Clara eventually returned to the booth once lunch break was over and the Doctor continued to ignore her. This time, he wasn't pretending. He didn't even sound as enthusiastic as he did in the morning. She knew she had hurt him and Danny by not ending her previous relationship properly. It came back to bite her.

They continued working for the next two hours until the festival ended. They did not exchange a single word and it was beginning to bother her.

The only time John had spoken to her was when he informed her that he was going home, asking if she and Nan wanted a lift.

"No, it's fine – I'll just go look for Nan," Clara said. "She's probably in the break room with Jack."

The Doctor paused for a moment before turning around and leaving.

She could only watch him walk away, lost at words herself and hoped that he wouldn't end things. She has fallen head over heels for him and the last thing she needed was a heartbreak from the best man she ever met.

Defeated, Clara returned to the department in search of her grandmother who, as she guessed correctly, in the break room with Jack who was still moping. She was on the phone with someone.

"Dave, I'm going to stay here for a few more days since I just love it so much here," Nan explained to her son. "Clara and John are so lovely."

"Yes, I'll let you know when I'll be returning home," she continued before hanging up.

The real reason she wanted to stick longer is to make sure that her granddaughter and future grandson-in-law are fine. Things had gone downhill since the ex showed up and she wasn't thrilled with the end result.

Nan glanced at the entrance and saw Clara. "I just phoned your father to tell him I'll be here for a few days longer."

She nodded, sitting next to the elderly lady.

"I'm still sulking," Jack muttered, arms crossed.

Nan brushed it off. "He's a bit salty but he'll be fine."

"Hey!"

"It's true," she said in a serious tone, silencing him. "Where's John?" she asked, changing the subject.

"He… um… left," Clara answered. "Went home."

Her grandmother sighed. "Well, you certainly have a lot of explaining to do young lady."

"Yeah, what the hell?" Jack added. He certainly felt happy that his two friends are together, but he wanted to make Clara feel a bit more guilty.

"Hush, Jack," Nan ordered, rising to her feet.

"Yes, ma'am."

She placed a comforting hand on her granddaughter's shoulder. "Come on, we'll go back to yours and we'll sort this out."

The Doctor walked briskly to the car park, keys in one hand. He was so occupied with his thoughts that he didn't even see his sister walking past him.

"Oi!" Missy yelled, trying to get his attention. She couldn't help but notice how her brother looked like a puppy that had just been kicked.

John ignored her and continued walking as his mind was elsewhere. He finally snapped back to reality when somebody placed a hand on his shoulder.

"What's with you?" his sister asked. "Just a few hours ago, you and Clara were undressing each other with your eyes."

He frowned in response, not remembering seeing his sister in the crowd. "I didn't see you there."

"That's because you were busy imagining snogging your girlfriend."

The Doctor pursed his lips. "I'm really not in the mood for your horrible jokes," he grumbled before walking towards his car.

"Hey, wait a minute," she said, catching up with him. Something must have happened during lunchtime. "Why are you suddenly Doctor Grumpy?"

"I'm not," he retorted, getting into the vehicle.

Missy held the door back. "Spill before I figure it out."

She then went to the passenger side and heard his story. After ten minutes of listening, she came to one conclusion. "You're an idiot - a sensitive idiot."

"Are you bloody serious?" he demanded.

"So is your little girlfriend," she added.

"How am I an idiot?"

"For being too sensitive."

"Get out of my car."

His sister merely laughed in response before patting him on the shoulder. "I would suggest for you to calm down and listen to what Clara has to say… I can't believe I sound so reasonable right now."

As much as John hated to admit it, she had a point. Nevertheless, he felt confused. Was Clara using him this whole time or did she really move on?

Once he returned home, the first thing that he did was gather Idris and her kittens. The last thing he wanted to do while thinking about his relationship with Clara is to let his pets roam free in her home and possibly ruin her furniture.

He received some protest from Mr Darcy who continued to meow at him until he crossed over to his house. "I'm not taking them away from you forever," he reasoned.

The orange tabby snarled at him in response before dashing away.

"And Missy said I was dramatic."

The two women eventually left the campus and took a cab. The journey was filled with utter silence as Clara was close to breaking down and it certainly didn't make her feel any better when she saw Idris and the kittens missing from her home. He had every right to be angry with and ignore her.

Nan gently closed the front door, eyeing Clara carefully as she watched her collapse on the sofa, eyes puffy.

"I only have a partial idea of what happened," she began. Just when she thought nothing could ruin such a fun day. "That man… that was Danny, right?"

Clara hid her face with both hands. "Yeah," she groaned. "He just showed up out of the blue."

Her grandmother patted her back, attempting to comfort her. "Was he trying to get you back?"

She sighed, resting her head on Nan's shoulder. "Yeah, he thought we were still on 'a break' as he called it."

"Would you mind telling me how it ended?"

"He came over one day without mentioning it to me and I had things to do – marking, writing, more marking and plotting my revenge against John at that time," she chuckled at the final point.

"I always knew we weren't going to last long, but I didn't expect the argument to escalate so quickly," Clara continued.

"If you knew, then why did you stay with him?"

She blew air between her lips. "I guess, I just didn't want to be lonely," she admitted. "Danny is everything a woman could ask for a boyfriend… but I guess it never worked out between us."

"I assumed after months of not making any contact, he would get the message… this is all my fault," she groaned, squinting her eyes shut.

Nan could only rub her granddaughter's arm. "You should call Danny and end things with him properly."

"I know."

"The sooner we get this over with the better," the elderly woman commented, rising to her feet. "Because then you'd have to go and see John and apologise."

"One step at a time, Nan!" Clara groaned. "That's a lot to take in."

"Well," her grandmother said, smiling. "Start phoning Danny and apologise."

Just as she thought Nan had disappeared into her room, Clara heard her yell from upstairs. "Because I'm not about to risk not getting great-grandchildren!"

Brilliant. Her personal life is currently a mess, and her nan wants her to have kids. Reluctantly, Clara fished for her phone in the bag next to her.

She stared at the electronic device for a moment before feeling brave and dialling Danny's number. She could do this, she thought, waiting for the call to be answered.

"Danny?" she began when somebody on the other end finally answered.

"I didn't expect you to call so soon," he muttered coldly.

"I owe you an explanation and an apology," she sighed tiredly, leaning back against the sofa.

The lasted for about ten minutes before Clara hung up. She apologised, told him that she had moved on and wished him the best. That was all she could say. It went a lot better than she had imagined and she felt relieved.

Now the only tricky part is talking to the Doctor.

The very next day, Clara Oswald had an early start, planning to get to work before John did so as to avoid bumping into him at the university gate. It would no doubt be awkward.

She showered, fed Mr Darcy, ate a quick breakfast and told her nan that she would be back later in the evening. It sounded so perfect in her mind and it did, up until she got to her bike.

It refused to start.

"No, no, no," she said, trying to start the engine once more. Maybe she didn't do it properly due to lack of sleep. "Please don't do this to me."

Clara wasn't sure how long she had been outside because the next thing she heard was John's voice.

"Do you need a lift?" he asked, tone lacking any sort of emotion. He didn't sound cross or happy. Just neutral. However, he did look just as bad as she did. Must have had a sleepless night too.

It took her brain several seconds to process his words. "Um… is that ok with you?"

"Well, I'm the one driving," he replied, avoiding her gaze.

She pondered her options before deciding to take his offer. Maybe she could talk to him the car. Clara quickly walked to the vehicle before getting into the passenger seat.

She regretted her decision almost immediately because she had never experienced such awkward silence before.

John cleared his throat, inserting the key into the ignition before starting the car. A second later, it was in motion.

Unaware to the couple, Nan had been watching the exchange silently from her bedroom window, a smile on her face. She produced her phone and dialled someone.

After a while, the call was finally answered.

"It worked!" she exclaimed. "I took out that thing from Clara's bike and John gave her a lift!"

"Sweet!" Jack exclaimed on the other end.

"Would you mind picking me up?" the elderly woman asked.

"You read my mind, wise nan."

The Doctor had his eyes trained on the road as both hands gripped the steering wheel. He had not uttered a single word to the woman sitting next to him since she got into the vehicle. They had exchanged a few glances and that was it.

Clara had been practising her lines for the past five minutes now. All she had to do was say sorry. It wasn't that difficult. She opened her mouth. "How are the cats?"

If she could, she would have bashed her head against the dashboard.

"Fine," he answered, eyes never looking away from the road.

She nodded and decided to keep her mouth shut throughout the journey.

As soon as the vehicle came to a halt in the carpark, Clara quickly exited the vehicle, making her way to the department building.

The Doctor decided to remain in his car, watching her from his rear-view mirror. He sighed. "Fuck, fuck, fuck," he cursed silently. He was still a bit mad at her, but that was one painful journey that nobody should go through.

Without much thought, he grabbed his bag in the backseat and exited the vehicle.

Making his way to the office, he produced the keys from his pocket an unlocked the door, ignoring the weird looks he was receiving from his colleagues. Word spreads like wildfire at the department so it was hardly a surprise to him.

The Doctor silently discarded the backpack and took off his coat. An hour to go before his first lecture. "Might as well look at my notes," he said to himself.

Half an hour later, John heard somebody knock.

"I need your help with something," Jack said on the other side.

"I'm sure you can find somebody else."

"He's right, though," Ian added, causing the Doctor to pause.

He inhaled before tossing aside the folder sitting on his lap. "If you got your hand stuck in the kettle again, I'm buying a new one," he muttered, rising to his feet.

The door swung open and Jack's hand was kettle-free. He frowned.

"This is for your own good, buddy," Jack said before he and Ian grabbed the Doctor and dragged him out.

"Hey!" John growled, struggling.

Ian pushed Clara's door open with his foot before tossing the Scotsman inside, surprising her. "What-"

"Remember to kiss and make-up!" Jack exclaimed, shutting the door. "And this door is locked," he reminded from the other side.

"So don't even think about escaping until you've settled your differences."

"Nan?!" Clara said in surprise.

John brushed both arms, fixing his shirt before finally looking up.

The couple locked eyes before Clara tore her gaze away from him, settling back down on the chair. "I guess there's not much to do than to sit."

"I suppose so," the Doctor replied, pulling the empty chair.

She fiddled with her fingers, staring at the wall behind him. She guessed that they had been sitting in silence for the past five minutes and decided to do something about it.

"I know I hurt you and wasn't completely honest with you… and I'm sorry," she began, noticing that he was staring at her.

"I… I promise you that I wasn't using you to make Danny jealous or anything like that," she continued. "I… I just wanted to move on as quickly as possible after the break-up."

John remained silent, listening intently.

"My relationship with Danny had been strained since… before us… it felt as if we weren't even together at that point."

"And then he just shows up one day and we got into an argument," Clara explained. "He said he wanted to take a break, but I assumed it wouldn't lead anywhere – it never does and thought that was the end of it."

The Doctor shifted in his seat

I'm going under and this time I fear there's no one to turn to
This all or nothing way of loving got me sleeping without you
Now, I need somebody to know

"If there is one thing that I can be honest with you about, it's that my feelings for you, everything I said is genuine."

John's gaze finally softened a bit.

Somebody to heal
Somebody to have
Just to know how it feels

"I meant every word including about you looking twelve times more attractive with your dad skills on display."

At the mention of this, the Doctor chuckled before he realised something.

It's easy to say but it's never the same
I guess I kinda liked the way you helped me escape

"Could you please stop playing that music," Clara growled, and it was immediately silenced. She scooted closer to the Doctor in order to avoid the eavesdroppers from listening in.

"For the record, it was setting the mood," Jack argued meekly.

"Stop spying on us," the Doctor said before focusing his attention on Clara. "So you're not planning to date that soldier?"

"God no," Clara replied quietly. "Wait, how did you know he's a soldier, well, a former soldier."

"He looks like one."

"Look, I am not interested in anybody else if that's what you're worried about – I am very serious about us."

John looked into her eyes.

"I wouldn't have done all the things we did if I'm not committed into this," Clara added. "Please, I am sorry, John and I understand if you don't want to forgive me right now… take all the time you need."

She waited for a second before he finally cracked a smile. He grasped her hand gently. "Frankly, I was called a sensitive idiot by my sister."

Clara furrowed her brows.

"Do you think I care for you so little that something like this would make a difference?" he whispered.

She beamed in return before leaning forward and giving him a chaste kiss. "Thank you."

It felt nice, so very nice to have addressed the issue. She wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. They stared at each other for a few moments longer.

"I don't know what they're saying," the couple heard someone whisper.

"They're probably snogging each other to death by now," Missy was heard saying. "It's bloody silent."

The Doctor looked back at Clara. He was certain that the department is now aware that they're together, so there was no point hiding anymore. "Why don't we put them out of their misery?"

"More like ours, really," Clara said as they rose to their feet, hands still intertwined. "I'm getting tired of sneaking around just to give you a kiss."

John opened the door and was greeted by half the department including Nan and Missy.

"Yes, we're together, no, we're not expecting children, yes, we've been together for two months now and no, no further questions," he stated as the rest stared at the couple.

"Oh, thank the universe!" Bill exclaimed. "You don't have to sneak around anymore and possibly traumatise people."

"We still feel bad about that, Bill," Clara said, grimacing.

Jack grabbed the student by her shoulders. "You have to tell me everything."

"Ok, just let go of me."

"If that's all, could everyone please stop bothering us."

The small crowd murmured before they began dispersing.

"But not before a song!" Jack shrieked. "Hit it, Dan!"

Dan pressed play on his PC.

"You showed me faith is not blind, I don't need wings to help me fly," Jack sang. "Miracles happen once in a while when you believe."

"You showed me dreams come to life," Oishin and Dan joined in. "That taking a chance on us was right all things will come with a little time when you believe."

The Doctor and Clara exchanged looks, unable to help themselves from chuckling. It was interesting to observe how the department is so invested in their relationship, especially Jack.

"Now that all is good, I think it's only proper we celebrate," Nan suggested to the couple after the crowd finally dispersed. "I'll bake my famous chocolate chip cookies tonight."

John wrapped an arm around Clara as she leaned into him. "That sounds lovely."

"Trust me, they're to die for."

"I hate to interrupt the celebration, but you two have lectures in less than two minutes," Missy pointed out, who was currently lounging on one of the chairs in the hallway.

The couple immediately retreated to their respective offices.

Nan and the vice chancellor watched as the two lecturers rushed to the lecture theatre.

"I have to admit that you're a brilliant strategist," Nan commented.

"It's why I'm vice-chancellor."

"No doubt that my great-grandchildren are going to inherit this trait."

Missy merely grinned. "Just imagine the chaos their children will cause."