Oh boy. Our heroes are in for it now! How will the Doctor break the news to Clara? How will she react? How in the name of tea will they tell Clara's family and what will she tell her family about the Doctor? Stay tuned to find out.
I also have to rant. Why am I one of the only people in my building who drinks tea like a normal person? They always have to have tea with ice, even when it's not summer. The only time I ever drink iced tea is summer, and even then I still drink hot tea. Then there is that whole sweet tea nonsense. I don't get why anyone drinks that stuff. Don't ruin good tea with that high sugar garbage. It's basically Kool-Aid. Don't waste tea by burying it in ten cups of sugar. This so-called sweet tea is basically sugar with a little bit of water that tastes slightly like tea. If you want Kool-Aid, just drink Kool-Aid, you coward. Leave the tea alone. If you want tea, drink it like a normal person. It's okay to add some sugar to your tea, but don't smother it in sugar. When you make so-called sweet tea, it makes normal tea drinkers all around the world cringe. You are not drinking tea. You are drinking glorified Kool-Aid that tastes slightly of tea. End rant.
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Chapter 2
Clara was pregnant. She was pregnant. How was it possible? He had been ninety-nine percent sure that they were genetically incompatible. He was so sure that he hadn't even run any tests. He had lived for over two thousand years and he had seen many horrifying things. However, even in his long lifetime, very few things had terrified him as much as finding out that Clara was pregnant. He hadn't thought it possible, yet by some miracle his fiancee was carrying his child. The Doctor looked at her thoughtfully. Did she know that she was pregnant and just hadn't told him? He thought about it for a moment. No, he decided, she didn't know. She hadn't shown any indications of knowing- none whatsoever. The Doctor took out his sonic and did a quick, discreet scan. The results indicated that she was approximately six weeks along. Clara glanced at him and asked, "Are you okay, Doctor?"
"I'm fine." the Doctor lied. "I just hate this movie."
"Of course you do." Clara replied. "You always cry at the end of this movie."
"I do not!" the Time Lord huffed.
Clara rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say, Doctor."
Then the human female returned her attention to the telly, the Time Lord tried to devote his fearsome intellect to the situation at hand. Okay, so Clara was pregnant and she didn't know. He knew that he was going to have to figure out a way to break the news to her. The tough thing was that he wasn't good with words. He needed to break the news delicately. He cleared his throat. "Clara?"
"What?" Clara looked at him.
The Doctor swallowed silently and asked, "Have you ever thought about starting a family?"
Clara shrugged and said, "I thought about it, but I kind of put that aside when I decided to marry you. Kids probably aren't in our future for biological reasons."
The Doctor nodded said, "Right- but if they were possible, what about then?"
"Well, I figured that you wouldn't want children because it would get in the way of your lifestyle. No kids, no responsibilities, right?" Clara replied. "Besides, I know how much you claim to hate the whole domestic thing. Never mind that you actually do domestic fairly well, like you're doing right now."
The Doctor nodded and looked away thoughtfully. Could he do the domestic thing? Having children was by its very definition domestic. If Clara decided that she wanted a child and decided to give birth, he would have a lot of thinking to do. If she carried to term and gave birth to a healthy child, the Doctor would be up to his elbows in domesticity. Whatever the case, he had to tell Clara and he had to tell her soon. If she figured it out before he told her, she would be very cross with him. That was something that he was quite sure of.
ooooooooooooooooooooooo
The Doctor pulled back the seat at the table, giving Clara room to sit down. She was wearing an off-white, floral-patterned, knee-length paisley dress and cowboy boots. The Doctor was wearing a well-fitted charcoal suit, a bolo tie, and, at Clara's insistence, a Stetson cowboy hat. He drew the line at cowboy boots. The Doctor sat down across the table from Clara. A few minutes later, a waitress arrived. She was wearing a knee-length, blue plaid dress with cowboy boots and a cowgirl hat. "Howdy!" She greeted. "Y'all ready to order your drinks?"
The Doctor and his fiancee both looked over the menus. Clara looked up at the Time Lord and asked, "Do you feel like having wine?"
The Doctor shook his head a bit more vigorously than he intended to. "No, no wine. You know that I don't like American wine. You shouldn't have wine, either."
"Why not?" Clara asked.
"It's your turn to drive the, ah, car back to our hotel." the Doctor replied, altering his answers to conceal the truth from the waitress.
"Well, sugar pie, all we have here is American wine," the waitress said, "all of it made here, in the great state of Texas! We also have beer, if you're interested in a nice, cold Bud Lite."
Clara smiled sweetly and said, "No thank you." She looked down at her menu again before returning her gaze to the waitress. "I'll try the house-made lemonade."
The waitress nodded and said, "One lemonade coming right up, sugar pie." She turned to the Doctor and asked, "What about you, hon?"
"I'll have a Cherry Coke." the Doctor replied.
The waitress wrote down the orders and said, "I'll be back with your drinks real quick. You can decide what to order while you're waitin'. If you're lookin' to try our famous barbecue, I recommend the brisket. It's so tender that you barely need a fork and it falls apart in your mouth."
The Doctor nodded and the waitress left. Clara looked at her menu and said, "Since you brought me to an authentic Texas barbecue restaurant, we probably should try the barbecue."
"You should try the beef ribs." the Doctor suggested.
"They do look good." Clara admitted. She looked at her fiance and asked, "What are you getting?"
"I'll have the brisket." the Doctor replied. "It's the one thing here that I haven't tried yet."
"Why did you decide that we had to go to Big Jack's Big Texas BBQ?" Clara asked.
"The food is good and the service is passable." the Doctor replied. "Also, there was not a single case of food-borne illness coming from Big Jack's during the entire time that it was running. I haven't met the owner, though."
"Well, I'm sure that Big Jack is a busy man." Clara said with a grin.
A few minutes later, the waitress returned with their drinks. She set them down by the Doctor and Clara and asked, "Ready to order or do y'all need a minute?"
"No, I know what I want." Clara replied. "I'd like the Original Ribs."
"Good choice!" the waitress said with an even broader grin. "How 'bout you?"
"I'll have the brisket." the Doctor said.
"All right." the waitress said as she wrote down the orders. "One ribs and one brisket. Your food won't take long!"
The waitress then left again. The Doctor gazed at Clara. It was the Saturday after he had discovered that she was pregnant and he still hadn't told her. Her morning sickness wasn't particularly severe, so she hadn't figured it out. He still wasn't sure how to tell her. He knew that there was very little risk of her getting sick here. In case she decided to keep it after she found out, he decided that he'd try to keep both her from catching any sort of illness that might threaten the fetus. When Clara noticed the Doctor staring at her, she asked, "What are you looking at? Do I have something on my face?"
The Doctor scratched his chin and said, "No. Just... thinking."
Clara rolled her eyes. "When are you not thinking?"
"I'm sure that you could make a list." the Time Lord said dryly.
"You're not still stuck on the having children thing, are you?" Clara asked. She placed her hand over the Doctor's and said, "I told you, I'm fine with you not wanting kids."
The Doctor smiled awkwardly at her as she gently squeezed his hand. Yeah, he definitely needed to tell her soon. She had to know. He needed to know if she was okay with having kids. Was he okay with having kids? He hadn't been a father in a very, very long time. He wasn't sure if he even remembered how to do it. Did he even like children in his incarnation? What if it didn't like him? He spoke baby, so he would know if it didn't. Were he and Clara even ready to bring up a little Time Tot together? In the event that he were to have children again, he at least expected to be married to the children's mother at the time. When the food arrived, the Doctor stabbed his brisket with his fork before bringing a piece up to his mouth. Clara raised a brow as she took a bite of her ribs. "These are good!" she exclaimed.
"I told you they were good." the Doctor said.
"What about the brisket?" Clara asked.
The Doctor took another bite, chewed it thoughtfully and swallowed. He grinned at his fiancee and said, "Tender and delicious."
As he and Clara were eating, the Doctor suddenly heard someone speak to them. "You two enjoying your meal?"
It was a familiar voice, one that he would recognize immediately. His gaze jerked to the side and he saw just who was talking to them. "Jack?"
"Long time no see, Doctor." Jack Harkness said with a grin.
"I've regenerated. How did you know it was me?" the Doctor asked.
"Only you would look so out of place in Texas." Jack replied. He paused before adding, "Also, I saw you come out of the TARDIS earlier." He winked at Clara and said, "You and, of course, this lovely lady. Might I say, miss, that you look absolutely stunning?"
"Clara and I are engaged." the Doctor said coldly.
Jack winked at Clara and said, "Good job, hun! I remember when he was all ears and leather and I was just trying to be a notch in his bedpost. You lucky girl, I can't believe you managed to hook one of the biggest fish in the sea!" He laughed and held out his hand. "I'm Jack Harkness. Congratulations on the engagement."
Clara shook the man's hand and said, "Thanks. I'm Clara Oswald." She then asked, "So, you're a friend of the Doctor?"
"I wouldn't go so far as to use the word 'friend'..." the Doctor grumbled.
"Love you too, Doc." Jack winked at the Time Lord. He took a seat at the table and said, "You're looking at an old member of the Companions Club. I knew the Doctor a while back, before he was a silver fox."
"This still leaves the question as to what you are doing running a barbecue restaurant in the middle of Texas." the Doctor said.
"I needed a change of location." Jack replied with a shrug. "I went through some... difficult times and I had to get away. As for the restaurant, I had some money and running a restaurant was a dream of mine when I was a kid. The building was for sale, so I figured, why not?"
The Doctor nodded. He knew where Jack was coming from. The having to change locations thing, not the restaurant thing. The Time Lord couldn't help but smile at his old friend as he said, "Well, you seem to be doing very well."
"Yep." Jack replied. "People come from all over to try our famous barbecue. It's won several awards and it was even featured in a show on Food Network." He grinned. "So, when are you two getting hitched?"
"We still need to find a venue." Clara replied. "We haven't set a date yet."
"Knowing the Doctor, he'll take forever to actually get the wedding started." Jack said. He then winked and added, "Unless, of course, it's a shotgun wedding. You two kids have been behaving, haven't you?"
Clara laughed and said, "If you know the Doctor, you know how he feels about domestics. I don't think he's the type to have kids."
"That's a shame." Jack replied. "You two would produce beautiful children. Her eyes and nose, your curls and height- any daughter you two were to have would be drop-dead gorgeous."
"If Clara and I were to have a daughter, you don't want to know what I'd do to you if you made a pass at her." the Doctor growled.
Jack held his hands up defensively and said, "Easy, Doc. You don't need to worry about any daughters you might have anytime soon. I'm in a committed relationship with an interior designer."
The Doctor continued to glare at Jack. Suddenly, Faith Hill's The Way You Love Me started playing from the restaurant owner's pocket. He whipped out his phone and answered the call. "Hello!" Jack listened for a second before turning to the couple. "I have to take this call. You two enjoy your meal and have a lovely night!"
With that said, Jack turned around and left. Clara nibbled at her ribs for a bit before setting them down. "Jack's right about one thing, Doctor." She said.
"What is it?" the Doctor asked.
"We would produce beautiful children." the human female said with a smile.
Okay, maybe she wasn't adverse to the idea of having children. He didn't think that he was adverse to the idea, either. The Doctor took another bite of his brisket and chewed thoughtfully. All he needed to do was tell her that she was pregnant. That couldn't possibly be too hard.
Unfortunately, by the end of their meal, the Doctor still hadn't figured out a way to tell her. As he paid for her meal with a credit card that was linked to an account created for him by UNIT to deposit pay for services rendered over the years, the Time Lord tried to tell his fiancee the truth, but once again, he chickened out.
ooooooooooooooooooooo
It was on a Friday in Clara's time when the Doctor received a phone call from her. He quickly picked up the phone and said, "This is the Doctor."
"It's me, Clara." Clara responded. "I need you to do something."
"What do you need?" the Doctor asked.
"My family wants to sit down and have dinner with us tomorrow." Clara replied.
"No." the Doctor said firmly.
"Doctor, they have some ideas for the wedding. You're my dad's future son-in-law. He wants to get to know you." Clara tried to persuade her fiance. "You have to go."
"Do I really have to go?" the Doctor asked.
"Yes, you do." Clara said. "We're going to have to have a second wedding here on Earth anyway. I can't exactly invite my family to our space-wedding."
The Doctor groaned and said, "For the last time, Clara, it's not a space-wedding! It's a wedding that's in space!"
"Don't care." Clara replied. "You're still meeting my family."
She then hung up. The Doctor hung up the phone and frowned. He ran his fingers through his silver curls and let out a sigh. "The things I do for that woman."
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
After landing the TARDIS outside, Clara and the Doctor knocked on David Oswald's door. Seconds later, the man himself opened the answer. "Clara, you're here!" Dave said happily. He looked at the Doctor and in a slightly less happy voice said, "You're here, too!" He stepped to the side and said, "Come on in."
The Doctor and Clara headed into the Oswald domicile and seated themselves on the sofa. "Would you like some tea?" Dave Oswald asked.
"Yes, please." Clara replied.
"Linda!" Dave Oswald called out. "Can you make us some tea?"
"Sure, Dave." Linda called back. "Is Clara here with her fiance?"
"Yeah!" Dave replied.
"All right." Linda said. "I'll have the tea ready in just a few minutes."
With that attended to, Dave Oswald turned to his daughter and her future husband and asked, "So, how have you two been doing?"
"Fine." Clara replied. "How's Gran?"
"She's in the kitchen." Dave replied. "She insisted on preparing roast. You probably won't get a chance to talk to her until supper."
"That sounds like her." Clara chuckled.
"So," Dave said, "Do you mind introducing me to your... fiance?"
"This is..." Clara said, pausing to look at the Doctor.
"John Smith." the Doctor provided. "Doctor John Smith. Everyone just calls me the Doctor."
"Another doctor, Clara?" Dave raised a brow.
"We met at work." Clara supplied. "He used to be the caretaker."
"I was going through a phase." the Doctor explained. "It paid the bills."
"Why didn't you bring him around sooner?" Dave asked.
"Life sort of just got in the way." Clara replied.
"Well, now we'll get to know each other." Dave said with a smile. "Supper should be ready at 7."
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That evening, everyone sat around the table. The Doctor looked slightly out of place in his hoodie and plaid trousers. As Linda passed the potatoes to her mother-in-law, she asked, "So, John, just what is it that you do for a living?"
"I'm a travel writer." the Doctor replied. "I get to see a lot of places and meet a lot of people."
"Have you ever seen Mount Rushmore?" Clara's grandmother asked. "I went there back in the 80s and it was a really interesting experience. I have some pictures somewhere."
"Many times." the Doctor replied. "I took Clara to see it once, this past summer break."
"I've never seen anything quite like it." Clara provided. "I have some pictures on my phone."
"Well, you'll have to show them to us sometime." Dave Oswald said with a smile.
"Indeed." Linda commented. "Clara, you never told us that you visited America."
"It sort of slipped my mind." Clara said with an awkward grin.
The Doctor glanced at Clara's belly for the umpteenth time that evening. He would tell her after they left, he decided. They'd probably have to wait until the next day to leave. He'd tell her then. "I can't believe something like that slipped your mind." Linda frowned.
Clara's grandmother light-heartedly scolded Linda. "Oh, let them have their fun. Everyone should see the world before they settle down. Dave, don't you remember your time in France?"
"Mum, I asked you not to bring up France!" Dave blushed vividly.
"You were young. It's acceptable to experiment at that age." Clara's grandmother said with a smile. "I got a card from Jean-Pierre last Christmas. He says that he's doing well."
"Experiment?" Clara questioned. "Dad, what did Gran mean by 'experiment'? Who's Jean-Pierre?"
"I'd rather not talk about it." Dave said awkwardly, still blushing quite noticeably. "I came back home, married Ellie, and had Clara."
Clara's grandmother nodded. She then turned to her granddaughter and said, "Speaking of children, when are you due, Clara?"
The Doctor spat out his drink. Linda let out a sharp squeal as his drink drenched her blouse. Clara set her fork down and said, "Gran, I'm not pregnant."
"Are you sure, dear? I've seen enough in my day to recognize a pregnant woman by the ways he walks." Clara's grandmother chuckled. "It's also quite obvious in the way young John has been staring at your tummy all evening."
Clara looked at her fiance and said, "Doctor, tell her I'm not pregnant."
The Doctor cleared his throat awkwardly and sipped his drink. Clara raised her voice. "Doctor, tell them that I'm not pregnant!"
The Doctor didn't say anything. "Doctor, I'm not pregnant... right?" Clara said uncertainly.
The Doctor was looking anywhere but at his fiancee. Clara swallowed audibly and said, "I'm not... am I?"
The Doctor let out an awkward laugh and said, "Well..."
Clara stared at the Doctor until he finally provided an answer. "I was going to tell you tomorrow."
The teacher glared at the Time Lord and said, "Damn it, Doctor! How long did you know?"
"Since last week?" the Doctor replied awkwardly.
"How long?" Clara asked angrily.
"By now, approximately nine weeks." the Doctor provided.
"How could you not tell me this?" Clara shouted. "I can't believe you!"
Clara's grandmother let out a sigh. Dave Oswald cleared his throat and said, "Could someone pass the gravy?"
Clara's grandmother passed the gravy to her son and said, "Here you go, David."
"Thanks, Mum." Dave said, still feeling a little awkward.
"I can't you believe that I didn't tell me that I'm pregnant. I can't believe that I'm pregnant." It was then that the whole thing finally seemed to register. "Oh my god, Doctor. I'm pregnant!"
The Doctor grinned and said, "I know!"
"You're happy about it?" Clara questioned.
"I'm happy if you are." the Doctor replied.
"Yes!" Clara exclaimed. "We're going to be parents! Oh my god, Doctor! We're going to have a baby!"
"And there's the pride." Clara's grandmother said with a smile.
"I supose this means that you two are going to have to set a date for the wedding." Dave said.
"Let me get this straight- you're going to make us have a shotgun wedding?" The Doctor questioned.
"You are if you want to make an honest woman out of my daughter." Dave said sternly.
"Dad!" Clara groaned.
"Well, we were going to get married anyway." the Doctor said with a shrug.
Clara looked at her fiance and asked, "Should we tell them? You know, about everything?"
"We'll talk about it later." the Doctor replied.
"What are you talking about?" Dave asked. "Tell them what? Clara, are you keeping secrets from us? What aren't you telling me, Clara?"
Before things could escalate into another argument, Clara's grandmother said, "They said they'd tell us after supper, Dave." The woman then smiled and asked, "Would you like some roast beef, Doctor?"
Well, now the family knows. What's next?
