A/N at the end of the chapter.

"Rose, for the last time – I did not meet David Tennant."

"I know you're lying, Clara! Him and the Doctor are best friends, aren't they? I'm betting on my job – not that it's an amazing one – that you got at least a conversation out of that hunk."

"No! I didn't! I've literally not exchanged a single word with him since I've been to the hospital on Thursday." Clara replied her friend with an exasperated sigh.

For the last four days – ever since Clara had excitedly let it slip that she had a proper conversation with the Doctor – Rose had assaulted her with texts, calls and even emails about the possibility of Clara having talked with Rose's decade-long celebrity crush: David Tennant. At first, Clara had teased her about the prospect that it wasn't a celebrity crush anymore and that it was the Universe's way of telling Rose they were meant for each other. Ten calls and countless messages later, it started to annoy Clara. She wasn't able to do anything for a long period of time because her phone would notify her that she had yet another message. This particular time was the worst one of them all. It was Sunday morning and both her and John were sprouting a particularly horrifying hangover.

"Oh, fine. I guess I have to believe you." Rose replied, her tone absent and not present in the conversation anymore.

"It only took four days and thousands of texts and calls later for you to acknowledge that." Clara said. Her friend's tone worried her so she started getting up. Giving a positively miserable John a kiss on his forehead she made way for the kitchen. She really needed a glass of water and an aspirin.

"Now that we've got that out of the way, what's up? Y'alright?" She asked Rose while pulling her bathrobe over her half naked body.

"Nothing's wrong, Clara. I was just genuinely interested to see if you achieved what I've been fantasizing for the last 15 years." Rose replied.

That didn't impress Clara at all. She knew when one of her best friends was having a rough day. It was a skill Clara had picked up early on. After all, she was the peace maker in their group ever since primary – she had to know how to deal with everyone's problems and insecurities. That particular detail earned her the title of No. 1 Bossy Control Freak of Blackpool from Amy. A nickname everyone had agreed with at some point or another.

"Rose, we've been over this countless of times before. Out with it." She persisted, balancing her phone between her shoulder and ear and pouring herself a glass of water.

"There's nothing to get out, Clara." Rose replied, her voice cracking the slightest. Clara smiled – she had Rose now.

"Rose." Was all that she settled on, carefully choosing a motherly tone. Rose had a soft spot for motherly tones.

There was a small silence on the other end of the phone. Clara patiently waited for Rose to say something. Finally, her friend sighed a small, pathetic breath.

"I got fired from my job." Was her reply.

Clara had to stop herself from exhaling a very frustrated breath. She knew Rose had a problem with getting jobs and an even bigger problems with keeping them. The only time she had ever told Rose – in a fit of fury after her friend told her she's moving in with another asshole in another town – that it was that Jimmy guy's fault for getting her drop out of school that had this massive and atrocious chain reaction in her life. The outcome of that outburst was the first time Clara had seen Rose properly cry. It left such a gaping hole in her chest that she vowed to never mention it again, no matter what.

So she swallowed whatever frustration she was harbouring and smiled, as if Rose could see her and find reassurance.

"It's okay, Rose. We'll get through this. We always do, don't we?"

"Oh, Clara. You don't get it. Without that job I'm… I'm pretty much fucked." Replied Rose, her voice shaking slightly.

"No you're not." Snapped Clara. She scratched the back of her head and started pacing nervously around the living room. "Why are you saying that?"

"I'm two months behind with rent, Clara. The only reason that old lecher hasn't thrown me out is because he gets to stare at my boobs every time he comes by to ask if I'm ready to pay yet! And he does that every day, Clara. Every. Freaking. Day!" Rose's tone went from nervous to an angry one for a split of second, obviously disturbed by what she had to go through.

"God. I'm such a fuck up, Clara. Look at me! I'm forced to endure old perverts stare at me with drool at their mouth because I can't keep a bloody job!" She groaned and Clara heard the distinct sound of bone being slammed on a surface.

"I know it looks bad, Rose. Really, it always looks grim after you lose a job-" she started.

"You're not helping, Clara." Rose groaned again and there was another thud.

"I would be, if you'd let me talk." Clara scolded her, finally stopping and sitting down on a stool. "Can't you go stay with your mom?"

"My mom moved in with her boyfriend a couple of weeks ago…"

Clara bit her lip. Jackie moving in with her boyfriend was the last thing she had anticipated. Her head was swarming with possible ideas to solve Rose's dilemma. Mickey? No, he lived in Cardiff with his girlfriend. Pretty sure she wouldn't take kindly to him letting his ex live with them. Amy and Rory? No, out of question. The sexual tension between those two drove Clara crazy in the single week she lived with them two years ago. Now it would probably take a day for Rose to get fed up.

"Then how about us?" Clara blurted out before actually thinking it through. But now that she had said it, it suddenly seemed like a brilliant idea. Why hadn't I thought of that before?! , she thought.

"You? As in you and John?" Rose sounded reluctant but the desperation cracked between the words.

"Yeah, me and John. You could come down here and have the guest bedroom!" Clara replied happily, the idea growing on her rapidly. She hadn't seen Rose in so long and their little group scattered all over the country with very few opportunities to see each other at all. She missed her crazy best friends so much and she knew John did, too.

"Clara, I don't know…" Rose started but stopped briefly, as if to gather her thoughts. "You and John have been engaged for a long time now. We were hoping you'd get married soon. Don't get me wrong, I love both of you, I really do. But not enough to go through your honeymoon phase and hear you shagging each other every night!" Rose erupted in laughter and Clara followed suit.

"Oh, come on! It's not going to be that bad!" she replied, her laughter dawdling to giggling. "Besides, we're too busy to get married any time soon. And by the time we do, you'll have another job and your own place." Clara persisted, hoping Rose would stop being so damn considerate and just come live with them. She waited patiently on the phone while Rose wasn't saying anything. Of course, Clara Oswald wasn't the most patient person when it came to her friends and let's not forget that Clara Oswald always got what she wanted in the end. Even if it needed a little emotional manipulation on her side. Old habits die hard. She bit her lip once more, this time smiling.

"Please, Rose! Do I have to beg you? I've been missing you guys so much. How long has it been since we've seen each other? Almost two years? That's insane. Please make me a happy froggy and come live with us?!" Clara told Rose in the sweetest tone she could muster. She even used the nickname she hated with a passion but one she knew her friend secretly liked.

Clara could practically see the ends snap in Rose's head as she replied loudly and eagerly "Oh, what the hell! Clara Oswald, you and John Smith ready yourselves. Rose Tyler is coming to town!"

John was obviously thrilled of the idea of Rose coming down to live with them, as Clara knew he would. If there was a person that loved Rose almost as much as Clara and Jackie did, that was John. He'd taken to her as a duck to water from the moment they exchanged a few words. What Clara mistook at first as love at first sight, was actually John's natural response to Rose's motherly way of being. His mother hadn't been a constant and warm person in his life so he couldn't help but love Rose. It took Clara a long time, many sleepless nights full of overthinking and a couple psychology books to figure that one out.

"Brilliant idea, Clara!" He had said, a tad too loudly for his still hung over self. Wincing at his own voice, he went over to Clara and hugged her tightly. "It'll be so good to see Rose after so long. I've quite missed her." He told her, smirking as if the results were his merit.

Clara poked his chest with her index lightly. "Oh, I know you did, mister! Go take a shower, you'll be late for work. We don't want the hospital to explode without Dr. Smith there, do we now?" She teased him, smirking right back at him.

John laughed and bent down to give her a kiss on the forehead. "I get it: alcohol breath. I'm going!" he left and Clara heard the water running soon after.

While John was showering, Clara dressed herself – she had already showered and brushed her teeth while John was sleeping in – and busied herself with making breakfast. There wasn't enough time to cook anything amazing but she managed to make two portions of scrambled eggs, bacon and fried bread by the time John was ready to go. She found that she didn't mind that he had to work that afternoon as much as she would have usually. They were both still elated at the idea of Rose living with them for a while and maybe even deciding to remain in London.

After she sent John off with a kiss and an 'I love you', Clara went to check the state their guest bedroom was in. What she found wasn't much worse than she had expected. After all, the last time they opened that guest bedroom was when they moved in the scarce furniture. The mattress still had the protective foil on.

With nothing else left to do for the remaining of the day, Clara set to make the bedroom sparkle with cleanliness. She drew the curtains and opened the window so that the room could lose some of the stale smell it had acquired. The air was a bit too cold for her skimpy pyjamas so she draped one of John's hoodies over her head and dragged a pair of soft leggings on. She dusted every piece of furniture, the window, the door and every little corner of the ceiling before vacuuming the carpet floor thoroughly. She got rid of the plastic packaging from the mattress and after making sure it didn't smell oddly, she went and chose brown striped beddings to cover it with. Clara realised with a grunt that they didn't have any extra duvet or pillows to prepare for Rose. She thought about whether it was a good idea to get them now, before knowing exactly when Rose would be coming. Clara decided that she'd get there by tomorrow evening or Tuesday. Her best friend just couldn't handle old perverts. If Clara knew her at all, she was pretty sure Rose was already packing, thinking of ways to get away as fast as possible.

Clara was smiling to herself about her fantastic cleaning skills when she heard her phone ring. She made a beeline for it and wasn't surprised to see that it was Rose calling her. She answered promptly.

"Hey, Rose. What's up?" She said nonchalantly.

"Would it be completely horrible of me if I told you I'm almost done packing and most probably will sneak out into the night to leave Landlord the Creep to find his apartment empty in the morning? And that I'll most probably be there by midnight?" Rose told her in a breath, giggling like an excited teenager that was about to sneak out of the house to go to a party. Clara found herself grinning widely and giggling alongside with her.

"If I wasn't your destination point, I'd come with you!" she said and Rose erupted in another fit of laughter. "If you manage to get an even earlier train, we can surprise John when he gets back from work." Clara said, snickering. Not only would she get to see her best friend faster, but she'd get to surprise John as well – something she hadn't done in a while.

"Clara, you've got yourself a deal! I'll let you know when I'll need picking up." Rose told Clara.

"Your chauffeur will be thrilled to be of service!" was Clara's reply before they both hung up. Maybe I don't know her as well as I thought. Clara was thinking to herself as she retreated back into her bedroom to get dressed.

After a quick search on Google, Clara drove to the fanciest place for buying duvets and pillows. Rose wasn't picky about those kind of things, but Clara would be damned if she wouldn't try to make her stay as comfortable as possible. She was happy now that John had insisted they buy both beds the really expensive, soft, moulding-to-your-body kind of mattresses. It was only fair that the duvet and pillows were up to par.

When she entered the shop, a middle aged woman with a homely face greeted her and asked if she needed assistance.

"I'm looking for a duvet and a couple of pillows." She told her.

"We have a very broad variety for both. Do you have anything specific in mind? Such as a brand." The woman – Katherine, her tag said – told her kindly.

"I'm not sure… Haven't really thought about it. I just know I want them to be as comfortable as possible." She told her, fiddling with her ring, hoping the variety wasn't too broad. She didn't have time to mull over all the possible details of every duvet and pillow.

"That already narrows it down, dear!" Katherine gave a polite laugh. "Would you like to see the Classic, Superior or Luxury items?

Clara was already starting to feel overwhelmed. " Superior and… Luxury, I suppose?" she managed to say, uncertainly.

Katherine walked her to the left of the shop and showed her everything briefly. "There's the anti-allergy products, the synthetic and natural filling items…" and she kept going on about specifications Clara wasn't sure was understanding rightly. After Katherine left her alone in the middle of the aisle, she stared at price tags and the tags on every item with no success.

"I'll die in the middle of a duvet and pillow aisle that is so white it could pass as a hospital. How fitting." She commented to herself.

"Nothing wrong with white, is there, Clara?" a low, scruffy voice replied back. She could feel her ears getting hotter when she realised somebody heard her. She turned her head in the direction of the voice and was pleasantly surprised to see the Doctor a bit further down. His hair and fair complexion blended well with their surroundings. Clara thought that you could pass by him without noticing, if it wasn't for his blue plaid trousers and red rimmed coat. A spot of colour in an otherwise plain room. Clara thought to herself, making the connection between him and the doctors' lounge.

"Doctor!" she exclaimed, walking towards him hurriedly. "This is a surprise. Of all the places I'd have thought we'd meet…" she said and gestured with her hands to their surroundings "I have to admit this wasn't even on the list." Clara laughed.

The Doctor chuckled and turned his attention back to the tags on the shelves. "Can't say I've thought it likely, either. Looking for a new duvet?" He asked, throwing her a side glance before grabbing a pillow and testing it with his palm.

Clara sighed and turned dejectedly to the pillows as well. "My best friend's coming to live with us and we don't have any spares. I wanted to buy something of quality, but…" She sank her face in her hands. "I'm no good at this stuff. John's the one who chose ours. Now that I think about it, I should have just checked what brand they were. Ugh!" Clara exclaimed and slightly hit her forehead with the back of her hand.

The Doctor watched her amused and gave her a smile. "Didn't Katherine help you out? She's usually very pleased to help out customers."

"Kat-? Oh, you mean the saleswoman. Yeah she was…nice enough. Kept going about all these specifications I know nothing about." She replied.

"That's weird. She always helped me find the perfect pillows I needed." The Doctor told her, scratching his chin.

Clara gave him a smug smirk and faked a sudden interest in the material of the pillow in front of her. "Oh, really? My, wonderful woman, she is. Right, Doctor?"

He raised an eyebrow. "I suppose she is. What's with that look, Clara?"

She turned her back to him and went further down the aisle. "Nothing, Doctor. I was just thinking that poor Katherine over there has been definitely waiting for you to ask her out to dinner for some time, now." It was her turn to throw him a side glance before returning her attention to a random item on the shelf.

"Don't be ridiculous." He scoffed. Katherine is at least ten years younger than I am." He said. Clara turned to him, ready to tell him that age is just a shitty number when he started again. "And. And she's recently divorced. Quite a nasty affair."

Clara stared at him unmoving, trying to figure it out. To her, age had never been a problem if there was love between two people. So when she met someone that was so caught up in their idea that age actually was a very important factor, she couldn't help but pity them a bit.

"You're doing the thing again." He said.

"What thing?" Clara replied, a bit absent minded.

"The thing with your eyes. Getting all big and looking through your soul, thing." He gestured to her face with both his hands, wiggling his fingers. Clara laughed at his body language.

"Oh, that thing?" she shrugged. "My friends used to call me 'Froggy' when we were small. I have abnormal big eyes and sometimes I make them even wider without noticing." Clara confessed.

The Doctor looked positively bewildered, his eyebrows knitting together and his mouth hanging the tiniest bit open. "Why would anyone compare you to a frog? Frogs are weird and not useful and green. Whereas you're quite lovely – when you want to – and not green. Quite pink, actually."

Clara had to stifle a laugh at the way he moved his body: somehow rigidly but still very expressive at the same time, while keeping his expression intact. "So, maybe like a dog?" She offered.

The Doctor seemed to think it through. "A dog, yes. That could work. A very pink, hairless dog. And small. A Chihuahua sounds like the perfect breed."

Clara couldn't hold her laughter anymore. "A Chihuahua? Really? Is that the best you could come up with?"

She could see a smile tugging at his lips, but not quite reaching it's potential. "I think it's quite accurate."

"Of course it is, Doctor. Then I suppose you're a poodle. Looking at your white skin and fluffy, curly hair you're sprouting. Let's not talk about that tall, skinny built you have." She retorted back, enjoying their banter and forgetting her task completely.

"Poodles are quite the graceful breed. I might just accept the comparison."

"They're also considered the posh and arrogant dogs." She reminded him with a wiggle of her finger and a slow shake of her head.

"People do say I can be quite arrogant. I'm not sure about posh. I've never been too keen on that word." He made an uncomfortable face at that word. "Well, except maybe when it comes to mattresses and pillows. I do need good support during the night."

His comment reminded her suddenly as to why she was actually in that store, bantering with the Doctor – and enjoying it. She clasped her hands loudly together in front of her. "Ah, shit. I forgot about the pillows and duvet."

"Colourful language in a colourless store!" He commented. "Also, quite hard to forget when you're surrounded by them." The Doctor laughed.

"Half an hour later and I still have no idea what to buy." She said, turning her attention back to the shelves reluctantly.

"I could help you choose, if you'd like. I need to change mine every half a year so I know a bit about these things." He offered with a genuine tinkle in his eyes. Clara was fast to accept his help.

"Really?! You'd help me so much. I'll be forever indebted to you, Doctor." she told him, gratefully.

"No problem at all. I'll do my best." He smiled down at her.

With the Doctor's help, Clara was able to choose a heavenly duvet and deliciously comfortable pillows. He told her they were anti allergy, had natural fillings and retained warmth but not sweat. That sounded like the perfect combination to Clara. At the end of the day, they were supposed to be fluffy and soft, just how Rose liked them.

After they both paid their items – the Doctor bought some really expensive, firm but not hard pillows, perfect for his back – he helped her carry them to her car, her little arms too short to be able to carry the voluminous items on her own.

"Thanks for you help, Doctor. I would have died in there if it weren't for you." Clara told him as she closed her trunk. "How can I make it up to you? First the mug and now carrying my stuff for me – I think you deserve a really nice cup of coffee, at the very least." She smiled broadly at him, crossing her arms in front of her chest and leaning on the car.

The Doctor clasped his hands behind his back and looked up at the sky before looking down to meet Clara's eyes. "Anybody decent would have done those things, Clara. You don't need to repay me in any way. Just the thought that I helped you is a reward in itself." He replied earnestly.

Clara could see he was uncomfortable. She couldn't say why, but she thought it must be because of his job or past, somehow. She couldn't imagine what he was uncomfortable about, so she just pressed on.

"Well, like it or not, I'd like to get you coffee as thanks. Think about it as a way of me not stressing over how I'm going to thank you for helping me when I get back at home. How does that sounds?" She offered him.

He inhaled a sharp and long breath and made the 'uncomfortable face' – as she came to call it – and knew she had him cornered. Finally, he gave her a half smile.

"I suppose a cup of coffee or tea won't hurt anyone, will it?"

Clara could feel herself grinning. Locking her car and throwing her keys in her purse, she went back to the Doctor's side. "There was a café, just down the road. Looked pretty cosy and the kind of place that would have good, homemade drinks. Do you have time to go now? I don't have to be home for another hour or two."

He looked at the clock and gave her a nod. "I'm working the night shift so I still have a few hours left as well. Now sounds as a great time as any. Lead the way, Clara!"

He playfully put out his arm as a sign for her to take it, but not expecting her to. So when she actually linked her arm with his – happily – and not just slap his shoulder, the Doctor was a bit surprised, to say, but not in a bad way. Clara was just happy he had accepted her offer and the Doctor content that he hadn't scared the young woman off – he had a tendency to ramble and jest and not everyone took kindly to that.

"So you're saying you didn't want to open your own clinic?" The Doctor asked Clara over coffee. They had found their way to the little café Clara had talked about eventually, after getting lost for fifteen minutes.

"No – I mean, yes. I mean, no. Not at the beginning. It just seemed too much work for someone who just graduated, you know? I had a secured position after graduation at the hospital I had my training at, so taking that risk seemed kind of pointless." Clara told him, gently stirring the extra packet of sugar in her coffee.

"It's understandable. Opening a clinic isn't something fresh graduates think of doing. But I don't think John had ever meant to imply that you wouldn't be able to take the pressure at the hospital. He always talks about you as if you could handle the whole world on your shoulders if you put your mind to it." The Doctor offered her along with a reassuring smile and a pat on her hand.

Clara smiled and her cheeks tinted at the notion that John boasted about her in his workplace. She was always pleased whenever he would let her know how proud he was. "I know that now. But at the time it just seemed like it did. John's a very gifted doctor so I suppose I might have been feeling inferior for a second there. As stupid as it might sound." She told him, sitting back in her chair and taking a sip of her coffee.

"Now that's just rubbish. You don't have any reason to feel inferior to John. Yes, he is a very gifted Doctor, I won't deny that. But it doesn't make you a worse doctor by association. If you ask me, I think you're remarkable, Clara. You and John went through a lot of changes in a very short period of time and you did it impressively."

Clara could feel her smile spreading so she attempted to hide it by taking another sip, afraid of coming across as conceited. The truth was that she was glowing at the prospect of the Doctor telling her she was a good doctor. If it weren't for the fact that they had actually been spending the last hours together, she might have believed that she was having a very believable dream.

"Thank you, Doctor. That's very kind of you to say." She told him brightly.

The Doctor smiled and took a sip of his own drink before saying. "I have to say, this coffee really is good. You have an eye for these things. I wouldn't have thought of coming in here on my own."

At that she straightened herself and rested her elbows on the table. " A few years ago, neither would have I. But I decided the best places were the one you discovered yourself. No more mediocre Starbucks and infernal queues for me. Now it's all about these places." She gestured around with her finger, without moving her arms from the table.

"Adventure, I see." The Doctor replied. "Ever thought of travelling, Clara?" He inquired.

"Oh, yes! Many times!" Clara said. " I actually…I have a book from my mum. It's called '101 Places to See'. She used to read it to me every night to bed. Chose a place at random and she'd talk to me about it until I fell asleep." Clara smiled at the memory of falling asleep in Ellie's arms while her head was filled with wonders. "My childhood was full of adventure and quests and gorgeous views. All because my mom was there to tell it to me all. My dad joined in when he could. He'd listen to mum tell those stories together with me and he'd whisper little jokes at which we'd try to laugh discreetly – we never quite managed it." Clara looked down at her cup and rolled it around in her hands.

"Where are they now?" the Doctor asked and Clara looked up at him. "Your parents, I mean. Back in Blackpool, I suppose?"

Clara took a moment to study his face but couldn't see anything except for genuine interest. It had been years since she'd last talked about this with anyone, but she felt the Doctor would understand. "My mom died when I was 21. Car crash, the doctors said it was a quick, painless death. As if that helped with anything." She scoffed shortly before coughing. "Sorry, I guess that's a bit ironic seeing as we're both those doctors now. Telling people meaningless things to try to make them feel better about their losses. But it's never truly alright. Not really." She looked into the Doctor's eyes and Clara could feel her eyes getting wet without her consent. Eight years later and she still teared up. She wondered if she'd ever stop.

When the Doctor grabbed one of her hands and smoothed his thumb over the top of it reassuringly, she had to look down otherwise she would have actually started to cry. She heard the Doctor start talking again. "I'm sorry for your loss, Clara. You're right. We never truly get over it, not really. And maybe we do have to say some meaningless things to people. But those meaningless things might actually mean the world to someone. Just how some deep and logical things would be meaningless to some. We're here to offer support, but we can't choose who actually accepts it. I'm sorry you couldn't find reassurance in the doctor's words at the time."

When she looked back up at him, her eyes weren't glazed anymore and the Doctor was glad for it. He couldn't place why, but he didn't want to see her cry. At least not in front of him. It might have been the fact that crying was such an intimate act that he didn't see himself as a fitting person to witness her in a vulnerable state. No, that was John's privilege.

"Thank you, Doctor. Your words helped me, so I suppose it all worked out in the end." She gave him a small smile and he found himself offering an even bigger one in return, her words reassuring him.

"Any time, Clara." He told her.

There was a small silence before she started talking again, right after the Doctor had retreated his hand back from hers. "My dad is still in Blackpool. He hasn't been the same since mum died. Sometimes I think I was lucky for that accident to happen when it happened. If it happened while I was a teenager, I'm sure I would have felt neglected." She started and looked at the Doctor to make sure he wasn't getting the wrong idea. "Don't get me wrong, Doctor. My dad was a wonderful man – he still is, really. He's getting better and better. But ever since the accident, it's been hard for him to show any feelings except for remorse and sorrow. He still went to work and did all of his routine, but his life essence seemed to be non-existent. Me and John lived with him for a while during summer break, to make sure he'd be fine and because I needed him. But after two months we realised that I wasn't helping him and he wasn't helping me. We could see it in his eyes that I was a constant reminder, as if his memories weren't enough."

"So you left." The Doctor added.

"We did. We had to go back to University, anyway. But I think it helped him. We talked more than when we lived together. So that worked out as well, in the end." She finished with a genuine smile and another sip of her coffee.

"Things do tend to work in strange ways. The Universe never really works out in the way you want it to. Almost never does. But almost always works out better than you thought initially."

Clara smiled at that. "Yeah, I believe so, too."

There wasn't any time to say anything else because Clara's phone had started to ring. It was a comforting tune that reminded the Doctor of Christmas, somehow. It blended really well with the mood they found themselves in and they started at each other smiling before Clara realised that she should be taking that call. Excusing herself from the Doctor, she answered.

"Clara! I'm two hours away from London so you better be waiting me with a big plate of fish and chips because this Tyler is starving!" Rose's voiced boomed happily from the other side of the phone.

Clara laughed at the enthusiasm her friend was displaying. "Got away unnoticed then, have we? She told her friend, turning her cup around.

"You bet I did! Nobody sneaks better than me. Remember I did gymnastics – "

"Yes, yes. We all know you won a medal, Rose!" Clara laughed and looked at the Doctor who was politely looking away, looking interested in the table next to them. "But yes, you can expect those fish and chips."

"Brilliant. I'll be seeing you soon, then!" said Rose before hanging up.

Clara smiled for a second to her phone between sticking it to her chest, face down and addressing the Doctor. "That was my friend. Rose. She's two hours away from London."

The Doctor took the last sip from his coffee and Clara followed suit. "Let's get going, then. Wouldn't want to leave her waiting!" They grinned at each other, put their coats on to protect themselves from the cold and went out.

When they reached their cars, they were laughing about a situation Rose had gotten herself in once. Soon, it was time to part and Clara found that she didn't want to just yet. Unfortunately, she had no choice. She had a little over an hour and a half to get home, get everything ready and then get Rose.

"I enjoyed this afternoon, Clara. Your company really is top notch – when you want it to be." The Doctor jested.

Clara slapped his shoulder playfully. "Oi! I could say the same for you, Doctor! You're not completely horrible." They exchanged one last laugh before the Doctor started talking again.

"Well, I'll be going - " he was cut short by Clara hugging his waist tightly. Unfortunately, the Doctor wasn't a person that dealt with that kind of affection too much so he was at a loss to what to do. He settled on keeping his arms at a weird angle above her shoulders, not actually touching Clara.

"Thank you for today, Doctor. For helping me carry my stuff and for your kind words. " She whispered before letting go.

He lowered his arms and scratched his head awkwardly. "You're welcome, Clara."

"See you, Doctor. Good luck at work tonight!" was the last thing Clara said before hurrying to her car and driving off, leaving a baffled Doctor behind.

When Clara saw Rose making her way to her she couldn't help but start sobbing. The sight of the blonde head and day-brightening smile was enough to bring her to tears. And it seemed that Rose was overcome with the same feelings because by the time they engulfed each other in a bear hug, both girls were sobbing into each other's shoulders.

"Oh, Clara. I've missed you. You little, pretty thing." Rose said, wiping at her eyes and keeping Clara at arms length, looking her up and down. "You look amazing, you do! Doctor Oswald is hot!" Rose joked and Clara flung her arms around the taller girl's neck again.

"Oh, shut it. Miss blonde heart breaker! I've missed you, too. A lot." Clara gave a laugh and squeezed tighter before letting go and plating a kiss on her cheek.

"Good thing we're not into each other because other people might think something else is going on." Rose said, wiggling her eyebrows and giving Clara her trademark tongue between lips smile.

Clara put a hand on her hip and with the other pointed at Rose. "I did tell you I had a huge crush on you when we were thirteen, though." At that Rose laughed and linked her arm with Clara's in the same way Clara had linked her with the Doctor's. Clara smiled at the memory.

"You have fabulous tastes in women but horrible in men." Rose stated as they each carried a trolley to the car.

"Oi! I'm engaged to John." She replied.

"My affirmation still stands!" Rose said but Clara shot her a dirty look. Rose laughed "Alright, alright. Mr. Smith is a good lay!" Rose screamed the last sentence loud and clear. It resounded in the whole car park.

"I've missed your loud mouth as well. As surprising as that sounds." Clara told Rose when she got in the passenger's seat.

"Believe me, I know. How? Because I've missed your control freak personality and bossy attitude as well." Rose gave Clara a wink and positioned herself better in the seat.

Clara looked at Rose and her chest swelled with happiness at the sight of her best friend on the passenger's seat, with her eyes closed, looking at peace. As she started the car and got it out of the car park, she couldn't help but notice that Rose's breath had become steady and calm. Clara smirked to herself. Always the one who can fall asleep anywhere.

As she made her way towards the apartment, Clara had all the time to think about today's events while Rose was taking a well deserved nap. This morning she woke with the most horrible of headaches and a wish to be able to duct tape Rose's mouth shut through the phone, only for it to end with said Rose peacefully sleeping next to her and taping her mouth the last thing on Clara's mind.

And then there was the Doctor.

The same Doctor she'd idolised for years and years and had made out of him this unhuman, godly creature who didn't eat or sleep or need special pillows for his back pains. Now he was this famous doctor who everyone loved and talked of with such respect that you'd think he was invincible and the next he's this man with curly, grey hair who loves to jest and is very insecure about his age, for some reason. And who is not used to people being affectionate to him. Clara thought. She shook her head. The poor lad. Who doesn't like hugs? But then Clara realised that she had actually hugged the Doctor. He cheeks flushed red with embarrassment at the thought. Why had she done that? She had been grateful for his words and for his kindness but she hadn't thought of hugging him to show her appreciation. It just…happened. Clara didn't feel bad about doing it, she just hoped he didn't think her some floozy. The more she thought about it, the more she needed to tell someone and John was hours away from coming home. Before she realised she was doing it, she was rocking Rose awake.

"W-What? Are we there already? Sorry, Clara. Fell asleep." Rose said, trying to shake away her sleepiness.

Clara fidgeted nervously, biting her lip to keep from smiling. Under all that embarrassment, the fangirl in her was screaming with delight. She hugged the Doctor!

"Rose, oh my God! I hugged the Doctor!" Clara blurted out, quickly looking at her friend smiling before turning her head towards the road again.

It took a couple of seconds for that to register in Rose's sleep fogged brain before she could reply. "You hugged the Doctor?!" She shrieked, not sure how to feel about it. Clara, however, knew exactly how she felt.

"I did! I hugged the Doctor, Rose!"

And she hoped she could do it again.

Hey everyone! Today is exactly a week since my last update and this is a whopping 6,6k words! I'm impressed with myself, to be honest, haha. It's currently 3:50 am for me and I'm still at my school's main building on one of their PCs and I'm pretty sure the body guard is thinking that I'm writing this really big and important essay LOL. Meanwhile, the true story is that I've been writing since 10 pm until now HAHAHA . Oh man, I'm so tired and I'm literally so scared of going home right now. Thankfully, I live a minute and a half away. I wrote all of this in one sitting so I didn't check it at all before publishing. If you see any mistakes, please ignore them until morning, when I'll wake up and be able to function properly to actually proof read.

Thank you guys for reading, as always! Reviews are not mandatory but they help me stay motivated soooo much! Really, knowing you guys are enjoying this is amazing and there's nothing better than knowing that. Reviews and favourites and follows matter, really!

Good night and see you soon! *heart emoji here*

Update: I fixed the typos and made a few changes regarding the living arrangements after Ellie's death. A year and a half just wasn't working with Uni. Idk what I was thinking? Anyway, it's all good now!