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Chapter 21

Clara wrapped her arms around him from behind and nuzzled her face against his neck, distracting him from his task of weighing the flour for the biscuit dough. The Doctor chuckled but quickly dodged her kisses.

"We haven't even started and you're already trying to distract me," he complained half-heartedly and shoved the measuring cup aside before turning his around to face her.

Before Clara knew what was happening he had his arms around her waist, pulling her down to sit on his lap. She giggled as she adjusted her position, avoiding to accidentally brush his wound with her legs, and placed her hands behind his head. Clara looked at him for a long moment, her beautiful Doctor whom she now had exactly where she wanted him. The thought about him wanting her filled her with an almost childish feeling of delight.

"Amy could be home any second," Clara reminded him of his friend who had gone out to get some sugar from the grocery shop. She wasn't quite sure whether the Doctor would want his friends to know about them just yet even though she was certain that Amy knew anyway.

"Mh-mh," he hummed in reply before he bent forward and kissed her. Clara had almost groaned at the sensation. It was strange how a simple kiss from him seemed to be able to start a fire inside of her and she squirmed against his lap and chest in response, pressing herself more tightly against him. For a brief moment she wondered how much longer it would take before he could finally engage in some action besides kissing and touching, how much longer until his leg was healed enough for him to take her the way he wanted her.

"No relationship, huh?"

They broke apart instantly as they heard Amy's voice and Clara had almost jumped up from his lap in surprise as she spotted her standing only a few steps away, stacking the groceries she had bought into the cupboard. They hadn't even heard her come home.

The Doctor cleared his throat but even though Clara had expected him to find an excuse, to defend their actions or play them down, he never said a thing. She made an attempt to get up and sit elsewhere but the Doctor still held her close.

"It looks like we might get snow," Amy went on to explain, "Can't remember the last time we had a white Christmas."

Clara only half heard her with the Doctor smiling at her the way he did, so lovingly, so happily that she couldn't help but bend down to kiss him again.

"Guys, please," Amy groaned, making them finally pull apart, "You know I'm happy for you but I'm still in the room."

The Doctor coughed to end the awkwardness. "Sorry," he mumbled and Clara rose from his lap to take a seat on the nearest chair as Amy switched on the telly so they would have something to run in the background while they were baking.

Clara followed the news with little interest but she soon noticed that the Doctor's attention had shifted from her to the man talking on screen. She knew him as a potential candidate for the prime minister's office and it took her a moment to see through what he was actually saying. Something about increasing the export of weapons.

"That's gonna make some people really rich," Clara commented with little interest as she reached for the measuring cup the Doctor had cast aside earlier, "Might be worth investing some of my Dad's money in the production of arms."

The Doctor suddenly shot around, staring at her and for a moment Clara was even a little frightened of the intensity of his gaze.

"You're right," he blurted out.

Clara scoffed. "You know I was kidding, right? I'm not actually gonna invest-"

"No, not that part," he interrupted her, "It will make some people rich, but who exactly?"

She frowned at him, not really understanding why he was so interested in who would profit from Harold Saxon's ascent and then his facial expression suddenly changed as he put on a smile.

"Doesn't matter," the Doctor said eventually, "It's Christmas. We shouldn't bother with politics."

"Right," Amy agreed when she placed the final ingredients for the biscuits in front of them, "Let's make something delicious."

Clara still felt a little confused about the Doctor's sudden interest in politics but seeing as he had already changed the topic and Amy was eager to get the biscuits done she decided not to push it. If it was truly important the Doctor would tell her. He told her everything.

When the Doctor put the guitar aside Clara nuzzled her head against his shoulder and wrapped the blanket around both of them. They were all sitting on the floor around the fireplace, Amy and Rory in one corner and her and the Doctor in the other, eating the biscuits they had made and drinking the eggnog Amy had prepared earlier. It was the best and cosiest Christmas Eve Clara had had in a long time and for today she had decided to ban all the bad thoughts from her mind. She just wanted to enjoy these holidays.

"You should play some more," Clara suggested, staring up at the Doctor hopefully.

He chuckled when he placed his arm around her. "My fingers are burning. They're not used to the strings anymore."

"Poor fingers," she mumbled and turned around to kiss his hand that was resting on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry we had to intrude on Christmas," the Doctor said sincerely towards Amy and Rory who were equally cuddled up in blankets a few metres away.

"Don't be silly," Rory said immediately, "We love having you here. Both of you. You're family."

"And family should be together on Christmas," Amy added.

Clara suddenly felt a pang of guilt as if someone had stabbed her in the gut. Her own family was either dead or alone. She had left her grandmother completely on her own during Christmas when she was still grieving and probably in desperate need of some company. And here she was, enjoying herself with the Doctor and two people she had known for barely a week. Ban all the bad thoughts, she thought to herself. She would find a way to make it up to her grandmother once it was all over.

She felt the Doctor pull her a little closer and Clara enjoyed the warmth coming from his body, it made her a little impatient to go to bed so she could enjoy it with fewer layers of fabric between them.

Amy soon refilled their glasses and fetched a couple of board games at which the Doctor groaned, thinking it too childish for a group of adults. However Clara and Amy managed to convince him to a game of Monopoly. They played for hours, laughing as they did, and Clara was happy to see the Doctor eventually enjoying himself. When Amy started to yawn and Rory had no way out of his bankruptcy they all decided to call it a night.

"Come here," Clara got up first and offered the Doctor both her hands to help him up before she dragged him into a standing position where he reached for his crutch.

"We can probably trade that for a walking stick," Rory suggested as he packed up the game.

He scoffed. "Yeah, do go on, make me feel like the old man that I am," he complained.

"Time for bed, old man," Clara teased, smiling broadly at him before they said their goodbyes and retreated to their bedroom.

Once Clara had stripped down and put on her nightwear she lifted the covers and slid into bed next to the Doctor. She was about to turn off the lights when she suddenly felt his arm around her waist, pulling her away from the light switch. Giggling, she turned around to look at him.

"Not sleepy yet?" Clara asked him and was suddenly very much aware of how his crotch was pressed tightly against her own. She couldn't be absolutely sure, but she thought she felt the heat of his erection rubbing against her thigh.

"No," the Doctor grinned before he bent forward to kiss her.