A/N: Many thanks once again to moviegal102 for looking these chapters over and giving me great reviews! This is the second to last chapter, friends. More IT-verse fics will follow within the coming months! Thanks to everyone for following, favoriting, and leaving reviews!

Clara was lying on her stomach, her arms loosely clutching her pillow as she slept. She was vaguely aware that she wasn't sleeping anymore since she could feel the pillow pressed against her cheek and the warm hand rubbing circles on her back. Then she heard his voice, low and soft as he said her name. A grin spread across her face and she hugged her pillow tightly, imagining it was him.

"Clara… Clara, wake up," he said gently.

Her eyes snapped open. It was rather dark in their bedroom, although the light poking behind the curtains suggested that the sun was soon to rise. She rolled onto her side to face the Doctor, whose smile broadened when he saw her ruffled hair and sleepy eyes.

"What's going on?" she asked groggily, rubbing her face.

He smoothed her hair away from her eyes, still beaming at her. "I've got a surprise."

"It's early."

"Yeah."

"I was asleep."

"I know, but you can sleep some more later. That alright?"

He was speaking in that coaxing tone he reserved for whenever he had to wake her, like that time she'd gone out for drinks with Nina on a school night and hadn't wanted to get up for work the next day. She had drunk a fair bit of wine last night, but not enough to warrant the hangover treatment.

Still, he was asking nicely and she was already waking up anyway. Stifling a yawn, Clara sat up and faced him with a sleepy smile. They had both fallen asleep shortly after making love the night before, only allowing enough time to clean themselves up and put their pyjamas back on. Now that her eyes were open, Clara could see that the Doctor had already washed up and gotten dressed.

"How long will it take you to get ready?" he asked.

Her brow furrowed, lips pouting with confusion. "Get ready for what?"

He grinned. "Your surprise."

"I don't like surprises," she lied. Well, half-lied. She liked some surprises, but when she had one thrust upon her, it usually made her feel anxious.

"You'll like this one," he promised, taking her hand in his before lifting it to brush his lips against her knuckles.

Her heart still fluttered when he did things like that.

Clara got ready quietly, careful not to make too much noise in the bathroom because she was sure Rory and Amy were still asleep. She didn't know what was going on, but the Doctor was happy and smiling, and she wanted to encourage this side of him as much as possible. She brushed her hair, put on a minimal amount of makeup, and then changed into her blue dress with the long sleeves and mock turtleneck because she knew it would be freezing this time of the morning.

There was a taxi waiting for them outside with thin, white clouds blooming out of its exhaust pipe as it rumbled quietly on the street. The Doctor didn't give the man an address once they were inside—she had a feeling he'd told him earlier as part of the surprise—but once they were off, Clara noticed they were heading toward the city.

It was so cold, even in the cab, that she switched from her passenger seat to the one in the middle so she could snuggle against the Doctor's side. He wrapped his arm around her as she shivered against his chest, all the while dodging her questions about where they were going and why they had to get up so early.

When they pulled up along the edge of Central Park, Clara had a feeling of what to expect. She didn't say anything when he took her hand as she stepped out of the cab, but her eyes grew large with excitement when she saw the lone horse-drawn carriage waiting on the edge of the road. When she turned to him, he only smiled.

He helped her step into the carriage and then sat closely beside her. There was a large, fluffy red blanket for them to cover their laps with, and once they were settled, the driver spoke to the horse and they set off into the park, the sound of rattling wooden wheels and horseshoes clopping on the pavement filling the air.

"We're the only ones out here," she stated, her heart pounding a million miles a minute as he held her close.

"I thought it'd be nice to have the park to ourselves." A few cyclists zoomed past them, going in the opposite direction. "Well—nearly."

She chuckled brightly and smiled incredulously at him. Clara felt lightheaded all of a sudden, almost dizzy as scenario after scenario played out in her mind. She tried to block it all out and just enjoy the moment, because the trees and grass and lampposts were still powdered with snow from the night before, and the light from the rising sun cast the park in an eerie, otherworldly glow. She glanced around as an overwhelming sense of the history of the park washed over her, with all of its landmarks featured in stories and films and decades and decades of millions of other people's lives.

The Doctor removed the glove from his right hand and then reached for her left, dropping her glove next to his in their laps. Her heart beat with the rhythm of a jackhammer as he laced their fingers together. When he brought them to his lips so he could kiss her fingers, she noticed he was shaking.

"We've been together for a year now," he began.

She thought of their anniversary, which they had argued over since each had a different opinion on when their relationship officially started, but eventually he conceded that it was the night of the Christmas party last year when they'd first kissed. They had spent the rest of the night having coffee and talking about themselves, their shared interests, and movies they'd watched when they were kids. It felt like a fitting moment to mark as the beginning of their romantic relationship, even though they had been friends long before.

"It's been a good year," she said, surprising herself by how steadily she spoke.

He kissed the back of her hand and met her eyes. "The best year."

They fell silent as they both thought of all they'd been through over the past year. Clara rather felt like she was watching a slideshow of their lives: the Doctor was leaning against her desk at TARDIS Industries, pretending to have work-related business to discuss with her when really he was arguing with her about what movie they wanted to see that night; then they were dancing at the charity gala, her in her red dress and him singing softly into her ear; they were undressing each other for the first time in a room at the Savoy, every touch electric as they were introduced to each other's bodies; then he was sitting on the bed in that shabby room in Nottingham, crying into his hands as he confessed his fear of losing her. Clara saw his cousin's funeral, her pregnancy scare, moving into his flat, starting her new job, arguing over dirty dishes in the sink and clothes on the bathroom floor—all of it rushed by in a flash of colours, smells, sounds, and mixed emotions.

She'd never realised just how dull her life had been before he'd come along.

"I love you so much," he said reverently, eyes closed as he pressed another kiss to her hand.

Clara released a wet laugh. She didn't know when she'd started crying, but her lips were stretched into a wide smile that was growing painful. "Oh god, I love you too."

The Doctor's expression lifted when he saw the tears in her eyes. "Don't cry," he pleaded with a soft laugh, brushing a stray tear away from her cheek with his thumb as he cradled her face.

She laughed and bowed her head, sniffing twice before meeting his eyes again.

He was steeling himself for it—he had that look she'd seen in his eyes multiple times before, but it was only now that she knew what that look meant.

The Doctor reached into his jacket pocket—his right pocket—and pulled out a small velvet box. Clara sucked in a shaky breath and then exhaled heavily through pursed lips, willing herself to remain calm.

But this was it.

"Clara Oswald…"

His voice cracked on her surname and she laughed. Her voice caught in a tiny squeak when he cracked the box open to reveal a diamond ring inside. Clara covered her mouth with her gloved hand and willed herself not to start sobbing.

His green eyes were round and hopeful, and still a little fearful. "Will you marry me?"

She sucked in a breath like she'd been underwater and then nodded so fervently she feared she'd snap her neck. "Yes. Yes! Oh my god—yes!"

The Doctor grinned impossibly wide, a wet laugh escaping his lips as he fumbled to remove the ring from the velvet lining of the box. Clara held out her hand, fingers shaking as she spread them so he could slip it onto her finger. Once it was on, she was amazed at how perfectly it fit—like it had been there all along.

Clara grabbed his face and kissed him impatiently, the pair of them laughing against each other's lips as tears pooled in their eyes and spilled down their cheeks. They murmured 'I love you' over and over, a promise as much as a declaration, before finally they could do nothing more than cling to each other tightly while their breathing and heart rates returned to normal.

The Doctor finally pulled back to beam at her. "Was it a good surprise?"

She nodded and laughed, but the sound was more like a shaky sob. She threw her arms back around him and kissed him fiercely. All she wanted to do was laugh and cry until the powerful emotions inside of her simmered back to normal.

"It was perfect," she murmured against his neck. "Perfect."

The Doctor called Amy and Rory shortly afterward and demanded they both meet them at a restaurant at 57th and 6th for breakfast.

"No excuses," he said firmly into the receiver. "Not even if Rory gets called into work to save orphans and kittens or someone's gran."

Clara giggled when he hung up the phone and leaned into him, her arms wrapping snugly around him as they took another tour through the park. He was going to have to give the driver a large tip as thanks.

The restaurant wasn't far, but even if it had been they would have walked. Neither of them could keep still, both filled to the brim with excited energy that seeped from their pores. Once they were seated at their table, they held hands and kissed each other discreetly, both of them practically laughing when they ordered their drinks.

He sat up in his seat and waved grandly when he saw Amy and Rory walk through the door. They both looked exhausted and a little put out, but when they saw him they both perked a little, smiles lighting their faces as they neared the table.

"What brought you two out of bed so early this morning?" Amy asked.

It sounded like she already knew the answer. The Doctor tried to speak but he laughed instead. He turned to Clara, who was looking back and forth between Amy and Rory with a grin to match his. She took that as her cue and then mimed a yawn, covering her mouth with her left hand.

The Doctor was surprised by the delight in Rory's face. He was the first to react, his eyebrows shooting upward as his jaw dropped into an astonished—and perhaps relieved?—grin. The Doctor glanced over at Amy and was not too surprised to see her glowering at him, but only because he was just so used to her being cross.

"Took you long enough!" she said before grinning widely.

They all stood so they could hug each other, Amy and Rory echoing their congratulations.

"Well done, mate," Rory said, giving him a firm handshake and a clap on the back. The Doctor hugged him tightly, suddenly brimming with adoration for Rory Williams.

Amy clung to him and swayed slightly from side to side. "I really like her, you know."

"You do?" he replied, grinning madly.

Amy nodded, gave him a firm squeeze, and then stepped back. "I really do."

People were turning in their seats, muttering curiously about the commotion while they all sat back down. Clara leaned into him and the Doctor wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pressing his lips together to stop smiling. His face was starting to hurt.

"So, exactly how many times did it take before you finally asked her?" Amy asked once she had a hot cup of coffee in her hands. She turned to Clara. "He told us he was going to ask you Christmas morning."

"I knew it!" Clara gasp, grinning at him.

The Doctor's cheeks flushed a violent shade of pink. "Well, just a few times."

Rory saw right through him. "It was a lot, wasn't it?"

The Doctor pursed his lips, eyes set on the table. "How many times did it take for you to ask Amy?"

"Six, but she's a lot scarier than Clara."

"Hey!" Amy and Clara said in unison, both sounding offended.

Their eyes were all on him and he heaved a sigh. "Well, I was going to ask you at the Christmas party…"

"You were?" Clara squeaked. "When?"

"We were standing by the reception desk, talking about last year's party. You'd just stumbled into me because you'd had too much of Mr Mott's eggnog and…" He bowed his head, embarrassed. "I dunno. I couldn't do it."

"You've been trying to ask me since then?"

He scratched the side of his face. "I bought the ring in November… just after your birthday."

"And then you tried at Christmas," Amy supplied, ticking the times off on her fingers. "I thought you were going to ask when we went to the show, but then…"

He groaned at the memory of that night and covered his face with his hands. "I… had thought about it."

Clara rubbed his shoulders soothingly. When he glanced over at her, she was looking at him fondly. "You silly man. I would have said yes every time."

He grinned and kissed her, and it was only when their waiter arrived that he pulled away to order. Clara giggled after the waiter left.

"I suppose it's a good sign you're already scared of me. Shows who's boss."

"Oi!" he protested, but they were all laughing.

Clara kissed him again and he silently conceded that she was very much indeed the boss, and her lips curled against his as if she'd heard him.

"Eww, OK. Enough with the kissing," Rory said with a scowl.

Their food arrived and Amy demanded to know how the Doctor proposed. Clara recounted the story a lot differently than he would have told it, but he supposed it was a different experience for her than it had been for him. He agreed that he'd been nervous the entire time, but when he'd woken up early that morning with her curled against his chest, he knew—he couldn't start a new year without having asked her.

He felt lovesick all throughout breakfast, and when the check arrived, he didn't even fight Amy and Rory when they offered to cover it as a token of congratulations. He took Clara's left hand in his and met her eyes as he pressed a kiss on her finger, just below the ring.

"You're going to be my wife," he said softly, only wanting her to hear.

She touched the side of his face and gazed at him with unabashed adoration. "And you're going to be my husband."

"I like the sound of that," he said.

She nodded. "Me too."

"10… 9… 8…"

"Guys! You're missing it!" Rory called from the lounge.

The Doctor and Clara had promptly fallen asleep the moment they'd returned to Amy and Rory's flat early that afternoon. They had planned on changing and grabbing a few things for their long wait in Times Square, but it was dark when they awoke, and Amy said they'd be nowhere near the ball dropping at that point.

"We can just watch it on telly," Clara had agreed with a yawn.

Amy had been chatting with her in the kitchen when Rory shouted, and they immediately sprung into action.

"Doctor!" Amy shouted, grabbing the champagne flutes while Clara fetched the bottle of champagne from the refrigerator.

He emerged from the bathroom looking alarmed and dishevelled. "What is it?"

"It's almost midnight!" Rory called.

He panicked comically, flailing helplessly for a moment before joining the girls in their rush to the sofa. Amy joined Rory on the cushions and the Doctor and Clara sat in front of them on the floor just in time to watch the final countdown.

"3… 2… 1…"

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" they all shouted.

The Doctor took the bottle from Clara's hands and released the cork, which shot into the bookshelf with a loud pop. Clara jumped with surprise but laughed when the foam sprayed his trousers and he started muttering in annoyance.

"That's what you get for taking matters into your own hands," Clara said, one perfectly curved eyebrow raised suggestively.

"Clara!" he gasped when he caught her meaning, and she laughed.

Clara then grabbed him by the collar and planted a kiss on his lips, catching up with Amy and Rory who were already embracing on the couch while 'Auld Lang Syne' played on the television. There was confetti raining down on the people at Times' Square and the Doctor felt a surge of jealousy, wishing they were all there.

But moments later, when he was pouring champagne into everyone's glasses and the room filled laughter, he knew there was no better place to be.