"I can't believe I finally got you out for a pint," JD said as he clinked glasses with the Doctor.

"Well, you wore me down to the point that I felt bad for you," the Doctor answered. "Plus you said you had news."

"I do. News and a question," JD responded smiling like an idiot.

"So, spill. Or do you want me to guess?"

"Rose and I are getting married," JD blurted.

The Doctor didn't respond right away, trying to process what his friend had said. It shouldn't really be that surprising, but he didn't think it would happen this soon. Of course he was happy for them, but it was a little odd to think it really wasn't that long ago that he was engaged to the same woman, albeit they were not a right fit.

"That's fantastic," the Doctor finally responded. "You really didn't waste much time did you."

"I hope this is okay. I mean I know you and she were…

"No," the Doctor cut him off. "You and Rose are perfect and what she and I had feels like a lifetime ago, so don't bring it up. She loved you all along and you're right that you shouldn't waste any more time."

"Thanks mate. I'm glad you feel that way because I was hoping you would be my best man."

"What? Are you serious?" Doctor questioned. Why would JD want him standing next to him on the biggest day of his life? There was no way Rose would have agreed to that. "Surely you must know someone closer."

"Aye, I have mates, but you and I go way back. Believe it or not, you are the closest friend I have here."

"Then you need to get out more," the Doctor replied.

"Likely, but come on, what do you say?" JD pushed.

"Rose will not be okay with this."

"She is. I asked her first and she is fine with it. She just wants to put all the stuff that happened in the past."

The Doctor thought about his request for a moment. The last thing he wanted to do was be a part of a wedding, but he could tell that JD was being sincere in his request. If he were honest with himself, JD was one of the few friends he had, so he could understand where he was coming from.

"Okay, but I'm not wearing a kilt." The Doctor finally agreed.

"That's fine, I have better legs than you anyway." JD joked and picked up his pint glass to cheers with the Doctor. "Thank you."

They continued to drink, chatting about work and the latest happenings in Parliament until The Doctor got a text that drew his attention to his phone. He read the message smiled and then put his phone back down without responding.

"Who was that?" JD asked.

"None of your business," the Doctor replied grumpily.

"Oh come on. I'm just curious who it is that is making you a more cheerful person."

Doctor tilted his head and quirked an eyebrow at him, wondering what the hell that meant.

"Please, you were sulking around the office for months and now you practically have a spring in your step. So who is she?"

"Well if you must know, I am seeing someone, but that text wasn't from her."

"So who was the text from, if it wasn't from the mystery woman?"

"Do you ever just mind your own business?"

"No. What would the fun be in that?"

The Doctor sighed, knowing that JD wouldn't let up. "It was Clara, just finalizing plans for tomorrow."

"Still hung up on her, eh?"

"No," the Doctor replied, exasperated. "Did you miss the part where I said that I was seeing someone?"

"So if you're seeing someone, what are you doing with Clara?"

"We are friends, you know. Can't I spend time with a friend without getting the third degree?"

"Does the woman you're seeing know that you're going to be spending time with your friend who is also an ex?" JD questioned him, emphasizing that he didn't believe Clara was just a friend.

"No, because it's not a serious relationship and it's really not that important because Clara is just a friend. There is nothing romantic between us because she's moved on with my brother and I'm trying to do the same."

JD just smiled at him and shook his head. "Whatever you need to tell yourself. Does this woman have a name?"

"Missy."

"And how long have you been seeing her?"

"Just a couple of months. Look, she knows I'm trying to get over an ex and that I'm not looking for something serious right now, and neither is she. She's great company and we have a lot in common."

"Fine, but I don't really see how you're going to get over Clara if you're spending time with her, alone. That's just my opinion."

The Doctor knew JD had a point, but he really felt confident that he could do this. He knew Clara had no interest in being with him, she had made that quite clear, so there was no sense in pinning away for someone he was never going to have. But maybe he should be straight with Missy and tell her who Clara was. Lord knew what kind of trouble he got into the last time he wasn't honest about a relationship and it only seemed fair since Clara knew about Missy, that she should know about her.

"Can we just drop this?" The Doctor asked.

"Sure, I don't mean to push, but I just really care for you both and don't want to see the two of you get hurt. Or hurt other people because you're being a couple of daft idiots."

"Look that ship has sailed, and it's not coming back to port, so drop it, okay."

"Sorry, consider it dropped."

"Thank you."

The two men stayed for a little while longer before JD needed to go and meet Rose for dinner. Once they were outside the pub, they wished each other a good weekend and the Doctor walked off towards his flat. He took out his mobile to message Clara back, agreeing to meet her at her flat the next morning for their planned excursion to Covent Garden. He then debated about ringing Missy to see if she wanted to come over, but decided he wasn't really in the mood to be more social. He really just wanted to get home, put on some Bowie albums and zone out with a good scotch, trying his best to get the thoughts out of his head that JD had put in it.

"Come on, let's go check out the market," Clara exclaimed as she pointed in the direction she wanted to go.

They had been wandering around the neighbourhood for over an hour, snapping various shots of buildings, people, and everyday life, both enjoying each other's company. For Clara it felt like she was getting back to something normal, something she had enjoyed doing before her kidnapping. For the Doctor, he just simply loved being around her enthusiasm and had forgotten how much she seemed to enjoy life. It was nice to see her happy again, especially after he had been the one to cause her so much pain. He couldn't help, but wonder if James had a hand in lifting her spirits and maybe they were getting more serious about their relationship.

Once they reached the market they started looking at different stalls. Clara seemed drawn to the handmade jewelry and would always scan over the rings she would see. It almost looked like she was searching for something in particular.

"They're all sterling silver, dear," one of the ladies at a table mentioned. "Would you like to try something on?"

"Ah, thanks, but I'm just looking."

She looked a little longer and then they moved away from the display.

"You seem really attracted to the jewellery," the Doctor stated.

"Yeah, just looking for a certain ring, but I've never been able to find it."

"What kind of ring?"

"Oh, it's silly really."

"Come on. If you've been searching for it, it must mean something."

Clara looked down at the ground, not wanting to make eye contact with the Doctor. She hadn't told anyone about this and felt weird sharing it, but she felt that she could trust him not to think she was being foolish.

"My mum had this silver ring, that I always loved as a little girl. It was just a band, but the pattern on it was very intricate, with swirls, waves, circles, and dots, all connected together. I remember thinking of the universe whenever I looked at it. I don't know what happened to that ring, but I can't help but look every time I'm in a market. I know I'll never find the real one, but just to see that ring again would, I don't know, bring a little bit of her back to me."

The Doctor placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up at him.

"That's not silly at all. You miss her, and that is very natural. Its been fifteen years since I lost my mum and thirteen since my dad. There isn't a day that goes by, that I don't miss them. I'm pretty sure I will until the day I die. Don't ever feel ashamed of wanting something that reminds you of her."

Clara smiled at him, feeling relieved that he was understanding and that it was perfectly normal to feel the way she did. None of her friends had lost parents and couldn't relate to what she had gone through, so it was nice to talk to someone who had.

"Feel like grabbing a bite? I know I'm getting hungry and wouldn't mind a pint," the Doctor asked.

"Yes, that sounds great," she agreed, appreciating the change in conversation.

They left the market and found a pub that just happened to be across the street from James' ice cream shop, which neither had realised until they sat at a table next to the front window.

"Does James live around here?" The Doctor asked, surprising Clara.

"No, he actually lives up near Regent's Park."

The Doctor just nodded, but didn't say anything. Clara thought she might push a bit to see if she could gauge how he was feeling about his brother these days.

"What did you think about the shop, when you were there?"

"To be honest I didn't really pay much attention. I was a tad bit preoccupied worrying about you."

He smiled at her, to let her know that he wasn't trying to bring up bad memories.

"Right. Well maybe we should go after here. The ice cream is pretty good."

"Sure," he replied, which again shocked Clara that he agreed so quickly. "Have you had a lot of it?"

Clara smiled at the memories of the times she and James ate ice cream. All of which usually included them having really intense sex, which of course she didn't want to tell the Doctor.

"Not a lot, but James does like ice cream."

The Doctor knew immediately what she meant. James had apparently not changed much since his younger days and he really didn't need to hear the details from Clara. Lord knew he had gotten them from James back in the day. Now the thought that he was doing that with Clara made his stomach turn. He pushed the thought out of his head and decided to change the subject.

"I had a pint with JD yesterday. Told me about their engagement."

"Oh, yeah. I didn't want to say anything last week because I thought he might want to tell you himself. You okay with it?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"Well you and Rose were going to get married. I just thought maybe you might have some lingering feelings."

"No, none of that. We were a mistake and had we actually gotten married; it wouldn't have worked out. I'm very happy for them and I'm glad that Rose has finally found love."

"They do seem very happy together, almost to a nauseating level."

"Well I haven't really seen them together, so I'll take your word for it. JD asked if I would be his best man, so I guess I'm going to have to witness it eventually."

"Really?!" Clara exclaimed, surprised that Rose would be okay with that.

"I was just as shocked, but apparently, Rose is fine with it."

"That's good."

"Are you and she okay?"

"We're good. Thank you. I don't know if you hadn't talked to her if she would be so willing to forgive me, but I'm just glad that we've all seemed to have moved past it."

"Well none of it was your fault. I'm the idiot who put the two of you in that position."

"Like I said, we've all moved past it, so no need to beat yourself up over what happened."

The Doctor nodded in agreement, but what he would never admit to her or anyone, was that he did beat himself up often about that mistake. He lost this wonderful woman because he broke her heart so deeply that she just couldn't let him back in the way she had. All he could do now was appreciate that he at least had her in his life and work at moving on with someone else.

He changed the subject, not wanting to talk about their past any more. They ordered lunch, had a drink and discussed other locations they may wanted to check out to take photos on another day. Once they were finished, they made their way across the street to have dessert and were surprised to find the shop busy. While they were standing in line, the Doctor was looking around, getting a good chance to examine the business his brother had created. He couldn't help, but feel a bit jealous of what James had accomplished. He knew he shouldn't, but it did seem like he had everything, including the woman he was once falling in love with.

They moved further up the line and the Doctor noticed a young man enter the shop and go behind the counter. He didn't look like the rest of the employees, which is what caught the Doctor's eye. He watched him as he went into the back and came out carrying a duffle bag and then walked back out of the store, without really saying anything to anyone. He turned to watch him leave, and noticed an ice cream van parked out front that the man got into.

"When did James start the trucks?" He asked Clara.

"I'm not sure. We don't really talk much about work," she answered. "Why?"

"Just curious was all."

He didn't want to think what he was thinking, but what he just witnessed seemed awfully familiar to him and he wondered if he may have discovered why his brother returned to London. There was only one way to find out and that meant paying him a visit because if he was right about his suspicions, he didn't want Clara getting involved in any of this.