A/N - Now extended from a single one-shot (The Beginning of Forever) into a series which focuses on the lives of Doctor John Smith, Clara Oswald and their not so normal family. Sorry for the sudden name change
It's the Doctor & Clara's Wedding Day and the pair couldn't be happier. However, with Clara about to become the daughter-in-law of the Doctor's highly critical stepmother, Leanne who hates absolutely everything about her, will they even make it through their vows without her kicking off and ruining their day?
The Beginning of Forever
After all the years she had known him, after all the moments they had shared, both the good times and bad times, she still couldn't believe it was really happening. All her life she had dreamed of the moment they would become one, legally. Of course, they had been one for much longer, but still, this would make it all official.
She couldn't remember much about her life when she was a child. She couldn't remember many birthdays or family holidays. She had vague ideas from her father's stories but she didn't know for definite the exact details. However, she could remember him, always. She could still remember the day they met, the days when her make-believe games became theirs, and how none her days seemed complete unless he was there.
She still remembered the first time they kissed, not real to everyone around them, but real to them. It was a sign of their friendship, their affection for one another. Of course, at that point, it wasn't the sort of love any adult experienced, but it was love for them.
The first time, their first kiss, had been at her sixth birthday party. Obviously, everyone around them, all baring his stepmother, found it cute: two children trying to be all big and grown up, but for them it wasn't just a game. It was their way, their way of proving just how much they meant to one another. Six years old and already their futures were already developing.
Their first proper kiss, the one where they began to feel their body's reacting in a different, strange way, a way neither of them had felt before, was the night before his fourteenth birthday. They had both been curled up on her sofa watching something on the TV but had soon lost interest. She hadn't been feeling too well that day and he, being the gentleman he tried to be, had gone to her house in the hope to make her feel better, and he had. All it had taken was a simple glance and once their eyes had locked, their mouths seemed to act to their own accord. She could still remember the taste, and even though she had never kissed a boy before, she knew just from the way he made her feel that it had been right.
"Clara?" a voice whispered gently, pulling her back to reality in a matter of seconds.
Sat ridiculously still, staring blankly into the mirror positioned before her, Clara hadn't even noticed her father enter the room. Smartly dressed in one of his only two suits, the grey one rather than the black, he looked to her like the lonely old man he was, the one he tried very hard not to be in front of her.
Truth be told, he hadn't been the same since that fateful day eight years ago, the day her mother had died. Ever since that day, he had never been the person he had been. Then again, he was heartbroken. He still was. The day Ellie died, most of his heart died too.
"Hey Dad…" Clara whispered, trailing off to look back at her reflection.
She still wasn't happy with the so-called masterpiece her friend's work colleague had designed across her face. Apparently it made her look 'fantabulous', 'an absolute stunner', but she wasn't sure. She would much rather have gone with an au natural look, non-orange looking fake tan or deadly black mascara plastering her eyes and destroying everything both she and her fiancé loved about her.
Briefly looking up at her Dad's reflection in the mirror, she saw him grimace momentarily, only to quickly change his expression as soon as he noticed her look towards him. She had to give him credit where it was due, for a man of almost fifty, he had pretty quick reflexes.
"I look awful, don't I?" she asked weakly.
"No, no, no, no!" he was quick to insist, "No, absolutely not. You could never not look gorgeous."
Clara rolled her eyes, looking back at her refection in as much disgust as she guessed her father shared. The woman looking back at them wasn't her.
It didn't take her Dad long to notice her almost tearful expression. He hated it when she cried, or even nearly cried, but on that day of all days, the only tears she should have had should have been from happiness. After all, it was her wedding day!
"Clara…" he whispered, shaking his head softly, "What's wrong? Are you having second thought about today?"
Clara shot around on her stool faster than her father could even comprehend.
"No!" she exclaimed, "Good God, no!"
Dave breathed out a sigh of highly over exaggerated relief. "Well, thank God for that." he stated, "Especially because I'm paying for most of it…"
The smirk on his face usually would have been copied by his daughter at that point. However, the lack of did rather concern him so when she turned back around to the mirror, he didn't bother to hide his confusion.
"Alright, I'm lost." he confessed, "What's wrong?"
Clara sighed, gulping away what felt like a lump forming in her throat.
"Look… look at me, Dad." she sighed, "This isn't me… I-I look like a bloody Barbie doll for Christ sake!"
Dave sighed. "Then why did you say 'yes' to Megan after the trial last week?" he enquired, referring to the make-up trial she had had in preparation for her big day.
"Because last week it was fine." she explained, "But today she decided these improvements were needed to make me look fantabulous… I didn't even know 'til I saw it in the mirror after she'd gone! I look completely… shit!"
"Oi!" he warned.
Clara sighed, turning around to him and gripping his hand. "Dad, I'm not four years old anymore." she reminded him.
He smiled weakly, one side of his mouth forming the smile while the other remained still. Cupping her cheek and stroking it briefly, he shook his head.
"You'll always be my little girl." he guaranteed.
Clara stood up slowly and dove into his chest, grateful for the support when he enveloped his arms around her.
"Even when I have kids of my own?" she asked.
His usual response would have been a 'hold your horses' or 'one step at a time', something along those lines considering she was still pretty young at only 24 years old. However, that day seemed to be taking its toll on them both, and it hadn't even started yet.
"Even then." he promised.
Clara nodded into his chest before pulling away from him. She was about to say something else when the door to her room flung open, both her best friend and future sister-in-law entering. Both were chattering and laughing away with each other, getting along like a house on fire, but that suddenly changed when they saw the state of Clara's face, or more importantly, the make-up.
Rose, with her hair, make-up and dress all sorted, was carrying Clara's wedding dress, one she almost lost grip of as her mouth dropped open.
Clara smiled weakly, grateful for her tactfulness, however, looking over at Nina, she had a feeling she wasn't going to be as lucky when it came to her reaction.
"Fuck me!" she cried, "What did Meg do to you?!"
With just that simple statement voiced, Clara could feel her father's awkwardness suffocating her instantly. Nina, upon noticing his presence smiled briefly at him.
"Sorry, Mr O." she apologised before looking back at Clara, "But fuckin' hell!"
Rose sighed, quickly hanging Clara's dress up over the door to the en-suite. Without any begging on anyone's behalf, she turned to Clara's father and smiled.
"Dave, why don't you and I go downstairs and I'll make you a cuppa?" she suggested.
Dave nodded immediately. "Yeah." he agreed, "This is clearly 'ladies stuff'."
"Yep!" Nina concurred, beginning to talk with her hands, "Definite make-up emergency! There's no way I'm letting Clara walk down the aisle looking like this! I'll definitely be having words with Meg later!"
Clara sighed contently as Nina full on shoved her down onto the stool. Even though it hadn't been planned, she trusted Nina with anything and if she could even do anything half as better in that 'make-up emergency', she knew she would be in good hands.
The transformation had been incredible. The changes to her make-up had made an unbelievable difference and with her dress finally on, everything seemed to be coming together pretty nicely.
The dress itself was nothing special, but perfect in every way for her. A simple white fabric dotted with silver diamantes was all which graced her body, and it seemed to compliment her lean figure rather nicely if she did say so for herself. It was strange, she usually hated her appearance. Usually all she could think of was just how bad the photos would turn out; however, that day was different. That day, she was actually happy with herself and how she looked, and most of that was due to Nina.
"Thank-you." she whispered, refusing to look back at her until the threatening tears were suppressed.
"You do look… amazing." she complimented, "And you know me, I normally never say nice things to you."
"Yeah." confirmed Clara, "But today's not a normal day."
Nina nodded in agreement. "Yeah." she coincided.
Clara failed to notice her father and Rose enter the room a few moments later, both completely blown away by the sheer beauty of her. When Clara's eyes eventually met with her father's, she saw him begin to tear up.
"Dad." she soothed, crossing the floor over to him.
"Oh, look at you…" he whispered, "This is really happening… I'm losing you."
Clara shook her head adamantly. "You'll never lose me." she stated.
Dave sighed, once again stroking her cheek. "Oh, you look so much like your mother." he sighed, "She'd be so proud of you today."
Clara nodded, looking down from her Dad and to the ring sat on her middle finger, the one which allowed her to be close to Mum on not just that day but every day.
Nina, who was soon stood by her side, smiled softly.
"Something old." she whispered, making Clara smile as she looked up at her, "Where's your something new?"
"Oh… that's where I come in." Dave stated, reaching into his inner pocket.
Clara shook her head. "Dad, you didn't need to get me anything!" she cried.
"Hey! Its tradition." he smirked, "Who am I to argue with a time-honoured tradition?"
Clara raised her one eyebrow playfully. "Usually the first in line." she pointed out.
Rose sniggered, making the three of them turn to look over at her.
"Excuse me, have you met my husband?" she enquired.
Clara laughed at that. "True." she concurred.
"Anyway…" Dave began, making them return to their previous conversation, "These are for you."
"Wow!" Rose and Nina exclaimed in unison as Dave opened a black box to reveal a stunning white diamond necklace and earring set.
Clara felt her breath hitch as her eyes fell on the set. Saying it was beautiful was a massive understatement.
"Oh, Dad…" she whispered.
"You deserve it." he told her, "You and him, you deserve today."
Clara felt her smile grow. Even though she was desperate for the day to hurry up, she was still scared something would go wrong. She assumed most brides shared that fear, but the thing is that with her, that fear was warranted, mostly due to her fiancé's stepmother. Even when she had been a child, Leanne McCrimmon had hated her with a fierce passion.
As a teenager, that had made her relationship with her fiancé have an added bonus. Since Leanne made it quite clear how much she hated her, Clara had always enjoyed making her suffer for it. However, now she was regretting it. Nina had said that even Leanne wouldn't be cruel enough to ruin her wedding day, but she wasn't as sure.
"James!" he cried, running down to the car his older brother with perfectly spiked hair had literally just stepped out of.
"Whoa, Doctor… Slow down!" he exclaimed, "You're not late for own wedding, you know?"
Rolling his eyes, the Doctor couldn't stop the feeling building within his stomach. On his wedding day, the only thing he should need to worry about was his bride turning up, something he had no doubt about; however, he had one major problem which was physically making him feel sick.
"I can't see Leanne anyway." he disclosed.
James, usually the first one to tell his little brother not to worry and just calm down, shared his fear after that one particular statement. It was no lie that their stepmother had something against the Doctor's future wife and neither of them would have put it past her if she had planted TNT in Clara's bouquet or cyanide in her champagne.
Almost running his hand through his hair, James just managed to stop himself. After all the time he had spent that morning to make himself look good enough to be his brother's best man, he didn't plan to spoil it before the wedding even took place.
"Hey, don't worry about it." he began, "She's probably just held up in traffic. I mean, the traffic in town's a nightmare…"
The Doctor couldn't stop his eyes tightening after that audacious proposal.
"You don't really believe that." he pointed out.
James sighed, nodding slightly as he scratched the area directly behind his ear.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." he trailed off, "I'll do a quick check if ya want?"
"Promptly." pleaded the Doctor, "I don't want her spoiling today."
Watching his elder brother disappear into the growing crowd, the Doctor felt his heart beginning to hammer in his chest. He didn't really care about having a huge, fancy white wedding. Yes, he was looking forward to it, but he didn't need it. All he wanted was Clara.
The Doctor stood for a few moments, just watching some of the guests arrive. Many were work colleagues who he barely knew, a few were even some of Leanne's barmaids, people he didn't even know the names of. The only reason they had been invited had been because, in the long run, it was easier. Arguing with Leanne against something she wouldn't stop nagging about was always rather energy-consuming. Also, she always found a way to make all of the problems, such as him declining her suggestions, Clara's fault, and he hated that. She'd never done anything wrong but Leanne certainly had a grudge against her for some reason.
"Hey Doctor." one of the guest's greeted as she passed.
Snapping back to reality, the Doctor's face softened upon seeing a guest who he actually knew, and had personally invited.
"Martha!" he exclaimed, pulling her into a brief hug, "Oh, it's so good to see you!"
Martha had been one of James's college buddies, one who he soon met not long after and ended up getting on with from then on. He supposed he was lucky having James as a brother, not many people would be comfortable sharing friends with their little brother but he and James seemed to be an exception to that rule. He supposed the tragedy of losing their parents at such a young age brought them closer together, and then losing their older brother only a few years ago brought them even closer. They were all each other had left of their birth family, and it wasn't like either of them was really that close to Leanne.
Before Martha or her plus one, namely her husband, had the chance to say anything other than their greeting, all the Doctor heard was his older brother shouting his name. Turning around, a little startled by the change in tone, the Doctor frowned at his approaching brother.
"Oh, God… what's wrong?" he queried.
James, who was a little out of breath by the time he reached the trio, panted before managing to shake his head.
"I… can't find her." he managed to breathe out before bending down slightly, "God; I need to work out more."
Upon seeing the two others stood with the Doctor, James soon smiled.
"Oh, 'ello Martha!" he greeted, "And Mr Mickey McMickey!"
"Hey J." smiled Mickey, "Ain't seen ya 'round for a while. How ya been?"
While both Mickey and James began chatting away, slightly annoying the already panicking Doctor, Martha gently took his arm.
"Hey…" she soothed, "Don't stress over Leanne. Everything'll be fine."
He frowned slightly when he turned to look down at her. "How did you…?" he started to say.
Martha laughed gently, shaking her head and smiling weakly up at him.
"There's only one person who makes you stress this much." she pointed out, "Just enjoy today, Doctor. Today's your day, yours and Clara, not hers."
The Doctor sighed. "Yeah…" he agreed, "I suppose you're right."
Weakly nodding, hoping to fill him with the confidence he was certainly lacking, Martha grabbed her nattering husband away from James.
"Catch up with ya later, mate." Mickey promised James, complying with his wife who was laughing to herself as they made their way into the church.
James, still aware of his brother's fear, gently patted him on the shoulder. He was just about to say something when one particular car pulled up, one containing the woman both were glad to see yet not sure whether they actually wanted to be there.
The first thing the pair saw once the door opened was a pale pink shoe hit the cobbled ground below. All the Doctor could even try and compare it to was something out of a film at the moment when the villain turned up. He supposed that actually wasn't far off.
James sighed, discretely patting his brother's back when their stepmother fully exited the vehicle, looking rather pale. She was either: ill – doubtful – or annoyed that the wedding was still doing ahead, the more probable reason.
"Good luck, little bro." whispered James.
The Doctor only had time to roll his eyes before his false smile had to surface. Just the look on Leanne's face was concerning him. Something was clearly wrong and he wasn't sure he wanted to know what.
"Hey Mum." James greeted, going over to her.
All he got in return was her roughly shoving her clutch bag into his stomach before she trotted over to the Doctor, fast enough to make his heart rate increase.
"Doctor, I beg you!" she cried, "Stop this while you still can!"
The Doctor felt his heart drop at those words and even though James was still recovering from the blow to his stomach, he could feel his brother's heavy heart. He knew that he would love both his stepmother and Clara to get along, but they all knew that would never happen.
"Leanne, don't." the Doctor pleaded, "Just let it go. I'm marrying Clara whether you like it or not."
Leanne sighed and shook her head, rubbing her temple dramatically, making James roll his eyes behind her. Could she be any more obvious that she was putting her illness on?
"You used to be such a good boy…" Leanne whispered, acting as if he was about to do as awful as rob a bank, "You're really letting me down today, John."
The Doctor's face hardened at the sound of his real name. There were only certain people who he would let call him that, and she was not one of them, never.
"No, I'm just not doing what you want!" he exclaimed quite harshly, enough to receive a gasp from Leanne but a small smirk from James, "There's a difference. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go and wait for my fiancée." he started to walk away but ended up stopping sharply and turning, "And it's Doctor to you, not John."
Leaving his dumbfounded stepmother abruptly behind, the Doctor began to head inside. It still hurt that after all the years that he'd known Clara, Leanne still couldn't be civil about her. It wasn't as if he made them be friends, he just wanted them to be able to be in the same room without fear of any drama between the pair.
Leanne sighed as the Doctor stormed off and even though James had thoroughly enjoyed watching his little brother stand up to her for once, he had to prepare himself for the rant he was about to receive.
"Why… why won't he listen to me?!" she cried, "Why doesn't he see the kind of cow she is?! I'm only looking out for him!"
"Mum, enough!" warned James, "Today of all days, just stop it."
Leanne sighed, once again rubbing her temple.
"So, she made you turn against me too?" she spat.
"No." replied James, "You're doing this to yourself."
Leanne gripped the back of her head and moaned in what James guessed was pain.
"Oh, drop the bloody act, Mum!" he ordered, "I know just as well as you that you're not ill! You're just doing this because it's their wedding day."
Leanne shook her head slightly, her heavy blue eyes looking up at her eldest adoptive son in despair.
"She's poisoned you against me…" she trailed off, "First I lose Chris in Afghanistan, then you go and marry Rose, and now she's stealing him from me. I hate her for it!"
James sniggered, unable to deal with her rubbish any longer.
"You've always hated her." he stated, "And I really don't understand why. I mean, you've got no problem with Rose… why's Clara so difference?"
"Don't even mention her name!" she demanded.
James began to laugh, completely blown away by that particular statement. After all, she was about to go into the said woman's wedding!
"Clara…" he smirked almost slyly as he drew her name out, "Clara, as in the same woman who will be your daughter-in-law later today."
Leanne's eyes tightened as he looked down at her. She'd always had the most respect for her son, but not when he acted like that.
"Stop it!" she shouted.
James shook his head and rolled his eyes. "You're pathetic." he told her, "If you hate them being together so much, what the hell are you even doing here… at their wedding?!"
"I'm trying to stop him making the biggest mistake of his life!" she argued.
James once again sniggered. "The only mistake he's ever made was waiting 'til now tie the knot with her." he quipped back, meaning every word he said, "They were both ready for this five years ago. The only reason they didn't is so he could make it through med school."
"And now look at him, he's a doctor! A proper doctor!" she exclaimed, "He could do so much better than her!"
James laughed slightly and nodded. "So could we." he sneered.
Leanne's mouth fell open as James left her alone. Many guests continued to pass, making their way into the church. Meanwhile, she just stood there. She couldn't believe what he had just implied. How could he even dare to suggest that any other stepmother would be better that her!
The Doctor's emotions were all over the place when he saw James guide Leanne to her seat. She was really playing the whole illness charade but he was beyond caring, especially as the time he was waiting for was drawing closer.
He had to be honest, he was petrified Leanne was going to do something during the service but he could tell by her expression that James had had words without her, either that or she'd given up.
It wasn't long after the guests had settled that the brilliant vintage car arrived, the one they were all waiting for, the one containing the bride, her father and the three bridesmaids.
Once Clara, her father and one of the three bridesmaids had got out of it, the one person she hadn't expected to panic was frantically tugging and tweaking with her wedding gown. After how the day had begun, Nina – acting accordingly as her best friend and maid of honour – was desperate to make Clara look like the princess she deserved to be. After everything, she just wanted her friend's wedding day to be perfect.
Clara, on the other hand, was surprising herself at how calm she felt. She wasn't sure whether it was due to the adrenaline pumping through her veins or the fact that it hadn't completely sunk in as to why she was so tranquil. All she really knew was that her peaceful state wasn't being shared with her friend.
"Nina, please stop." she begged.
Nina respected her wished immediately but she couldn't stop the long drawn out sigh escaping her lips.
"Oh, Clara…" she whispered, "You enjoy today, girl!"
Clara laughed lightly and nodded softly, refusing to allow herself to cry so early in the day, especially since she knew Nina would probably murder her if she ruined her make-up masterpiece with her tears.
"I will." she confirmed, "I definitely will."
It was at that moment, with a little aid from Dave, that Rose exited the car along with her four-year old daughter. Both were dressed in deep royal-blue dresses, the exact same shade of blue as the paint on the Clara's nails. Something blue.
Clara began to laugh quietly as the ecstatic four-year old continuously questioned her mother about the condition of her make-up, constantly repeating the question about whether it had smudged or not. It took a few promises from Rose but finally she got the message.
Clara loved children, especially little Jenny with the bright blonde hair which matched her mother's, and although she wasn't ready to become a mother herself, she actually couldn't wait for the day when she did. She supposed growing up as an only child had fuelled her desire to mother a larger family and being with the Doctor only deepened that desire.
Looking over to her friend stood beside her, the one contently watching the little girl with her mother, Clara would have been lying if she said that Nina's behaviour wasn't surprising her. Right from day one, Clara had always known that Nina would rather claw her own eyeballs out than have children of her own. She didn't mind babysitting as she could always hand them back to their parents at the end of the night but children of her own. The entire idea literally made her skin crawl.
"Right then, you." Rose smiled down at Jenny, "Come on."
Taking her mother's hand and letting her smile grow to an unbelievably big size, Jenny walked up to the Nina alongside her Mum. The three of them soon got into position and headed over to the door, waiting for their cue.
That gave Dave a few moments alone with his daughter, a few moments he was more than grateful for. Linking his arm with her and turning to look down at her, he smiled softly.
"Are you ready?" he asked, receiving only a nod in response, "You're absolutely sure?"
Clara nodded once again. "It was only ever him." she whispered, refusing to look up into his eyes. Instead she just looked toward the church door.
"I know." he admitted, gently rubbing her arm, "So did your Mum…"
At those words, Clara did turn to face him, feeling her threatening tears approach once more.
"W-What…?" she breathed out, a small frown indenting her perfect features.
Dave looked down momentarily, a soft smile brushing onto his lips before he eventually looked back up at her and allowed their eyes to lock.
"She always said it would be you and him." he confessed, "Never anyone else."
Clara felt her lip quiver as a sad smile began to surface while bittersweet memories began to flood her mind. All the times she and her Mum shared, and all the days that never were. There were billions and millions of unlived days for every day lived, an infinity, and for a single moment, she could see all of her Mum's playing like a home video in her head. Her Mum should have been there that day, sat patiently in the church waiting for her entrance, but then again, to Clara, she already was.
"But… I was sixteen." whispered Clara, "Sixteen when she died… How…? How could she have been so sure before then?"
Dave shook his head softly, his smile growing slightly.
"You were together then." he reminded her, "Besides; there's always been something about the two of you, and your Mum saw that."
Finding her right hand and gripping it tightly, Dave brought it up to his face. Kissing the ring which lay on his daughter's centre finger, the engagement ring which had belonged to his wife before she died, Dave sighed.
"She'll always be with you." he promised, gently rubbing the special ring with his thumb, "Especially today."
"Okay!" Rose shouted gently from the door, capturing the pair's attention, "Ready to go?"
Clara nodded at her, looking up at her Dad directly after.
"Yeah…" she whispered not really in response, "It's time to give me away, Dad…"
Dave nodded, futilely trying to stop a few stray tears which managed to break through the barrier he had attempted to put up in his eyes.
"You just promise you'll come back to me if he so much as steps a millimetre out of line." pleaded Dave.
Clara shook her head reassuringly. "He won't." she guaranteed.
"I know." he confirmed sadly, "But you just remember that I'll only be one phone call away."
Clara nodded in understanding, almost kicking herself when she felt herself disobey one of her internal rules. Crying was not allowed until after the ceremony ended!
Taking a deep breath as the choir began to play a tune from inside the church, Clara gripped her hand tightly around her Dad's arm.
"Don't let me fall, eh?" she tried to joke.
Dave nodded. "That's what I'm here for." he promised.
Clara could feel all eyes on her as she entered the church, and she hated it. Even in modern times, why did weddings have to be designed so all everyone saw was the bride walking down the aisle and nothing else? Granted, she figured James would be briefly watching his wife and little girl walk down the aisle, but she knew that at some time or another, he and everybody else would be watching her.
Trying to block her view from all the pairs of eyes glued to her, Clara lifted her head fully and looked towards the front of the church, her eyes soon falling onto the only man in the world who mattered to her: the Doctor, her Doctor.
Within a split second, nothing else seemed to matter in the slightest. Not all of the guests watching, not even the knowledge that Leanne was somewhere in the crowd, all she wanted was to reach him.
Parting from her father was probably the only thing Clara struggled with but seeing his gentle smile as they broke away from each other's side, she no longer feared. With the Doctor next to her, she didn't really care anymore.
"Dear family and friends," began the priest, "We are all gathered here today to witness and celebrate the union of John, the Doctor, and Clara in matrimony."
It was at that moment, just after smirking at the sound of hearing his real name said aloud, that the Doctor interlocked his hand with Clara's. He wasn't sure whether he was allowed to or not but he wasn't really bothered. After all, it was his wedding day.
"Today is the day that this happy couple with formally make their lifelong promises to one another and, although this ceremony will be a high point in their relationship, we must remember marriage is a journey. It's much more than just a single event, it's a way of life." continued the priest, "Now, I must ask before we continue, if there are any individuals who have any valid reason as for why these two cannot be wed today, may they speak up now and be heard…"
As the silence drew, the Doctor felt Clara's hand tightly grip his, her false nails digging harshly into his flesh. He was pretty sure that she too was worried about Leanne, especially as the priest had indirectly just given her an ideal opportunity to object.
It was at that moment that nearly all of the Doctor and Clara's close family and friends actually turned to look at the said woman, including Dave, James, Rose and Martha. If Leanne had been bothered by the silent insult, she didn't show it. Instead, her attention was more focused on her hand which was lightly rubbing the side of her face.
The Doctor and Clara were both silently praying for the dreaded silence to end and both were internally grateful to see the priest just about to speak and continue with the service. However, before any other left his mouth, both were a little shocked to hear a rather large thud echo from behind them.
Exactly like everybody else in the church, the pair turned to see exactly where the sound had originated from. The majority of the crowd gasped and fell silent while the Doctor and Clara's mouths just dropped.
James, unlike most of the other guests, just rolled his eyes. One moment, his stepmother who had been stood nearest the aisle had been standing up straight, the next she was sprawled out on the floor.
"Oh, for God sake!" he moaned, moving down his stepmother, "Mum, get up!"
The Doctor was in shock, especially since he couldn't tell from where he was whether she was genuinely collapsed or just faking it. To be fair, he was so shocked, he couldn't move straight away, similar to everybody else in the crowd.
"Mum." James moaned, feeling his anger rise, "Mum!"
The anger in his brother's voice made his stomach tighten but when Martha got to her side, he saw her concern grow by every passing second. He wanted to go and help but before he even dared to move, he turned to look at Clara.
"It's okay…" she promised in a whisper, and that was all he needed to hear.
Within a split second, the Doctor joined Martha at her side.
"Mrs McCrimmon?" Martha called, putting her professional head on, something she hadn't planned for that day, "Leanne, can you hear me?"
Meanwhile, the Doctor was beginning to shake her shoulders in order to check for a response. Nothing. So she wasn't responding to sound…
He quickly unclipped the clip holding his tie in place. Within seconds, he pressed the metal object against Leanne's fingernail, that time looking for a response to pain. Again nothing. Damn…
"Someone call an ambulance!" Martha shouted.
"I'll do it!" Mickey stated, immediately pulling his mobile phone out of his inner pocket.
"Oh, come on!" James cried, "This is just her way of trying to ruin your wedding day. She isn't ill!"
"James, she's not responding to pain." the Doctor genuinely looked worried but his brother only rolled his eyes. He still wasn't convinced.
The Doctor began to check his stepmother's airway just as Rose managed to make her way over to James and calm him down.
"Right…" the Doctor paused, beginning to put Leanne into the recovery position, "Help me get her onto her side."
Martha complied immediately while James looked down at his wife. Seeing his daughter then begin to get herself worked up, he swiftly bent down to pick her up. Of course, he knew she didn't understand what was happening. All she knew was that her Nanny had fallen over, wasn't waking up and her Uncle was worrying over her.
James smiled falsely down at Rose, gently cradling Jenny's head to make sure she didn't see any more.
"I'm going outside." he stated, not sure whether his was wound up or upset for his little brother. All he knew was that he didn't want to be in there.
He swiftly began to leave the church, soon followed by a parade of guests who thought it best to stay out of the way. By the time the ambulance turned up only a minute or so later, the only ones to remain inside with Leanne's passed out form were the Doctor, Clara, Rose, Dave and the priest.
When the paramedics arrived on scene, they began asking all the expected questions, not that Clara really noticed. All she could see was the shaking hands of her almost husband. She knew he and Leanne had never really been that close but whether they liked or not, she was his stepmother and at that time, he was afraid for her.
"Did she hit her head when she fell?" was one of the questioned fired in his general direction.
"No…" the Doctor trailed off, "But she's unresponsive to sound and pain."
Clara smiled softly as he once again put on his professional hat. At that moment in time, she was rather glad of that since she knew he'd start panicking if he didn't remain focused.
The paramedic nodded as he quickly examined her, doing exactly what had the Doctor had done to check for a response. Still nothing.
"Definitely unresponsive." he agreed, "We'll let a doctor check her over once we get her to the hospital."
"I already have." stated the Doctor, "Her airway's clear, breathing's fine and pulse rate seems normal. There's no obvious sign of concussion but I couldn't do a thorough examination without my kit."
The paramedic's eyebrow shot up. "You're a doctor?" he queried.
The Doctor nodded swiftly. "Dr. Smith." he introduced, "I'm a GP at Ealing Hospital."
"Of course, Dr. Smith." he smiled softly, "Actually Doctor, if you could come along in the ambulance to monitor her. You seem to have a full understanding of the situation…"
The Doctor immediately felt torn, the gulp forced down his throat a moment later only proved that point. It was his stepmother who was in need of his assistance at that moment, yet it was also his wedding… and he wanted to get married more than anything.
Looking back towards Clara, she sighed and smiled softly when she saw the torment of the decision dancing behind his eyes. Why was he finding it so hard? Leanne needed him more than she did. The choice was obvious. They could always get married another time.
"It's alright." she promised in a whisper, "Go… Be a doctor."
The Doctor smiled weakly, ignoring the paramedic shouting for him to hurry up as they rushed Leanne out of the building.
"I love you." he shared, stealing a quick kiss from her lips before pulling away, "I'm sorry."
Clara had learned from a very young age that putting on a brave face was never easy but unlike most people, she had learnt to master that skill quite quickly. After her mother died, it seemed to come to her like a second nature. She had always been strong in front of others. It was only ever behind closed doors that she allowed herself to cry.
Watching the Doctor run after the paramedics that day was another one of those times. To all the others in the church with her, she was the understanding fiancée. To her Dad, she was putting on a brave face. Inside, she was sobbing. So much for her wedding day.
Despite the fact the Doctor had been an actual doctor for just over a year, he'd never actually been inside an ambulance before, not a rapid response one at any rate. He had never experienced the feel of it as wove throughout the congested traffic, some bothering to give way while others didn't.
Watching the pale woman slowly stir in front of him, he felt his heart begin to pound harder. Gripping her hand tightly, completely oblivious to the fact the paramedic next to him was smiling softly, the Doctor sighed rather loudly.
"Mum?" he asked.
Receiving a very weak but definite giggle, one which he had seen many times before after patients wake after being under a general anaesthetic, he couldn't help but let out a massive sigh, out of relief more than anything.
"Oh, Mum…" he laughed.
When she fully opened her eyes, Leanne smiled over at her youngest stepson.
"Oh, you're such a good boy." she whispered, laughing to herself at a joke he didn't quite understand.
He frowned a little, slightly concerned at how quickly she seemed to have woken up. After all, she had been unresponsive.
Glancing at the paramedic, he could tell that he too was now beginning to grow skeptical. Unresponsive patients didn't just wake up like someone did from an afternoon nap.
"What are you on about?" the Doctor queried, a lump in his throat beginning to form.
"You didn't marry her." Leanne smiled, "You helped me instead."
The Doctor rolled his eyes. That seemed more like the Leanne he knew, not the ill Leanne who had arrived at the church earlier.
"Seriously?!" he cried with a hint of frustration, "That's all you care about?!"
Leanne pouted at those words, gently caressing her temple with her hand as she look away.
"Don't shout at me." she begged, "I am ill, after all"
The Doctor pulled away after that. The pain in his chest from his heavy heart was rising by the second and lump grew. James had been right… She wasn't ill at all.
He couldn't prove it yet but he just knew, and he knew the test results at the hospital would prove it. The way she was smiling to herself, he just knew it had all been a charade. She had faked the whole thing just to stop his wedding and what killed him the most was that he fell for it. Hook, line and sinker. He'd abandoned his fiancée for a liar.
They reached Ealing Hospital and Leanne was examined by the doctor on duty. His look alone gave him the answers he already knew. When the official results came through, the Doctor was the one who saw them first. He hadn't wanted to stay, not at all. However, if something had have been wrong, he would have kicked himself.
Looking down at her charts given to him by a young nurse, a young nurse who seemed to feel his anger radiating off him after reading them, the Doctor roughly rubbed his forehead. Glaring through the glass window which separated him from her, he honestly wanted to get as far away from her as possible. Everything had been a lie. She wasn't ill, just a very good actress.
"Would you like me to talk to her?" the Nurse offered.
The Doctor, who refused to look down at the nurse in fear of taking his risen anger out on her, just shook his head.
"No." he answered coldly, "This one is all mine… unfortunately."
The Nurse, getting slightly afraid of the doctor stood before her, just nodded. She hadn't known the man long but they had worked together occasionally, and she could safely say that she'd never seen him quite as livid as he was at that point. It was almost as if a storm was brewing in the room, originating from a heart which must have imploded a long time ago.
Looking briefly between the woman and the doctor, the Nurse bit into her inner lip. Talk about an Oncoming Storm.
Clenching his fists around the metal handle of the door, the charts hooked under his free arm, the Doctor slowly opened the door. The smile which grew on his stepmother's face after spotting him increased dramatically but soon cooled as he came to a stop at the foot of her bed.
Looking down at her charts, the Doctor shook his head.
"Well, I've got your results back." he reported coldly, "Matter of fact, they're quite bizarre for a patient who had been unresponsive."
He was glad she remained silent as he was an inch away from snapping. "Your blood pressure's normal. Blood sugar's normal. There's no sign of concussion. In fact, I can find absolutely nothing wrong with you… except the fact you're a complete, and utter, cow! No actually you're not because that would be an offence to cows!"
"Doctor…" Leanne trailed off.
He shook his head, refusing to let any tears show her just how much he was hurting. He chucked her chart down onto the bed, not caring that it caught the side of her foot.
"How could you?!" he screamed through his gritted teeth, "You faked this… to destroy my wedding!"
Leanne's heart dropped. "John…" she tried to start.
"No!" the Doctor shot back, "No!"
He could have kicked himself when his voice betrayed him but he couldn't help it. He knew that Leanne had a problem with Clara, but he honestly thought she'd get over to. Clara made him happier than he had ever been, why couldn't she see that?
Leanne tried to reason. "I was trying to help." she attempted to explain.
"Help?!" he screamed, cutting her abruptly up, "You… You just wanted what you wanted! You don't even care what I want!"
"That's unfair." stated Leanne.
"You made me leave my own wedding!" he shouted, "My own bride!"
Leanne shook her head, desperately hoping he would see her point of view.
"You can do so much better than her…" she trailed off, "Why can't you see that?"
"Why can't you see that I'm happy with her!?" he asked, a little broken.
"Because you can do better!" she repeated.
The Doctor tried to block out her words, allowing a moment of silence to fall over the pair as he closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he processed to open them and look back over at Leanne.
"What you did today," he began, "It's a criminal offence."
Leanne sniggered and rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't be ridiculous!" she spat.
"Oh, really?" interjected the Doctor, "Making a hoax 999 call and wasting the emergency services; time is illegal."
"Stop being so dramatic, John!" Leanne exclaimed.
"Stop calling me that!" he ordered.
"It's your name!" she argued.
"Not to you." he explained matter-of-factly, "Never to you!"
Before he allowed himself to hear any more lie leave from her mouth, the Doctor turned to the door. Honestly, he wasn't in the mood to hear anymore…
"Where are you goin'?!" she quizzed, "Doctor!"
Turning slowly on his heels, his eyes almost as tight as he clenched fists, the Doctor looked over at his stepmother, the one he deeply loathed at that moment.
"I'm going back to the church." he answered, "And praying that Clara forgives me for today… and James, because he was right! He knew all along."
And with that, he just left. He didn't bother explained to any of the staff working, he didn't bother signing out at A&E reception, he didn't bother to even discharge a Mrs. L. McCrimmon; he just left.
Clara was sat outside the church on the small rotting wooden bench undercover of a large oak tree, well; at least she thought it was oak. Many of the guests had left, or were currently leaving, but she just watched in a daze.
By the time her Dad came over to her, the typical British weather had kicked, allowing drizzling raindrops to plaster her skin in a rather slow manner. Dave could see her shivering even from a distance and made no hesitation when removing jacket and placing it around her shoulders.
"Clara, please come with me…" he begged, "Let me take you home."
She shook her head automatically, refusing to move even when he almost pulled her up.
"I'm not going anywhere until I hear from the Doctor." she told him adamantly.
"Then at least come inside." he pleaded, "Its freezing out here."
Clara sighed before looking up at her father towering over her, slowly shaking her head.
"I don't want to." she explained softly, "I don't want… people's sympathy or their understanding. I just wanna stay here until I know what's happening with the Doctor."
Dave felt his stomach twist. He hated seeing her so upset and down in herself, especially when all he should have seen that day was her glorious smile.
Clara once again looked briefly up at her Dad. The expression on his face made her heart twist into something she couldn't quite describe but she was adamant, she didn't want to go inside.
"Who's still in there?" she asked after a few seconds of silence between the pair, the only sounds to be heard were the cars driving out of the church grounds and the rain lightly beating the surroundings.
"James, Rose, Jenny, Nina, Martha and Mickey." he reported, "Look, I'm sure they won't say anything you don't want them to sweetheart… Please come inside."
"Dad…" she started to object.
"Please." he begged.
Receiving a long, drawn-out sigh in response, Dave couldn't help but smile slightly when, with his assistance, Clara pulled herself to her feet.
"Fine." she gave in, "And 'ere, have ya jacket back."
Laughing softly as she removed the jacket, Dave accepted the item and was about to lead her inside. However, a loud car door slam and chorus of rapid, running footsteps caught their attention first.
"Clara!" the Doctor called.
Feeling her heavy heart lift a little, Clara almost broke out into a little run. A second later according to Dave's watch, both were in each other's arms, both deeply relieved to finally be where each other belong.
"Oh, Clara, I am so sorry." he apologised, "I am so, so sorry, darling."
The way his hand gripped around the back of her head, the way she fit comfortably into his embrace, Clara could no longer suppress her tears which had built over the past few hours. She just needed him, and finally, she had him.
Upon hearing his voice, all those inside the church exited. Rose, with Jenny on her hip and sleeping against her shoulder, remained under the cover of the church building but still managed to get the Doctor's attention.
"Is she okay?" Rose asked.
The Doctor, who was still holding Clara tightly, released his grip in order to look at his sister-in-law. Biting his lip, he then proceeded to look at his brother, the one stood causally behind his wife. The Doctor could see that he was hoping his suspicions were wrong but by the way he was looking at him, he knew. He knew he had been right.
"I'll allow you to say 'I told you so'." he stated, "Just this once."
All of the group's heads dropped, realising exactly what he meant by that.
"Oh, that bitch!" Nina cried.
"Why the hell did you take so long then?!" Dave snapped, feeling anger more on his daughter's behalf than his own.
"Dad…" Clara whispered, her voice cracking, "It's not his fault."
She knew that everything that had happened that day, indirectly, had been because of Leanne's problem with her, and the knowledge of that actually stabbed at her heart.
"Hey…" the Doctor soothed, gripping both sides of her face to make their eyes meet, "It's not your fault either! This is in no way your fault."
She tried to speak, but the words just came out as a broken sigh. With tears building at an alarmingly quick pace, the Doctor gripped tighter, rubbing her cheeks with his thumb.
"No, Clara…" he whispered, "It's not your fault. If anyone, it's mine. I should have seen through her like James did."
Dave shook his head, seeing the pain in both their eyes. He couldn't deny he was angry, but he had to be honest with himself. It wasn't at the Doctor, it was at Leanne, and he couldn't take it out on him.
"It's not either of your faults!" he exclaimed, "Now come on, let's get out of the rain."
Both nodding and smiling softly at Dave, the Doctor and Clara joined the others under the cover of the building.
"So, what's happens now?" asked the Doctor.
Knowing the day was near enough over, Clara sighed. "Can… can we book another date?" she asked.
Although her question hadn't been officially directed at him, the priest who had been stood near to the group, smiled softly.
"Of course." he stated, "All of you, please come inside."
The priest disappeared for a moment while they all entered the building. The group, all barring the Doctor and Clara, sat down at the back of the church. When the priest returned a few moments later with a rather large, old black diary, Clara and the Doctor joined him near the front of the church, the spot they'd been standing in just before Leanne collapsed. Flicking through the diary, the priest skimmed through all the scrawled notes doted over the pages.
"Right, still a weekend if possible?" he enquired.
"Yeah." replied Clara, "We both work… although, the next two week's we'll be free. It's not like we're goin' on our honeymoon anymore."
"Um, yes we are." objected the Doctor.
Clara's brow was burrowed when she turned to look up and face him.
"But… it's just a holiday now." she pointed out.
"And we're still going on it." confirmed the Doctor while the priest continued flicking through the diary, "Its paid for with hard-earned money, and after today, I think we deserve it. You definitely do."
Clara smiled softly in agreement and nodded. "You're sure?" she queried in a whispered.
The Doctor nodded softly, gripping her hand tighter.
"Well," the priest piped up, "I'm afraid it'll have to be in six or seven weeks' time. I'm fully booked on both Saturday's and Sunday's 'til then."
"Six weeks?" Clara sighed, a little downhearted.
"I'm afraid so." answered the priest.
Clara looked up at the Doctor and sighed. She'd have to wait another long six weeks before she'd be able to call him her husband.
"Although… there is another option." the priest slowly, easily capturing the Doctor and Clara's attention, "There's an old church law which states I can only marry two people during the hours of daylight and by my reckoning, there's about an hour of daylight left…"
Understanding his suggestion, both the Doctor and Clara began to smile.
"And um," the priest continued, scratching behind his ear as he stuttered through his sentence, "I'm free!" he clapped his hands together, "And it looks as though they are enough people here to act as witnesses."
In sync with one another, both smiling broadly, the Doctor and Clara turned to look over at the group sat at the back of the church. They all were talking quietly between one another but soon stopped and noticed the pair looking at them.
When Clara turned back to the Doctor with a wide grin, they both knew exactly what it was they wanted. Perhaps the day wasn't going to be as bad as she thought…
The laughter which echoed throughout the room made Clara's heart swell. After everything that had happened that day, she certainly hadn't expected to be sat next to her husband at their wedding reception, listening to James deliver one of the strangest yet memorable best man speeches she had ever heard.
Glancing over the crowd, Clara really had to give it to Rose and Nina. They had certainly pulled off the impossible by getting all the guests to turn up at the reception that had previously been cancelled. It was only fair since they had all ended up missing the actual wedding ceremony.
"And so, I suppose I have to give it to him." continued James, "He may be the dorkiest little brother ever but, after everything our family have been though over the years, and today, I'm glad he's finally with the woman he was always destined to be with."
Looking down at the pair, a genuine smile gracing his lips, James picked up his champagne. It wasn't really a conscious decision; it just gave his hands something to do as his heartbeat increased. After all, what he was about to say was certainly something that was going to come from the heart.
"As a child, I remember Chris telling us about our parents… about how they weren't coming home." James began, capturing the Doctor's full attention.
James had always been very clear about their private lives, only those close to them had the right to know anything more than the surface. Therefore, the fact that he was willing to share anything more in front of such a large crowd, had certainly intrigued him.
"The Doctor didn't cry, not once…" revealed James, looking adoringly down at his little brother and then over to his new wife, "Not until Clara made him comfortable enough to let his walls down. She's always been there for him, always been there when he needed her. I mean, when Chris died, she was the one he turned to, and he'll probably kill me for saying this but, I think that out there somewhere, the universe makes bargains for people who deserve it. And these two do. These two deserve it. These two deserved to find each other so they can be happy together for the rest of their lives."
A general hum of agreement swept the room like a song and when that died down, James reached into his back pocket.
"Now," he began, revealing a small black box and slowly opening it, "Clara will probably kill me for this but I really don't care because, as we all know, if she doesn't learn to deal with her husband's ridiculous fascination with bowties, this relationship is doomed!"
Similar to the hum a few moments beforehand, a chorus of laughter flooded over the guests while the Doctor let his head drop in order to cover his reddening cheeks.
Smirking, James pulled out a small white piece of fabric from the box, namely a choker with a small white bowtie on. Clara pressed her hand to her forehead as her laughter turned her cheeks red, similar to the shade the Doctor was trying to hide through laughing. Only James would think of something like that.
Walking behind his brother and over to his new wife, James smirked as he tied the custom made choker around her neck. Clara soon found her Dad in the crowd smiled, the grin on his face filling her entire heart with joy. For such a lonely old man, at least she had the pleasure of seeing him smile every now and then.
"Now, now…" James continued, making the rest of the guests quieten down before returning to his vacant spot and looking down at Clara, "Just remember these words Clara. Three little words which you'll probably hear on a daily basis for the rest of your life with my dorky little brother…"
Now, Clara expected most of the guests to be thinking of the words 'I love you'. To be honest, if it had been anybody else, she'd probably think that too. However, James was talking about the Doctor, her Doctor, her husband, and if she knew James correctly and knew his sense of humour, she knew that those three words weren't going to be them.
Smirking when he looked over at the Doctor, James raised his glass.
"Bowties. Are. Cool." he drew the sentence out before turning back to look over the giggling and applauding crowd, the one he proceeded to address, "To the bride and groom: The Doctor and Clara."
"The Doctor and Clara."
The reception ended up being rather good, and although Clara had enjoyed herself, saying she didn't feel slightly relieved when the guests began to leave would have been a lie. After all, most of her night she had been going around and talking to people at every table, whether she knew them well or not.
As the night drew to a close, Rose, Martha and Nina began to clear the mostly eaten buffet away, shoving all the rubbish into black bin liners along with some of the hotel staff whose job it was to actually do that. Jenny had long fallen asleep in her pushchair, wrapped up in her father's old blue blanket and Dave was chatting with the DJ, leaving Clara and the Doctor to finally reunite with one another.
Stealing a chaste kiss from each other, Clara giggled as he set his hands on her lower back.
"Today's been amazing." she smiled.
The Doctor raised his eyebrow and smiled softly. "Do you really mean that?" he questioned.
"Course I do!" confirmed Clara, "And I can't wait to just… get outta here."
The Doctor smirked, once again stealing another kiss from her lips. To be fair, if James and Mickey hadn't approached them, he probably would have gone further.
"Sorry." apologised James, "But um… we-we want you to have this."
Opening his hand up, the Doctor couldn't help but frown slightly as his brother deposited a key into it.
"What's this?" he enquired, "We've already got our room key."
James sighed. "Um… Me and Mickey went into your room earlier." he explained, "You know, put sand in the bed, fake snakes, that sort of thing…"
"As a laugh." added Mickey, "But… after the day you've both had, we don't want you to have to deal with that so we booked you another room."
Clara smiled softly at their kindness. Her Dad had warned her that it was likely some of her husband's friends would probably pull some sort of prank that night so she'd prepared herself for it but for them to actually change it because of the bittersweet essence of their day, she was deeply touched.
Closing his palm around the key, the Doctor just smiled over at his brother and friend.
"Thank-you." he expressed, "For everything."
James nodded. "You two have a good night." he wished, and that was something the pair of them proceeded to do.
The Doctor had never had a fantastic life; he'd dealt with a lot of hardships while growing up. From a very early age, he'd learn how to deal with death and depression, at some low times believing that it would be easier just to die and get it over with. However, Clara had taught him different, and that night she proved it because the way they melted together with each other made him realise just how much he had to live for. He had the rest of his life and that all started from that day: the beginning of their forever.