The Doctor and Clara froze, shocked by Missy's sudden appearance. How did she figure it out? How did she know that her brother was sneaking about and where did she get the pair of fluffy slippers she was wearing because John certainly didn't have those lying around in his home.
Slowly, he climbed over to the other side, putting on a neutral expression. Oh, he had so much to explain to Missy, and did she have the biggest sarcastic smile on her face right now.
"So, you had an inch and you just had to scratch it, didn't you?" she commented.
"I was having dinner with Clara's family," he replied defensively, crossing his arms.
His sister switched off the torchlight. "I know."
"What?!" the couple exclaimed.
As much as she would love to explain how she knew what was going on, she would rather do it indoors where it was a lot warmer, but her answer is a fairly simple one, so all she did was point at the window before returning to the house, leaving a stunned Clara and John.
"She saw us through her bedroom window," the Doctor muttered in disbelief. How could he miss such an obvious detail?
"I saw more than that," Missy added before finally stepping inside the warm home. She didn't need to say a single word for her brother and his partner to follow her.
Clara climbed up the boxes as John held her hand.
"You do realise you can just go around, right?" the Doctor pointed out.
"Hush, I can't be bothered right now," she replied as she climbed over after a bit of difficulty due to her height.
He caught her just in time as she was about to slip.
"Thank you," she murmured as they made their way inside.
Missy was currently seated by the dining table, warming her hands with a cup of tea. "It took you ages to get here."
"Well excuse us, your grace," John answered sarcastically.
The couple took their seats on the opposite side. Clara couldn't help but shoot worried glances at the vice-chancellor. Is she going to get fired for good this time?
"No one's getting fired," Missy pointed out, bringing the cup to her lips. She couldn't help but notice how terrified Clara looked. It was Christmas, so she decided to be nice for once instead of torturing a poor soul. She then locked eyes with her brother. "Spill the beans."
The Doctor shot a glare. "We're together, big bloody deal."
"I do believe it is since the both of you have been acting as if you're mortal enemies," his sister argued. "This isn't Highlander."
"You're not going to, um," he began. "Tell the whole university, right?"
Clara finally found her voice. "We'd prefer if you could keep this secret," she said. "For a while at least."
Missy rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll keep your stupid little secret from the ignorant people," she muttered. "I was hoping I could use this to kill Jack."
The couple exchanged looks. "Why would you want to kill him?"
The vice-chancellor pursed her lips. "I hate his guts and if he dies of happiness, nobody suspects a thing."
Clara and John weren't entirely convinced that Jack would drop dead as soon as he heard that his colleagues got together. Pass out, sure, but dying is stretching it a bit.
"Rules are rules, however," Missy added. "No quickies at uni," she teased, rising to her feet.
The Doctor was tempted to prove his sister wrong until he remembered the little incident involving Bill. That was close as he and Clara could get to a 'quickie'.
"By the way, your Christmas present is on the coffee table," his sister stated before disappearing upstairs, giving the couple some much-needed privacy.
There was an awkward silence in the room until John scratched the back of his head. "Well, that was interesting."
"Yes, it was," Clara agreed. It could have been worse. She could have been fired, but she wasn't. "Funny how more and more people are starting to find out about us."
The Doctor hummed in agreement before he got to his feet and informed her that he was going to set Idris and the kittens free. They had been caged for long enough.
Returning downstairs, he grabbed the white envelope sitting on the coffee table.
"Please tell me your sister didn't get tickets to Kuala Lumpur, too," Clara joked as he settled next to her.
He shook his head. "No, she always gives me money," he replied. "It apparently saves her time and a headache from figuring out what to get me."
"That's actually clever."
The Doctor folded the envelope and slid it into the pocket of his trousers. "So, what now?"
"We head back to my place, I guess, before everyone starts wondering where we are."
He nodded. "If I'm completely honest, I'd rather stay at yours tonight."
She beamed. "Eager to get your present?"
"I don't know, are you excited to get yours?" he retorted as she hooked her arm around his.
"Merry Christmas, sis!" John yelled, unable to help himself from grinning. He felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. It was strange, in a way.
"I'm not taking care of your pets if that's what you're hoping!" his sister answered. She was generous, but she wasn't that considerate.
He ignored her. "Not what I was implying."
"Do you think Idris and the kittens will be fine?" Clara asked as they stepped out into the cold night.
"I've left enough food and water for them," the Doctor answered. "The litter box is clean, so yes, they'll be fine."
"Oh, there you two are," Nan greeted as they entered the house, a glass of water in her hand. "I was beginning to wonder where you went," she murmured, giving them a suggestive look.
"John just needed some help with the kittens," her granddaughter immediately said.
The elderly woman was unconvinced. She winked at the couple. "Right, 'kittens'," she stated, walking up the stairs.
Just when the Doctor thought the teasing was over, he received a text message. One that came from across the pond.
'Merry Christmas to the Doctor and his future bride *wink* *wink*! Hugs and lots of kisses - Jack'
'P.S. Oh baby do you what that's worth, oh heaven is a place on earth. They say in heaven love comes first'
"What is it?" Clara asked, wondering why he looked both amused and annoyed.
"Jack said Merry Christmas," he replied, putting away the phone.
Clara arched a brow, taking two steps on the staircase. It might the height difference between them a little bit less noticeable. "That can't be all he said."
"No, as you would expect from Jack Harkness," John chuckled as he followed her upstairs. "Anyway, I'm more than ready to receive my Christmas present."
She giggled in response, before entering the bedroom and then turning around to face him. "Down boy," she whispered. "And for the record, it's not something that's out of this world."
"I'm sure you're going to love whatever it is," he commented, hiding one hand in the pocket of his trousers, fiddling with the small wrapped box.
Clara said nothing as she opened the closet door and knelt down to pull out a square box. "Merry Christmas, John Smith," she murmured, before getting on her toes and kissing him.
John unwrapped the present and grinned when he saw the content inside. A black shirt with stars all over it. "This is very me."
"Which is why I got it for you."
"Thank you, I absolutely love it," he said sincerely, flashing her a warm smile.
Clara gave him a quick peck. "I'm glad you do, now if you'll excuse me, I need to get a shower because I feel icky."
"What about your present?"
She turned around. "Wait till I've changed into my pyjamas?"
John merely nodded as the door shut.
After half an hour, the couple were dressed in their pyjamas and in bed. Clara was more than eager to call it a day, but not before receiving her gift since John still looks nervous.
He lifted his pillow and produced a small square box. "I um… got you this… Merry Christmas."
She decided to tease him a bit. The box was too flat to contain a ring anyway. "You're not proposing are you?"
"No, no," he replied hastily. "That would be weird, wouldn't it… I mean, it's not weird, but-"
Her laughter ceased his rambling. "Relax, it's very, very unlikely I'll hate whatever you got me."
He watched anxiously as she unwrapped the present, earning a smile when she saw the present, a simple silver necklace. "I… it's… this is the one that I saw at the jewellery shop."
The Doctor beamed, proud that he got it right for once. "Exactly – and there's actually something else underneath cushion, or whatever it's called."
Clara looked confused for a moment before she lifted the cushion and saw a small key.
"That's the key to my house," he said quietly.
She bit her bottom lip, wondering how the man sitting next to her could be so sweet and is actually a big softie on the inside. "I love you," she murmured, looking into his eyes.
The words were like music to his ears, but he couldn't help but notice how watery her eyes looked. John tilted his head to one side, brows furrowed. Why would Clara look so sad if she just confessed her feelings? "You look as if you're about to cry."
She giggled, putting away the gifts. "Nah, there was probably something in my eye," she said, blinking several times. She leaned forward and planted a gentle and loving kiss on his lips.
The Doctor realised that there was something different about this particular snogging session. It felt as if he could sense an unfamiliar feeling coming from the woman kissing him. It was warm and fuzzy and made his heart jump.
"I love you even more, Clara Oswald," he murmured once they pulled away, a thumb caressing her cheek.
"And to think that a few months ago, we hated each other's guts."
The Doctor lay on his back, pulling Clara down with him. She rested her head on his shoulder, a hand gently rubbing his chest. "I suppose we should thank the malfunctioning lift."
She quickly switched off the lamp on the bedside table and returned to his embrace. Just as slumber was about to greet her, a loud ringing noise resonated throughout the room.
The mathematician sighed and extended her arm to see who was bothering her. She had deleted Danny's number the previous day, but she could still recall the digits that were flashing on her screen. "It's just a wrong number," she muttered, silencing the phone.
John merely hummed, eyes closed.
Clara shut her eyes, determined to get some good night's rest. This was the best Christmas she had since mother died and there was no way an ex was going to ruin it. She suddenly felt a hand caressing her arm soothingly and smiled.
"Oh, I can't believe we have to leave already," Nan complained the next day as she settled down on the sofa. "I'm enjoying Clara and John's company far too much."
"Mum," Dave began gently. "I'm sorry, but I have to work tomorrow," he explained and glanced down the hallway. Why was Linda taking so long in the bathroom?
"It's alright, nan," Clara said. "We'll get to see each other soon – the science festival is next month."
"I'm looking forward to it," the grandmother replied, flashing a smile at John. "Do I get another free lecture?"
"Something of the sort," the Doctor answered shyly. "But I will be talking to children."
Nan's eyes lit up. "That's even better!" she exclaimed, shooting an amused look at her granddaughter. It was then she noticed the jewellery around Clara's neck. There was a key attached to it.
Finally, Linda emerged from the bathroom.
As soon as they bid goodbye from the vehicle and it disappeared down the road, Clara let out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad I won't be seeing Linda for a while."
"You're not the only one," John added, shutting the door. "Now that that's taken care of, let's take care of Missy so we can kick up our feet and finally relax."
"Hang on, your sister's leaving too?"
He nodded. "Flying to Hong Kong later tonight, remember?"
She had vaguely remembered him mentioning this to her several weeks back. "When is she leaving?"
A beeping noise was heard coming from John's phone. "Impeccable timing," he commented, reading the message. "Now."
"The universe is on our side for once," Clara said, unlocking the door.
A wise person once said that you shouldn't count your chickens before they've hatched. Who knows what might transpire during the science festival.