Thank you so much for all your wonderful support and comments! We've reached the end of the story and I hope you've enjoyed reading as much I did working on this story :)
One Year Later
If John Smith is certain of one thing, it is that he loves Clara Oswald. Just the thought of her made him smile like a boy who just had his first crush. Now, one of the things that he loves the most, as he discovered, is to wake up every single day and the first thing that he sees is the woman sleeping his arms. The feeling wasn't like any other.
A lot has happened since the previous year. From being sworn enemies to lovers to officially announcing they were a couple.
Not to mention that the bet they made ended up in a tie so they both agreed to the terms made prior to the bet. Clara was able to drive his car to work for three days and he managed to get a kiss from her in front of their colleagues.
As he slowly caressed her bare arm, he beamed. He loves Clara Oswald with all his being.
"Why are you so happy?" she asked, eyes still closed.
The Doctor placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Is it a crime?"
She opened her eyes and then raised her head to kiss him. "Are you up to something?"
John merely grinned, one hand underneath the pillow. "What if I am?"
Clara examined his face carefully, tracing his jawline with a finger. "Depends if it's good or bad."
He grasped her wrist before bringing the back of her hand to his lips. "Good, I hope."
Feeling a surge of braveness coming from his chest, the Doctor produced a small red velvet box from underneath his pillow.
Clara's eyes widened in surprise.
He opened the box and in it was a shiny diamonded ring. "Will you make me the happiest man in the universe and marry me?"
She wasn't able to help herself from feeling slightly emotional as her eyes began to feel watery.
"Please tell me you're not upset," the Doctor added hastily, placing the box on his pillow. "I still get confused when people start crying."
She laughed. "No, no, these are tears of joy, you idiot."
"I really need to write this down some-"
Clara leaned forward and crashed her lips with his to silence him. "Yes, yes, John Smith, I will marry you," she said once they pulled away.
It was so unexpected of him to propose to her in bed, not that she minded, if anything, she was thrilled.
The Doctor slid the ring into her finger. "It looks beautiful on you."
"So, is this the reason why you and Nan disappeared for two hours last week?" she inquired, wiping her eyes and examining the jewellery. "She wasn't out looking for pastries, was she?"
He chuckled. "She helped me pick your ring."
"How long do you think it will take before Jack and the rest notice this?"
"I'm willing to bet in a day or two – he's been pestering me to take you somewhere nice."
Clara wrapped her arms around John as they settled back in bed. "I am perfectly happy where I am right now, but we can always have a celebratory dinner."
"Sounds fantastic, future Mrs Smith."
"I like the sound of that," she murmured, bringing their mouths together once more.
"But why can't I say anything?" a three-year-old boy with curly brown locks whined, sitting on the edge of the mattress. He watched as his mother sat in front of three vanity mirrors, why she would have three of those is beyond him, putting on some light make-up. "You're pretty, mummy – you don't need make-up."
Clara Smith glanced at her son and beamed. "Thank you, Malcolm, but I just want to look extra special for your father."
"He's right," the Doctor added, walking out of the en-suite in a black suit. "As for your earlier question, do you remember what happened the last time we met Uncle Jack's previous boyfriend?"
Malcolm Smith stared at his father. "I told him that he has an ugly tattoo."
The boy, as many had pointed out, is a carbon copy of his father in terms of looks, aside from the eyes and nose. He inherited those from his mother.
"Exactly," Clara murmured, applying lipstick.
The young boy pursed his lips. "But Aunt Missy said I should always be honest – honesty is the best policy."
John blew air between his lips, settling down next to his son. "Your aunt's right, but there's always a time and place for you to be honest and frank and you were very frank last time."
"What if I don't like Uncle Jack's new boyfriend?" Malcolm asked.
"You can tell mummy and daddy quietly, but not Uncle Jack," Clara replied, turning around.
"Fine," Malcolm grumbled, crossing his arms. "I love Uncle Jack but he's strange."
John ruffled the boy's hair. "You really need to stop taking your aunt seriously and I agree, your uncle is strange."
"Aunt Missy is fun."
"I know, but she can be a bit… chaotic at times," the Doctor said before rising his feet to go over to his wife. He pecked her on the cheek before helping her up.
"Are you going to have sex?"
The parents froze in shock.
"Malcolm David Smith, where did you learn such a thing?" Clara demanded.
The boy furrowed his brows in confusion. "Aunt Missy said that if daddy kisses you, it means you're going to have sex with him."
"She told you that?" John asked, surprised.
"Do you know what sex means?" Clara questioned, placing a hand on her swollen stomach.
Malcolm merely shrugged. "What does it mean?"
The Doctor licked his lips while his wife shut her eyes in disbelief. They fell right into Missy's trap.
"You'll know when you're a bit older."
Malcolm jumped off the bed. "Why can't I know now?" he inquired.
"Well, would you look at the time," John exclaimed. "We're going to be late if we don't leave right now."
The three-year-old then grasped his mother's hand. "I'll help you and the baby walk down the stairs, mummy."
"How sweet of you, Malcolm."
The Doctor beamed before he quickly went downstairs to start the car. Ever since Malcolm was born, the couple knew that the Mercedes John owned would no longer be sustainable for the growing family, so they ended up getting a new vehicle, but the 450SLC is still seeing the light of day every now and then.
Halfway through the steps, Michael and Mr Darcy raced past them.
"Bye, Michael, bye Mr Darcy!" the three-year-old chimed as they finally reached the final step.
Malcolm then ran into the living room to bid Idris and Lily goodbye before joining his mother at the door.
John helped his pregnant wife into the car while the boy sat in the back seat, trying to put on his seatbelt. "Let me help you with that," the Doctor said, locking the mechanism into place.
"Thank you, daddy."
Happy that his family is safe and secure, he got into the driver seat and shut the door. He glanced at Clara and then Malcolm. His own family with another child on the way.
"Why are you looking at us like that?" Clara laughed, placing a hand on her husband's arm.
"Nothing, I just can't believe how lucky I am to have you and Malcolm."
Their son in the back seat grinned. "We are lucky to have you, too, daddy."
The vehicle then drove away from the house.
Halfway through the journey, Malcolm spoke up. "Mummy, when are we going to see Nan-Nan and grandad… I miss them."
Clara looked back. "Well, I can always give your nan a call and see if she wants to stay here for the weekend."
"Yay!" Malcolm exclaimed. "She always tells me stories about you and daddy!"
Clara and her husband exchanged looks. This was the first time they were hearing such a thing. "What sort of stories?"
"Daddy used to call you his Impossible Girl and you used to call him the Scottish Gentleman."
The mother heaved a sigh of relief. At least her grandmother is considerate enough to mind her language. "Oh!" she cried.
"What's wrong?" her husband asked in concern. "Do I need to pull over?"
"No, the baby is kicking again," Clara replied, caressing her stomach.
He extended an arm and placed his hand on top of hers. "Maybe the baby knows," he said quietly.
"Why did daddy call you the Impossible Girl?" their son asked.
The Doctor cleared his throat, trying to come up with the right words. "It's because… your mummy used to be impossible to talk to without us getting into a fight."
"Is that why Aunt Missy locked you and mummy in a lift?"
"What?!" both husband and wife exclaimed.
The family finally reached their destination and the Doctor immediately parked the vehicle in the first empty spot he saw.
Clara exchanged looks with her spouse. "Malcolm, what exactly did your Aunt Missy say to you?"
The boy stared at his feet, wondering if he was in trouble. "Did I do something wrong?"
"No, darling," his mother said gently. "We just want to know what Aunt Missy told you."
"She said you and daddy used to fight a lot but secretly like each other, so she locked you and daddy in a lift to stop fighting."
The Doctor pursed his lips. It had been what, five years since the incident and he and his wife were just finding out about it now.
"She also said I shouldn't tell you."
"Oh, did she now?" John sighed. "When I see her, I'm going to ask her to stop corrupting my child."
Clara laughed. "Do you actually think that will work?"
He paused. "No."
"He's far too much like his daddy," Clara commented.
"Have you forgotten where he gets his sass from?"
"What's sass?" Malcolm asked.
His parents chuckled.
"A bit like being cheeky," his father explained. "Right, let's get out of here because Uncle Jack's probably waiting for us right now."
"I suppose we should be thanking Missy, really," Clara added, watching as her husband and son got out of the vehicle. A moment later, the passenger door swung open and her two boys helped her to her feet. "Thanks, I'm starting to feel like a whale."
"A very sexy whale."
Clara snorted. "Is that supposed to make me feel any better?"
"Is this what Aunt Missy meant by sex?" their son interrupted.
The married couple was unable to help themselves from laughing.
John offered a hand to his son and the boy immediately grasped it. His other hand then held his mother's.
"As I said, you'll find out once you're older."
Together, the family of three made their way to the restaurant. The Doctor and Clara took a quick glance at each other, smiling. Life couldn't be more perfect. They went from hating each other to loving one another and starting a family together.
The End
The story may be over but I am planning to release a new fic in a month. The fic will be titled "Duty of Care" and more info (including a preview) )will be released soon on my Tumblr this weekend, so stay tuned :)