This is the last chapter of watch over me! It feels oddly rushed - so I might come back and revise this at some point, but I am utterly swamped at the moment and really wanted to get this finished before I started work for my assessment tomorrow (which coincidentally is also on Doctor who ;)) Still I hope this is pleasing enough for everyone!

Chapter Twelve

The Doctor wrote the conclusion to his theory with a flourish – a bit too much enthusiasm in the flourish actually because he broke the chalk. Again.

Then again, he thought looking down at the broken chalk stick, it had been a long time since he had broken the chalk at all. Last time had been… before Clara was attacked – the day she phoned and asked him for help. So much had happened between them in a year, so much that had forced his new colder heart to open up to the girl and show her, and face it himself, exactly how much he cared for her. He already knew that every emotion felt different in every regeneration – some of them felt certain emotions far easier than others. This regeneration obviously felt anger the easiest, it was always there festering under his skin just waiting for an outlet. But he was sure now, very sure, that the passionate warmth he felt for Clara, the one that made his hearts beat faster, was almost certainly love.

He smiled at the realisation he had just managed to admit that to himself and turned with the same smile on his face to see if Clara was in the room – not that he was sure he could actually form the words in his mouth and tell her yet, but he would settle for seeing her… or touching her… kissing her again would be even better…

She wasn't there.

His smile dropped, a frown replaced it. He actually couldn't remember her coming back from the shop – something he was sure he'd notice.

Dread surged in him, he grabbed the console screen and set a trace for the sonic screwdriver – sure enough it was not on board and he doubted she'd have lost it. The signal was actually coming from a few blocks away – much further than where the shop was.

Fear and alarm in his hearts, he pulled a lever with force that made the TARDIS groan in protest.

Clara woke up and held her head, it was pounding heavily and she barely remembered something hard hitting her before she blacked out. She was actually surprised when she pulled her hand back from the bump on her skull that there was no blood – she'd been sure such force would crack her skull.

"Don't worry darling, I cleaned your wound up – I didn't want all that blood messing up your beautiful hair." A voice said in the corner.

Clara gave a startled noise crossed between a yelp and scream and scrambled backwards away from the voice.

She had no idea where she was – the walls where metal like the TARDIS but defiantly not the Timelord's ship. If she had to guess she'd say a warehouse – but she couldn't remember how she got there. Her eyes focused in the dim light – and she saw a larger man with messy brown hair and almost black eyes watching her from the far wall.

"Ethan…" Clara breathed his name with horror on her lips.

"Yes love – we're finally together. You put me through quite a run around didn't you? Locking me out of our home – well I sure got back in again didn't I? But then you changed the locks again! And after invent that stranger to live with you? What would the neighbours say?"

"You're deluded!" Clara hissed "You broke into my home it was never ours there was never an us!"

Ethan frowned with concerned and stepped closer to her. "Did I hit your head too hard? Our relationship was wonderful until you suddenly had that fit in the alley when we were walking home from the bar!" he frowned. "All that talk about me attacking you? Why would I ever attack you? I love you!"

"Relationship!" she gave a mad bark of hysterical laughter. "Your nuts, absolutely bananas! We never had a relationship – I hadn't even met you until that night in the bar! And you did attack me! You tried to force me to have sex with you and when I said no you crack my head off a wall and dislocated my shoulder!" she took a breath but continued her rant. "You don't know what love is – you're obsessed! You stalked me for nearly a year! You threatened me, tormented me, and invaded my home!"

Ethan cleared the space between them before Clara could move out of the way – he slammed his hands onto the wall either side of her head and caged her in. "No!" he spat. "You tormented me! I love you Clara! Why would you refuse to speak to me? What did I do? I thought I showed you I loved you when I got rid of that cat that kept you awake at night! But then you go invite that other man into your home? You kiss him! You invited him to Christmas dinner without me? Don't tell me you slept with him Clara or I swear to god I'll-!

"You'll what?" the Doctors voice was thick with his accent as it echoed off the metal walls of the warehouse. Somehow Clara had missed the sound of the TARDIS materialising, but she didn't miss the silver haired furious timelord standing before it.

"I'll kill her!" Ethan whirled on the Doctor, grabbing Clara and holding her in front of him – a Swiss army knife pressed against her throat.

"You'll kill the woman you love?" the Doctor couldn't keep the rage out of his voice, despite his calm words.

"I'll kill her. If I can't have her no one can!" Ethan murmured against Clara's neck and pressed kisses over her pulse as she strained to get away from the knife as well as he touch.

The Doctor moved fast, rage burning under his skin the second he saw the stalkers lips on Clara's skin he was barely aware of moving until his fist was connecting with the other man's face, his whole face made a sickening crunch under his hand and Clara ran out from his grip as soon as it loosened coughing and spluttering her way to the TARDIS feeling relief rush over her when she heard the sound of police sirens outside.

When the first door of the warehouse opened and policemen rushed in, the Doctor was still standing over the whimpering Ethan on the floor and Clara was crouched near the blue box massaging her throat and taking deep breaths to stop the hot tears that threatened to spill. The Doctor stepped back and allowed the police to do their work with the stalker. One of them looked up at the Doctor in a kind of fear and awe. "I think you broke his nose and jaw!"

"He terrorized, kidnapped and touched my girl." The Doctor retorted, then shared a nod with the two policemen who less than politely handcuffed and showed Ethan out of the warehouse.

A policewoman crouched near Clara, rubbing comforting circles on her back she smiled and said "I remember you when you first got attacked, I asked if I could be the one to give you good news." the woman smiled encouragingly as Clara looked up at her with a glimmer of recognition. "We got his prints off the bottle that was used to set your apartment on fire – and a witness that can swear to him knocking you out outside the newsagent a few hours ago. He's not going anywhere – not for a while."

Clara threw her arms around the policewoman who gave a soft laugh and patted her back twice. "Thank you!" Clara was unable to not smile when she finally let tears roll down her face – but from relief and not fear.

The Doctor approached wanting to know why she was grinning so broadly. He barely had time to ask before Clara threw herself into his arms and kissed him before hugging him tightly. The policewoman – he recognised her from that night he had to pick Clara up from the hospital – smiled at him politely before returning to her fellow officers. "They've defiantly got him!" Clara told him with a smile as she pulled away, wiping at her face. "They've got his prints and a witness!"

"Good!" his voice was still a growl as he massaged his knuckles lightly.

"Did you hurt your hand when you hit him?" she frowned, taking his hand lightly in her own and brushing the bloodied knuckles – not his blood she noticed with a kind of angry pleasure.

"I hurt him worse that's what counts" the Doctor said, removing his hand from hers to brush his fingers lightly over her neck. Clara shuddered lightly at the touch, but the pleasure lessened when she realised the Doctor was brushing blood from a light cut on her neck – probably caused by the Swiss knife when she ran. Somehow she couldn't care – it was over.

Later when they left the police station having spent that last few hours filling out paperwork and making statements – and finally being given the news Ethan had confessed to everything so no trial would be needed – the adrenaline had left Clara feeling a little achy and sore, not that she let it show in her voice when she ran her family and told them the news. She only let it show once she was back in the TARDIS with the Doctor. She rested her arms on the TARDIS and let out a groan of relief, tiredness and soreness.

She felt the Doctor at her back before he said anything. "Tired Ghrá?" he asked, his voice hushed almost.

"Mmm you still haven't told me what that means…" Clara leaned back into the Doctors touch when he put his hands on her shoulders and massaged deeply with his thumbs.

"I believe I told you to brush up on your Gaelic." He replied, lips just brushing her earlobe.

"We both know I'm probably never going to do that…"

He chuckled lightly, burying his face in her hair he finally said softly "Love."

"What?" Clara had closed her eyes but opened them in surprise at that.

"Ghrá. It means love." The Doctor said softly. "I've been calling you love all this time and you didn't know…"

The thought made her smile. "Ghrá is much nicer than sounding Yorkshire and calling me 'love'." She shrugged.

The Doctor spun her around then so she was facing him and stared at her unblinking as he said "I didn't call your ghrá to avoid sounding Yorkshire… I did it so you wouldn't know that I… so I wouldn't have to say that I…"

Clara smiled, reaching up she pulled him down and kissed him deeply, he seemed surprised at first but his hands found her waist eventually and pulled her flush against him. When they parted she kissed his chin and looked up into his eyes and admitted out loud for the first time "I love you Doctor. Always have, always will."

His reaction was instantaneous. His lips descended on hers forcefully again, hands moving from her waist up, thumbs just reaching under her shirt to brush the bare skin they found there. Clara used this as an invitation to feel more of him too and moved hands through his hair – her nails biting down eliciting a soft groan from him. Apparently he liked that.

His mouth moved from hers to press kisses along her jaw, lick up her earlobe and move down her neck being hesitant around the fresh cut on her throat but his tongue flicking out to sooth the pain. She hummed at that – but kept control of her involuntary noises unlike him.

"Clara, Clara, Clara… my impossible girl…" the Doctor mumbled between kisses to her throat and collar following her shirt and low as it went and eyes flicking up to her face to check what he was doing was fine with her as his fingers hovered on the top button on her blouse.

Feeling more than a little mischievous, Clara winked down at him and stepped away – seeing the worry and disappointment on his face she reached out and took his hand, pressing a kiss to it as she lead him down the TARDIS corridors to her bedroom. She saw him smile and his eyes darken with lust and desire when he realised where they were headed.

Later, lying on the bed and tangled up in naked limbs and soft bed sheets, Clara curled up to the Doctors side with her head rested on his chest as she began to fall into a sleep she knew would be the most relaxed one she'd had in over a year.

She felt him move, was concerned he was getting up since the Timelord didn't need to sleep, instead he was pressing kisses to her forehead again while his hand brushed up and down her bare back lightly. She heard him whisper quite clearly, probably thinking she was already asleep, "I love you my impossible girl. I love you."

Smiling into his chest and deciding not to pretend she was asleep she whispered back "I know. I love you too. My smart-Idiot."

He froze underneath her – but squeezed her lightly and gave a slight chuckle.