Clara showed up a few minutes later than planned, nervously twisting the hem of Nina's dress between her fingers. She still had yet to get her hands on some clothes of her own—her only outfit was burned from being in the TARDIS and she wasn't going to bring the Maitlands into the whole situation, so the result was that she was going to be borrowing Nina's clothes until she could get her hands on some of her own. The other woman had insisted she didn't mind, and had seemed to particularly enjoy helping Clara pick out what to wear that evening. "You have to look sophisticated and not too show-offy, since this is a nanny job," She had said as she went through her closet, "but at the same time, it's gotta be cute. Especially since you might see John there."

Clara had been perched at the edge of Nina's bed, watching with amusement as she fussed over every detail about Clara's outfit. She had somewhat regretted telling her flatmate that her new prospective job was right below where the Doctor was now living, but there was no going back now. She just had to remember not to let slip about the roses, or Nina would have a ball.

"By the way," Nina had added nonchalantly, "I told Henry thanks from you."

Oops.

She glanced back and raised her eyebrows at Clara. "He said they weren't from him."

"Really?" Clara tried to look surprised. "Well, who are they from, then?"

"I think you know." Nina had grinned at her. "Yeah?"

Clara had sighed and scooted back on the bed. "Fine," She had given in, flopping backwards. "They're from John."

"I knew it!"

"But," Clara had interrupted, "They were just a thank-you. Like they would have been if they were from Henry."

Nina had made a soft tsk sound at that, in a way that made Clara sense she could hear the uncertainty in her voice. "Whatever you say, dear."

In the end, they had decided on a knee-length red dress that was tempted to hang off Clara's shoulder because she was a little smaller than Nina. Now, standing in the chilly air at the front door of Craig's flat, she was tugging the sleeve back up her arm and wondering if she should have brought a jacket. She reached into her pocket (thank goodness for dresses with pockets) to check that the fob watch was still there, and felt the familiar smooth surface beneath her fingertips. Reassured, she knocked lightly on the door and was greeted moments later as a pretty blonde woman opened the door, bouncing a young boy on her hip and smiling widely.

"Hello!" She greeted her. "You must be Clara."

"That's me." She smiled and shook the woman's hand. "You're Sophie, right?"

"I am." Sophie stepped to the side and pulled the door open a little wider. "Come in! Craig and Lila are inside."

"Thanks." Clara slipped past the other woman and into the hallway. To the left was a door that probably led into their flat, but in front of her was a staircase, much like the one that led up to Henry's flat at home. There was a light coming from under the door, and she could hear what sounded like loud, off-key singing coming from behind it.

Sophie noticed her gaze and followed it. "You know him, right?" She asked softly. "I mean, not him—the way he is now—but like, him before? The Doctor?"

Clara gave a tiny nod. "Yeah." Glancing over at Sophie, she gave her the crooked hint of a smile. "I'm sorta supposed to be his babysitter while he's in his current… state."

The blonde woman chuckled as she opened the door to her and Craig's flat. "Well, you'll be right below him, so that should make things a bit easier for you."

"I suppose so." Clara stepped into the room and was greeted by Craig, who had baby Lila in a sling around his middle and was stirring something on the stove. She waved and said hello, and then turned as Sophie set the child she had been carrying down and took his hand, walking him slowly over to her.

"So," Sophie started, "This is Alfie. He's three."

Clara crouched down so she was at eye level with the boy. "Hello there, Alfie."

He had a round face and big brown eyes that widened considerably at her. Wordlessly, he let go of his mother's hand and ducked behind her legs, peeking out nervously.

Sophie chuckled and rubbed the top of his head. "He's a bit shy at first, but he'll warm right up to you, I'm sure."

Clara straightened up with a smile. "Little kids can be like that," She agreed. "So what would my hours be?"

Craig joined the conversation from his place by the stove. "You'd be here Monday to Friday, from 'round eight in the morning to half past four in the afternoon."

She nodded. "That'll work."

"Here," Sophie started, "I'll give you a tour, and explain what you'll need to do during the day. They're both pretty low-maintenance kids, but Lila's a baby and that comes with its own set of difficulties. Do you have any experience with infants?"

"Some," Clara replied. She'd done lots of babysitting in her life, and out of all those years she'd probably looked after a dozen or so infants.

The blonde woman gave a small chuckle. "That's good enough. Besides, Craig trusts the Doctor, so anyone the Doctor trusts is good by me."

Clara followed Sophie through another few rooms as they finished the tour, and then Craig shouted from the kitchen that supper was ready and their tour came to an end. Sophie led them back out of the hall, Alfie clutching onto her hand tightly. Every few moments, Clara caught him glancing back at her with wide eyes, and she would smile and then he'd turn away and snuggle closer to his mum's side. Sophie tousled his hair and then picked him up, bouncing him on her hip as she and Clara exited back out into the main room.

Craig was still holding Lila in her sling, but he'd somehow managed to carry a pot of simmering tomato sauce out, which he set on the table next to a bowl of pasta. When they emerged, he glanced up, set the sauce down and heaved a sigh. "Soph, will you take Lila for a while? It's a bit hard to cook with half my arms useless."

Sophie gave a small laugh and shook her head, shrugging the shoulder which was supporting Alfie's head. "I'm a bit full right now, but I'm sure Clara would be willing to."

"Oh! Oh, um, yeah, all right. Of course." Clara bit her bottom lip lightly and held out her arms as Craig gently transferred the snoozing Lila into her arms. The jostling made her wake up, flickering open pretty blue eyes and making her squirm slightly, letting out a shrill cry. Clara winced and gently bounced her, cooing softly. "C'mon, Lila. Don't do this to me, we've gotta get along," She murmured. In response, the baby whimpered softly and reached out chubby, soft hands towards Clara's face.

From beside her, Sophie chuckled. "Don't worry about her," She insisted. "You know babies. They cry a lot, but they warm up to you over time."

"Yeah," Clara replied quietly, though her eyes were still focused on the child in her arms who was now giggling, gazing up at her with big eyes as she put her own hands in her mouth. Clara had forgotten how much she loved babies—they were so tiny and innocent, even though they were a lot of work.

It was after a few moments, when Sophie had finally pried Alfie off her and gotten him to sit quietly in his seat, that Craig carefully took Lila back and put her in her high chair. "Sit down," Craig offered as he pulled out his own chair.

"Thanks." Clara slipped into her seat, hands folded on her lap.

Sophie reached across the table and took the pasta bowl. "So, Clara, tell me—"

Her question was interrupted by a loud clamor from the other end of the room as someone outside knocked repeatedly on the door.

A/n: Happy holidays, guys! I'm out for winter break, so I'll definitely be updating more often. Please don't be afraid to leave reviews! They fuel me to write more, and I love reading them. I've already got about 600 words of the next chapter, so expect that one up probably before Christmas!