspector."

"He's actually a detective chief superintendent."

Vastra had a feeling she knew who Clara was seeing since she used to work for MI5 and closely with the counter-terrorism unit from the MET. She wasn't sure if it was a good or bad sign.

They chatted for another fifteen minutes before the schoolteacher decided that it was time for her to leave. God knows she needs time to both physically and mentally prepare for dinner with her father tonight.

"I thought that at that moment, I wanted nothing more than to marry her," Dave murmured as he told his daughter how he had proposed to his fiancée. "It was all spontaneous, which is funny because I had planned to propose during dinner, later in the evening."

Linda shared a laugh with her future husband as he wrapped an arm around her.

Clara could only force herself to look happy. She wanted nothing more than to drown in her sorrows that her father would marry someone as horrible as the woman sitting in front of her. "That's sweet," she commented, raising the glass of wine to her lips.

"What about you, dear?" Linda said with a devious look in her eyes. "Surely someone must have swept you off your feet – your biological clock is ticking."

Dave cleared his throat. "Linda, let Clara take her time."

She should stick to her plan of not revealing John just yet since they had only started dating and not to mention that he's a detective, which would surely irk her father, but the dirty looks Linda was throwing at her was too much. "Actually, I'm seeing someone."

Dave raised both eyebrows. It made sense why she wasn't free the previous night. "Any chance I'll get to meet him soon?"

Clara gave her father an innocent smile, not wanting to answer his question. "We're taking things slow."

"Life's too short to be 'taking things slow'," Linda stated. "Just look at me and your father."

The schoolteacher clenched her fist. She didn't need any sort of input from the woman.

"Well, regardless of whether you take things slow with him or not, I hope he makes you happy," her father said, beaming. "But can you at least give me some details?"

"We met under unusual circumstances," Clara revealed. "That's all I'm telling you."

Her father grinned. "A girl after her mother."

His own encounter with Ellen was a rather strange one. They met all thanks to a leaf! He couldn't fault his daughter if she had more or less the same experience.

There is no doubt in Dave's mind that whoever this man is, he'd be the one to marry Clara.