Thank you so much for the first reviews :) Glad you've liked it so far. And now, on to Clara's side of the story. . .

Chapter 2

As soon as the Doctor had darted out of the room Clara inhaled deeply and leaned back against the nearest wall, only now remembering how to breathe. But she had done well, hadn't she? The Doctor probably hadn't noticed just how much of a nervous wreck she had been and now that he was gone she could finally get her heartbeat back under control.

As soon as Mr Armitage had listed a few names of her fellow teachers while showing her around the building, Clara had almost frozen at the mention of the Doctor and instantly started to panic. Clara had been braced for about anything, but not seeing him again, her professor, her Doctor, the man she had had a crush on ever since she had met him. It had been years and Clara hadn't actually thought about him in a long time, but just the mention of his name could still make her heart beat faster. She wasn't over him. Far from it.

So Clara had used the remainder of the tour to brace herself, to mentally prepare herself and it had almost worked. Still she hadn't been able to hide the smile that had come over her face when she had spotted him. The Doctor still looked just as good as she remembered him, maybe even better, his hair a wild mess of silver curls, his chin stubbly. Yes, she definitely still had a crush on him.

And he had asked her out for dinner, the pure thought about it still making her heart race minutes later. How she would have loved to say yes and just spend the evening with her new colleague, but Danny was waiting for her at home. Danny.

"Fuck," Clara muttered when she glanced at her watch. She was late. Again.

Hastily she reached for her purse and locked her office door before she rushed out of the building, determined not to be too late to another date.

"You need to move out," Missy's voice greeted him instantly upon entering the house and the Doctor sighed as he dropped the keys by the door.

"I've been here for three days," he argued and trudged into the kitchen where Missy was sitting the table with a book in her hands. Wordlessly he sank down on the chair next to her, even though he really, really wanted to talk. He needed to get some very important things off his chest and who could he tell them to if not his best friend.

"Yes, three days," she agreed, "And just this morning I stumbled over your boxers in the bathroom. You're a slob."

"You've known that before you let me in."

Finally Missy looked up from her book, eyeing him closely. "You look troubled. Did something happen?" she asked him.

"Clara Oswald," he said simply and leaned back in his chair.

"Oh," his best friend uttered at the mention of the familiar name until her face turned into a frown, "She's not still a student there, is she? I thought you said she was clever."

The Doctor sighed. "She's a teacher now."

"Well, good for you," Missy gave him a nudge, "Go and ask her out. You've liked her for how long? 10 years?"

"I did that. I actually did that. And she is engaged now," he admitted with a heavy heart, "I might as well pack my office now because I'll never be able to work with her."

"Nonsense," Missy made a dismissive waving gesture with her hand, "You're a coward and you will suck it up now. Clara Oswald won't murder you. She's not dangerous. You're just being an idiot and who knows, maybe after working with her for a few weeks you will totally be over it. You can't run away every time the two of you cross paths."

The Doctor growled in reply. "Watch me."

But a part of him didn't even want to run away, not yet anyway. Because the longer he thought about it, the surer he became aware of one detail that had been missing from the earlier picture: Clara's engagement ring.

Clara was completely out of breath by the time she reached the floor of her flat, but Danny was already waiting by the door. Damn the overcrowded trains. Damn the broken lift.

"I am so, so sorry," Clara uttered instantly and greeted Danny with a short peck on the lips, "I just wanted to stop by my new office to have a look and then got distracted by some new colleagues. I swear, I would have been on time otherwise."

Yet Danny rolled his eyes at her. "You're always late for some reason or another," he complained while Clara unlocked the door.

"I'm still on time for the restaurant. Just let me change my clothes and we're ready to go," she said and already headed towards her bedroom when Danny's voice held her back once more.

"The restaurant, yes," he said, "But in case you've forgotten, we also wanted to browse for houses before that."

"The houses aren't going anywhere, Danny."

"Yes, they are, they're getting sold," he argued.

With a sigh Clara turned back around to face him. He looked so hurt right now that Clara instantly felt overwhelmed by guilt over acting like this. "Danny," she said sweetly and granted him a smile as she approached him and placed both her hands on his shoulders, "I am sorry. We will find a house, but I can't have everything happening in my life at once. This new job is really exciting and also very, very scary for me. It's a huge step and I'm afraid that if we start really getting into this house thing, too, that it's going to be too much to handle at the same time. Do you understand that?"

When Danny's features softened and his shoulders sank a little Clara knew that he did indeed understand. "I just want to live together. That's not such a bad thing, is it?"

"Not at all," she told him with a smile, "But both your place and mine are too small for two people to live in and look at it that way – this job brings in a lot more money and we'll be able to afford a much better place if we just wait for another month or two."

With a defeated sigh Danny nodded. "Can we make a deal?" he asked.

"Sure," Clara agreed.

"I won't bother you with the subject for the next two months but in December we'll start looking in earnest, okay? I would really like a house key under my Christmas tree."

"Okay," she said and went up on her toes to peck him on the cheek, "And now let me get ready or we'll miss the reservation as well."

Clara changed into a nice evening dress as quickly as possible and combed her hair once more before she emerged from the bedroom again to find Danny in front of the telly. For a moment she considered suggesting to stay home and just binge watch TV shows, but she had already learned that Danny took their date night quite seriously. Otherwise she would have ditched him an hour ago and gone out with the Doctor instead.

"I'm ready," she announced happily and turned in a circle for him to get a good look at her and, sure enough, a smile spread over Danny's face.

"Well, not quite ready," he argued.

"Why? What's missing?" Clara asked in confusion.

"Ehm, the ring?" Danny said in mock amusement.

Clara froze on the spot. Of course. Her engagement ring. How could she have forgotten about that?

She instantly started cursing herself internally. She loved the look of that ring and she loved that Danny had asked her to marry him and yet the ring itself was a nuisance. It was too big and always started bugging and annoying her minutes after she had put it on, but Clara was nothing if not determined. She kept trying, hoping that one day she would get used to the feeling of it on her hand, but at some point she always had to take it off. And she had no idea where she had left it.

"Aren't you gonna get it?" Danny asked her, his voice now a little suspicious.

"Sure," Clara laughed nervously, "I'll get it right away."

And yet she didn't move. Because if she went into the bedroom to get it and it wasn't there Danny would know. And then they would fight again.

"Clara?" he frowned at her. The suspicion was definitely there now. "Do you not know where it is?"

Clara laughed, scoffing. "Of course," she replied instantly, "Of course I know. It's, uhm, it's in my bedroom. Just took it off to put on some hand balm. I'll be back in a sec."

"Please be there, please be there, please, please, please," Clara muttered under her breath once she had turned around and made her way back into the bedroom and she almost sighed in relief when she saw the piece of jewellery actually lying on her bedside table.

"Got it!", Clara called into the living room as she put that damned thing back on her hand. It was annoying her already. "We're ready to go."

With a sigh she reached for her coat and vowed to herself that this time she would try very hard not to take it off again. But one thing was for certain: she probably wouldn't be elected girlfriend of the month any time soon.