Chapter Three

Despite the situation Clara was feeling remarkably calm. It had been two, almost three weeks since what she liked the call the 'incident' because saying she was attacked made her feel like more of a victim than she cared for. Her arm had come out of the sling a few days ago and though it was still stiff and she wasn't to strain too much she felt she would never ever again take for granted having the full use of two arms.

There was a particular reason why she was able to sit quite calmly in her chair while Danny glared down upon her, apparently his patience had run dry and any jealousy he'd felt over the past few weeks since he found out about her travels was showing. Because no matter how bad this situation seemed, it was nothing compared to running for your life, risking everything and saving the innocent (and hey even a few guilty ones got saved sometimes).

"I just can't do this anymore Clara, I'm sorry" Danny shrugged, though he did look really sorry. "I know you've been through some stuff recently, but I just can't do it anymore – I can't stand and say everything between us is fine when you're keeping me at arm's length, you won't let me in, you don't talk and you won't even let me touch you."

Clara's eyes had narrowed while he was speaking, she wasn't really upset, but she was irritated at the excuses he chose. "I already told you… I just don't like to be touched at the moment. It sets me up, makes me want to fight or run."

"But it doesn't matter when he touches you." Danny muttered turning away.

"What was that?" Clara asked sharply though she heard exactly what he said.

"I said it doesn't matter when he – the Doctor - touches you though does it? I've seen you two, you don't mind when he pats your shoulder. You don't flip out when he touches you." Danny turned on her.

"Are you jealous?" Clara frowned. "How many times have I told you the Doctor and I are just platonic?"

"Nether of you are very good at keeping up that pretence." Danny snorted with irritation. "If he is just a friend as you say then why didn't you call me when you were in the hospital? Why didn't you call me to take you home when you were injured, why call the man who for all you know wouldn't have answered the phone or was a million light years away?"

Clara ran a frustrated had through her hair and stood, anger at a peak, she noticed An and Tina eavesdropping in the classroom opposite hers – not good at hiding their wagging ears behind books – but she didn't care as she practically growled at Danny. "You want to know why I called the Doctor and not you?"

"Yes."

"Even if it hurts you?"

"Yes." He didn't hesitate, she gave him points for that.

"Because I was scared. Because I needed to feel safe, I needed someone I knew would protect me! That's the difference between you and him Danny! You would think it through before you acted because yes, yes you are such a good solider" she didn't say it like it was a bad thing, they both understood that as she continued "but the Doctor wouldn't hesitate if I was in trouble – yeah he might run in without a plan and completely cock everything up every single time, but it saves lives. You have no idea how many times that man as saved my life and he doesn't even expect a thank you for it? You're… just too careful Danny. And I didn't need careful then. I needed the Doctor…"

Danny stood staring at her for a few minutes, eventually he turned around and as he was leaving the room said "I can't play second fiddle to a mad man Clara. I hope you enjoy the unsafe man, and I hope you stay safe."

And then he left. Clara pulled on her coat intending to leave too. She was locking her classroom, catching Tina and An staring openly at her from the other classroom she started walking up the corridor to leave. She had promised she would wait for the Doctor to walk her home again but she thought now her arm was out of the sling and her head healed she was perfectly well to walk alone thank you.

Clara considered the strangely cathartic feeling she had after her break up with Danny. She'd been sure she'd feel upset though couldn't lie that she was pleased she wasn't – who wanted to be upset after a break up right?

Clara turned the corridor and gave a startled squeak when she walked into the hard chest of someone she very much knew. She stepped away from the Doctor who looked just as surprised and resisted rubbing her nose. "What do you have up your shirt? Bricks?" she asked instead.

He raised an eyebrow "Should that be a compliment? I heard human females are very interested in males with strong chests… or that might have been gorillas… not sure, your all primates though so same thing."

"… Did you just liken us to gorillas?"

"Yes suppose I did. Is it a compliment?"

"No, please don't do it again." Clara rubbed a hand down her face, tiered, but slightly amused.

"Where you sneaking off without waiting for me like I told you to?" he gave her a stern look.

Clara heled her chin up, a thing he'd come to associate with her about to defy something she's been told to do. "Yes. Although I do believe you said you'd be here twenty minutes ago."

"Yes well…" the Doctor wasn't looking at her as he checked out his nails. "When I heard you and P.E arguing I figured I should stay out of the way, so I waited up here in this lonely corridor."

Clara winced. "How much did you hear?"

"All of it." he fixed her with a look, an annoyed one. "I don't really think he was very fair. Everyone has a different reaction to being attacked in such a manner – no matter what extent the attack was."

"I thought I told you we're calling it an incident now, not an attack." She said dragging him out of the building by the arm. He probably had a point that it was a good idea to keep him out of Danny's way for a while – he might not be violent, but she'd rather not rub salt into the wound she seemed to have caused him.

They walked halfway to her flat in silence before the Doctor couldn't resist asking "Did you really mean everything you said to Danny about me in your argument? Is that really why you called me? Because I don't hesitate?" he was frowning again.

Clara sighed, knowing how it sounded. "There's more to it than just that of course. You make me feel safe Doctor – not matter what, no matter where, no matter when. Your… your my Doctor." She did her best to explain not sure she succeeded at all.

Indeed they walked a bit more in silence before he said "I feel very affectionate towards you now, ghrá." In a mumble, his face had a blush too.

"Oh good, it's not just me then." She mumbled back just as awkwardly.

They looked at each other in the corner of their eyes for a second before they burst out laughing together as they climbed the stairs of Clara's flat.

"Clara I don't like this it's boring. There are too many people." The Doctor complained, his voice somewhat muffled behind at thick wool scarf she'd wrapped around his neck before they left the TARDIS a few streets away. She'd warned him it would be cold – he hadn't really believed her.

She was wrapped only in a cardigan, but for once she'd donned jeans rather than a skirt, her arms wrapped around herself as her teeth chattered. "Oh hush Doctor stopped complaining." She'd dragged him out to see the Christmas light switch on, she'd not really had anyone else to go with since her Dad moved back to Blackpool. Surprisingly it had took little persuasion to get him to go – she should have expected the complaining.

"Are you cold?" he asked, spying her chattering teeth and the way her lips where tinged blue.

"N-no" she chattered, unable to not smile at the way her body betrayed her.

Behind her the Doctor lifted an arm, considering holding the girl to keep her warm, but his arm dropped awkwardly again. That would be too strange. Anyway his body temperature was naturally lower than hers, this cold didn't concern him too much, so he shrugged off his magicians coat and wrapped it around her shoulders.

Clara looked at him, startled when his jacket surrounded her. He was standing there in only his white shirt, waistcoat and trousers now. It was the first time she'd gotten a good look at him without the coat on. Still just as long and thin as always – more so than his eleventh incarnation – but it suited him. "Won't you get cold now?" she asked him.

"Lower body temperature Clara, this is little more than a nippy breeze to me." He assured her. "Anyway I'm less likely to freeze to death than you are, so hush up and watch your lights, ghrá."

"You still haven't told me what that means." Clara muttered. She'd grabbed hold of his arm and cuddled into it. She knew he didn't like to be touched or hugged, sure enough he tensed under her for a moment, but relaxed eventually.

"I don't intend to. Brush up on your Gaelic, ghrá." He smirked down at her.

The crowded around them suddenly began to count down – Clara joined in, but the Doctor just looked bewildered until the Christmas lights above them suddenly blinked into life and bathed them all in a warm pleasant light. The Doctor enjoyed watching Clara's face light up in wonder and happiness at the lights just like all the other humans around them. It was such a human thing to take delight in little multi-coloured electric lights.

"So why where you so insistent to come see this now?" the Doctor asked, curious and aware that something had been bothering Clara when she stepped onto the TARDIS earlier. "I have a time machine, we could have come here any time. I could have taken you to the lights turn on in London 2060, or the new year celebration that rings in the 22nd century!"

Clara turned her attention from the lights to look at the Doctors face. She worried her lip for a second, looking away. "I got a call from the police today."

He stiffened – Clara felt it in the arm she was hugging. "Oh?" his voice was tightly controlled but a little of the anger he felt still seeped through into it, shaking slightly.

Clara took a deep breath. "My case has been dismissed from court."

"What?" he did not yell, that was almost worse, instead it was a low growl in a voice that Clara could almost feel in her bones.

"There wasn't enough physical evidence."

"Physical evidence? I'd say the injuries you sustained where enough physical evidence by far!" he was still growling, not looking at her his blue-grey eyes remained fixed on the lights above their heads. Anyone in the crowed however would have known something was wrong with the pair – tension curled around them, his jaw was tight teeth grinding in anger and she looked worried, wide eyes rounder than usual with sadness and anxiety.

"Apparently the guys defence was more than willing to argue that my injuries could have been sustained from a… a physically abusive relationship." Clara shuffled. "Tina has been talking to Danny, and he's been talking to me about the ways the defence was going to manipulate the trial."

The Doctor felt his negative disposition for the solider boy soften just a tiny bit. "At least soldier boy has his uses and morale." He muttered loud enough for her to hear. "I bet he was not too thrilled they were going to imply he was abusing you."

Clara shuffled awkwardly again. "They weren't saying Danny was the one doing the abusing."

"Then who?"

"You."

He finally looked down at her, momentarily to anger left his voice to be replaced with surprise when he said "Me? Why me?"

Clara shrugged, she wasn't looking at him. "Let's face it, we never really hid that we knew each other even when you took that caretaker job. How many times have people seen me disappear with you and re-appear with some sort of injury?" She shrugged again and looked up at him finally "Apparently there are just enough witnesses of those times to make a case against me and you believable."

Clara watched the Doctor above her open and close her mouth like a fish, no words coming out though his eyebrows knit together angrily in a frown. Finally he came out with "That's, that is not fair!"

She shrugged turning her attention to the Christmas lights again. "It's not, no. But I guess that's life."

"But… we can get people the system cannot ignore to testify that we are just friends, that I never hurt you. What about Kate Stewart? They couldn't ignore a government official like that." The Doctor began to rattle off a list of other big names of people they'd met – she didn't have the heart to remind him half the people where dead and having a zombie enter the court would make more problems than fix them.

"Doctor, I know you're trying to help but I don't really care." Clara sighed stopping him speaking by holding up a hand. "He's still been put on an alert for sex offenders, at least that's something. I know I'd rather have him off the street for good of course, but… these things are complicated, and I guess they're right when they say the system doesn't always work."

"Bu-" he sounded outraged still.

"Doctor" Clara looked up at him "Can we just enjoy the lights please? I just want to take my mind off it, forget even if it's just for now you know?"

"Okay Clara." The Doctor moved his arm out of her grip, much to her dislike until he instead wrapped the same arm around her shoulders and drew her against his side in a sort of one armed hug. Clara leaned into it with a sigh, it was probably the best kind of hug she could hope for from this Doctor for now at least. He turned his head to the side and rested his chin on her head, delighting a little that she was just the right height for him to do so comfortably. "You do realise I don't want to take you back home now?"

"But you will." She sighed into him.

"Of course. But I am still going to walk you to and from school."

Clara rolled her eyes unseen by him. "Have you always been this overprotective of your companions?"

"You're not just my companion though are you?" the reply fell out of the Doctors mouth before he could stop it, a blush immediately crept up his face and he was glad she couldn't see him.

"O-oh?" Clara blinked a little nervously.

"Your my impossible girl." He recovered from the embarrassment long enough to save himself from further embarrassment. Both timelord and companion thankful that the other couldn't see the blush on their faces.