"What kind of coffee do you want?" James asked Clara as they were standing in line at a coffee shop not far from Clara's flat.
"A non-fat, latte."
James had spent the night after their evening escapades and the two had woken up too late for Clara to make coffee. She had assumed that James would just call his driver and head home to get ready for work, but instead he offered to ride the tube with her. He then suggested they stop and pick up coffee on their way. She was starting to think that there was some truth behind him wanting to be her boyfriend, but she didn't really want to address it because she still wasn't sure what she wanted.
They had just placed their order and were standing off to the side waiting, the two chatting about their day ahead when James glanced at the door when it opened.
"Damn it," he whispered.
Clara turned to see who was there and saw the Doctor and Missy getting into line.
"I thought you two were going to be civil to each other?" Clara asked.
"We were, but that doesn't mean I want to run into him before I've had my coffee. Why is River's cousin with him?"
"They're dating."
Oh great, this was just getting better and better.
"How long have they been seeing each other?"
"Not long. I just found out about it."
"Is it serious?"
"He says it isn't."
Just then James made eye contact with the Doctor, who gave him a small nod. James returned the gesture and once the other couple had ordered their drinks, they stepped over to Clara and James.
"Hi," Clara said as they approached.
"Hi," the Doctor responded, only looking at Clara.
There was a small awkward pause, until Missy gave a fake cough, drawing attention to herself.
"Oh, uhm, Missy, this is Clara and you remember my brother," the Doctor said as he motioned to the couple.
"Oh so you're the ex," Missy exclaimed.
"Ah, I guess," Clara said, not really sure how to respond to that. What had the Doctor told Missy about her?
"Well you certainly have a type, don't you dear."
"Missy," the Doctor gave her a warning tone.
Missy looked at the Doctor. "What? I'm just stating the obvious. She's dating your twin brother for God's sake."
Clara couldn't believe the nerve of this woman. She was clearly trying to take a jab at her and there was no way she was going to stand by and let that happen.
"I guess I do," Clara answered. "Clearly, the Doctor doesn't though."
She looked at the Doctor, not fully believing that he would be with someone who seemed so rude.
"Well, obviously his taste has improved," Missy responded.
"Improved? What the…"
"James," the barista called from the counter.
"Oh thank god," James whispered, thankful for the interruption from whatever comeback Clara was going to sling.
He grabbed their coffees and then turned back to the group, handing Clara her cup.
"Well, you two have a good day," James said as he put his hand at the small of Clara's back to guide them away.
"We will. Lovely to see you again James and nice to finally meet the woman who broke his heart," Missy responded as she looked at Clara and motioned to the Doctor.
"Okay, Missy, enough," the Doctor said. He had never seen this side of her and he didn't particularly like it. "I'm sorry, Clara."
"You have nothing to apologise for. I'll call you later about the weekend."
She wanted to be sure to let Missy know that she had plans with him this weekend and that she was still very much a part of his life.
"Sounds good," the Doctor replied.
Clara and James exited the shop and made their way to the tube station, both relieved that the awkward exchange was over.
"So you're seeing John this weekend?" James asked.
"Yeah, we're going to take pictures at Hyde Park, then that night, Amy and Rory are throwing an engagement party for Rose and JD."
James didn't respond and Clara wondered if she sensed a bit of jealousy in his tone.
"Where's the party?" He eventually asked.
"At Amy and Rory's house. It's nothing big, just a house party with a few of their friends. Amy will use any excuse to have people over."
"Sounds fun," James replied and again Clara was trying to gauge his tone.
"You don't want to come, do you? I mean you always said you never wanted to do that kind of stuff."
It was true he didn't, but he would do about anything if it meant being able to spend more time with her.
"Is John bringing his delightful lady friend? Because if he is, I could help run interference with her since she seems like a royal bitch."
"I'm not sure. But if you want to come, you can. Purely to run interference, of course." She gave him a slight smirk.
"Alright, I think I could be your body guard for a night."
Clara wasn't looking forward to the smug attitude Amy would give her when she told her James would be coming with her on Saturday night. She was pretty nonchalant about meeting him at the dress shop, but for sure she wouldn't stay that way.
The Doctor glared at Missy once James and Clara left. It was already an awkward situation that she didn't need to make worse.
"Boy you're grumpy," Missy said.
"I'm not grumpy. I just don't think your behaviour was called for."
"What, really? John, she broke your heart. I don't particularly want to be nice to anyone who did that. And how is that you're still seeing her?"
"We're friends."
"Again I ask, how can you be friends with someone who hurt you?"
The Doctor hadn't told Missy much about Clara. She knew, from the opening, who she was and that he had a relationship with her, but he had never told her the details of their break up. He had only been honest with her to say that he was trying to get over her and wasn't sure if he was ready for a serious relationship. Missy had clearly jumped to the conclusion that Clara had broken his heart.
"She didn't hurt me, Missy. I hurt her."
"How?"
The Doctor sighed, not wanting to get into it again, but knowing he should likely tell her the truth.
"It's a long story, but when I met Clara I was engaged. I cheated on my fiancé, Rose, with Clara, and what I didn't know was that they were friends from university."
He could tell that Missy was processing what he said before she spoke. Luckily the barista called his name and he picked up their coffees. The two left the shop and finally Missy spoke again.
"Were you in love with her?"
"I was."
"And now?"
He wasn't sure how to answer her. He was working really hard at moving past her, but every time he saw her something pulled at his heart. He knew it would be best if he stayed away from her, but he couldn't bring himself to do that. Especially, knowing that his brother was likely up to his old tricks and she could be in danger.
"Your hesitation tells me yes," Missy said.
"It's not so cut and dry. I told you when we started dating that I was trying to get over someone."
"Kind of hard when you still see that someone. What exactly are you two doing on Saturday?"
The Doctor could tell Missy was jealous and he didn't want her to feel that way. She really had nothing to worry about because Clara was with James now, but maybe he needed to prove to her he was serious about moving on.
"We're going to take pictures and then there's a party that night for Rose and her new fiancé."
"Wait you're going to a party for you ex fiancé?"
"Yes. Rose is marrying a friend of mine and I'm the best man."
"Do you know how all of this sounds to an outsider?"
"I'm starting to hear the craziness of it all when I lay it out like this." His life truly sounded like a soap opera. "I'm really not looking forward to this party and if I could skip it I would."
"Well it sounds like it will be interesting, that's for sure."
"Do you want to come with me? Would be nice to have someone else there that I know."
The Doctor hoped that this might prove to Missy that he really was trying to get over Clara. He also really did want t a distraction in case James was there.
"Okay," Missy agreed. "Definitely sounds like a party that I wouldn't want to miss."
James walked into his flat and immediately went to his office to find a phone number. The tube ride had given him time to think about what to do with his current supply at the factory and he hoped that he would be able to get rid of it by the end of the day. He made his call and waited for the person on the other end to pick up.
"I thought we agreed to stay out of each other's way."
"And hello to you too, Mickey," James said into his phone.
"I don't have time for pleasantries. What the fuck do you want?"
"I have a proposition for you, but I don't want to talk about it on the phone. Can you meet me at my factory in two hours?"
"What kind of proposition?"
"One that will make you money."
There was silence on the line.
"Fine. I'll meet you there," Mickey Doyle replied before hanging up.
James hoped he hadn't made a horrible mistake, but he really couldn't see any other way out. He didn't want his brother finding out and he needed to get rid of his current supply. It was during his tube ride that he remembered his conversation with Mickey Doyle when he went to pay the ransom for Clara.
James watched his brother run through the field towards the warehouse. He had never intended for Clara to get mixed up in any of this, but leave it to the fucking Doyles to still hold him accountable for a 30-year debt. He just prayed that they didn't hurt her or do anything worse to her. He pulled into the parking lot and saw that one of the gang members was outside waiting. He had no idea how many men would be involved in this deal, but he knew he needed to keep his guard on high and try to remain calm. He got out of the car and the man took him inside where he saw, Paul his driver, Mickey Doyle, and another man.
"You son of a bitch!" James yelled at Paul.
"Now, now," Mickey said. "Paul was just doing his job. But maybe you should vet the people that work for you a bit better in the future James."
"Fuck you, Mikey. Where the hell is Clara?!"
"She's fine. We have done nothing to her accept keep her locked in a room in the back."
"Pardon me if I don't believe you."
"Paul, pass me your phone." The man did as he was told and handed his phone to Mickey who showed it to James. "See, she's fine."
James could see Clara sitting on a chair in an empty room. She looked okay, but he still didn't believe these goons.
"Okay, so I give you this money and were square, right. You leave me and everyone I know alone."
"Not quite. There's one other deal we need to make," Mickey replied. "See we know what's going on with your business and the new enterprise you plan on setting up. I'm sure as you know we have our territory and we don't really like when people invade it."
"I'm well aware, Mikey."
"Good, because we've been doing this for a number of years with no issues and we'd like to keep it that way."
"Do you not think I did my research before I came back here? I know there is one pocket of London that no one controls because of the tourists and that's the area I'm going after."
"So we have a deal then, you'll stay out of our neighbourhoods and pay back the money you stole from us, and we'll give you the lass back."
"Yes," James handed the briefcase he was holding over to Paul who opened to see the cash and started counting the stacks. "After this I don't want to see you or your men again.
"Agreed. Let's go get your girlfriend."
James arrived at the factory thirty minutes prior to Mickey's arrival and was just going over some paper work he needed to do for Mondasian, when Mickey and another guy arrived, James' driver showed them into the office James was working out of.
"Okay, can we make this quick." Mickey said as he walked in.
"Very quick." James nodded to his driver, letting him know he could leave. He still wasn't sure who the snitch was in his company so his trust wasn't very high right now. "Look, I'm doing some restructuring and I have some product I need to get rid of because I can't sell it right now. I'm willing to sell it to you at a lower cost, but we need to make this deal today."
James knew he could make a deal with Mickey that would be slightly higher than what he paid, but still lower than what Mickey was getting from his supplier here in the UK. It wasn't an ideal situation, but it would work for now, while James figured out what he was going to do. He needed to get all this shit under control.
"And how much do you want for all of it?" Mickey asked.
"A hundred and fifty thousand pounds. Which I think you'll find is a fair deal."
"Make it, one twenty-five."
"One thirty and that's the lowest I can go. I'm not that desperate Mickey."
"Fine." They shook hands. "I'll get you the money by five and send someone to pick up the stock."
They finalized the deal, and James felt slightly relieved knowing that the current stock would be gone, but then he needed to figure out what to do about River. He didn't want to tell her about the Doyles being involved, but he knew she would likely find out. The question was should he tell her about the thirty-thousand-pound profit he had just made or keep it a secret. For now he thought he would keep that information to himself, until he sorted out what to do about her and the rest of his problems, most of all what he wanted to do about his feelings for Clara.