Thank you all so much for the reviews :) Now, kids, look away!

Chapter 21

Clara felt as if she was still dreaming. She was lying in bed, the Doctor's arms wrapped around her protectively and he was properly cuddled up against her. It was like it had been back in Paris, only this time she knew that they both felt the same thing and it was more beautiful than she could have ever imagined. The Doctor was awake already, or half awake judging by the sloppy kisses he was leaving along the line of her neck. Clara sighed dreamily as he pulled her closer, pressing himself harder against her.

"Good morning," she whispered happily.

"Mhhhh," he murmured against her neck, "My Clara. My beautiful Clara."

It was at this moment that she realized they hadn't actually talked about anything the previous night. Clara still didn't know a thing about his past but instead she knew exactly how his lips tasted and how his chest felt under her palm that she had slipped beneath his shirt and how fast his heart had been beating at her touch. The memory of it alone was enticing but now she could feel the Doctor's hand wandering south and passing the waistband of her pyjama bottoms. Behind her he was slowly beginning to grind against her arse. His kisses were becoming more distinct and his fingers were rubbing softly against her clit, making her want to push up against them. For someone who had been trying to stay far away from touching her the Doctor was now doing a very good job at making her fall apart underneath his touch.

"Doctor," she hummed, still a little sleepy. She felt like she was caught up in an erotic dream, the kind that came in half sleep and could make the dreamer squirm in the sheets. "Do you want to-?"

"Mh-mh," he replied and Clara realized that the Doctor hadn't woken up properly either.

Clara turned around in his embrace and he looked at her through hooded eyes before he lowered his lips to her own, kissing her bruisingly and climbing on top of her. She decided that "mh-mh" had apparently meant "yes". Reaching for the hem of his jumper she grabbed it and pulled it over his head. The kiss broke for a moment and Clara thought she could see a flicker of fear in the Doctor's eyes when they opened.

"Undress me," she told him sweetly, "Make love to me. Please. Don't be scared."

He didn't speak as they discarded of their clothing, throwing them thoughtlessly on her bedroom floor until they were both completely naked. The Doctor had already seen her naked but he still looked at her as if he had never laid eyes on a woman before. Clara knew this look on the face of a man but coming from the Doctor, who had probably been with a lot of women and had seen and painted some most certainly more beautiful than her, it meant the world to Clara. And seeing him like this for the first time proved to be everything she had expected and more. He was lean and pale, a few silver hairs spread over his chest and he was quite a nice size, to say the least. He was already hard and she couldn't wait to feel him, the sight of him making her tingle in just exactly the right places.

Clara leaned forward to kiss him again, her hand reaching behind his head to pull him down on top of her as she sank back into the pillows.

The Doctor was careful when he moved inside her, giving her a moment to get used of the feeling of him as he filled her up. Clara smiled at him reassuringly, knowing that she had waited for this moment since the first time they had met and it had been well worth the wait. He was so gentle in everything he did, kissing her, caressing her skin with his lips, moving in and out of her at a slow speed that was soon proving to be agonizing. Wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his hips she invited him in deeper, pushing her hips up to meet his rhythm.

As it turned out the Doctor was as enduring as he was gentle, keeping his pace as he moved and apart from a few, quiet moans he never made a sound or spoke. Yet Clara was soon squirming beneath him because each time he pushed inside her he kept brushing that sweet spot but never quite hitting it hard enough for her to come. She gasped, bending her hips upwards to counter his movements. He never went faster or harder, he didn't even seem anywhere close to the finish line and it was beginning to drive her mad as the pleasure was building up inside her more and more, filling the glass drop by drop but never quite spilling over. Then finally he lowered his hand between them, brushing over her clit with his thumb and Clara pressed against it to increase the pressure as he rubbed against her. It was wonderful and thrilling and unlike any other time she had been with a man and she couldn't understand why the Doctor was holding back, why he didn't give it all and fucked her until she was completely numb. This slowness was beginning to be frustrating until she could feel it. It felt as if tiny sparks were going off inside her, spilling to the outside until she couldn't hold back anymore and buried her fingernails in his skin and a moan came over her lips as she came.

The Doctor paused but not for long. She didn't even have the time to come down from her orgasm as he turned her over and Clara found herself on all fours with the Doctor right behind her, his crotch pressed against her arse as he drove inside her. This time it wasn't gentle. She tried to find something to hold on to besides the pillows, grabbing a bar in her headboard as he started thrusting inside of her. The Doctor was panting as his hands grabbed her hips, pulling them down on his cock at an increasing speed. She tried in vain to supress her moans as he plunged into her, filling her up over and over again, the slight soreness and the feeling of her last orgasm only adding to the sensation. A groan coming from his lips told her that he was close and she purposefully tightened herself around him at which his thrusts only grew harder and more determined. However shy and held back he had been before it was now forgotten as he moaned and uttered her name in his fully aroused state. The Doctor had her whimpering soon enough as one thrust hit particularly deep and she could feel the heat rising inside her again. His movements were starting to become uncoordinated, hitting her deeper and harder each time as he moaned behind her and he dragged her over the edge with him. Her muscles clenched around him in her climax right as she started feeling him spill himself inside her.

The Doctor fell back onto the bed, groaning and gasping for breath as Clara rested next to him.

"God, we're lucky I don't have to be in school until the third period," she panted, "That was amazing. That was. . ."

She blew the breath out between her lips when she failed to think of a better word but then Clara noticed that the Doctor had gone quiet next to her. When she turned to look at him he wore a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Is everything alright?"

He smiled weakly at her. "When I met you I swore to myself I wouldn't do this. Seems like this is another failure to add to my long, long list."

Clara giggled. "If this was a failure I really want to know what you think success looks like."

She only earned a stern look for her comment.

"Doctor, this wasn't a mistake. I wanted this, you said last night that you wanted it, too. And don't start with the I don't date my muses crap again unless you're willing to tell me what that is all about," she said seriously.

"I don't suppose I can convince you to pretend like this never happened?"

"Damn right," Clara confirmed strictly, "Cause I'm definitely planning on doing this again and I am planning on sticking around. You're not getting rid of me so you might as well tell me what you wanted to tell me last night."

"Don't you have school?" he asked hopefully, trying to change the subject.

"Third period. We've got two hours. Tell me. Who was River?"

The Doctor took a long, deep breath, hesitating before he spoke.

"I met her when I was about your age. She was my muse and my lover, the first woman to combine both things and I thought I couldn't be happier. We lasted for years, even got married when we travelled to India together. It was never legal but for me she was my wife. She travelled a lot, sometimes I travelled with her. Until I found out I was only one out of many."

The Doctor stopped, making Clara ponder his statement for a moment.

"What does that mean?" she asked him eventually.

"That she was already legally married, a sheikh of some sort. He was financing her entire life and when River told me she had only married him for the money and the opportunity it brought I almost forgave her. Then I found out about her wife in America."

"Her what?" Clara couldn't stop herself, "I thought she was married to a sheikh!"

"Her wife was part of a hippie commune, the marriage wasn't valid, just like ours wasn't. I don't even know how many others there were."

"Did you ever talk to her about it?"

"I did, in fact. I told her I didn't want to be one of many."

"And what did she say?"

"Not much, actually," the Doctor sighed, "Only that they were all part of who she was. I didn't expect her to change. And she died shortly after we went our separate ways. An archaeological expedition gone wrong. I made a vow to myself then. I wouldn't have a relationship with one of my muses ever again because losing a muse is one thing and so is losing a wife or girlfriend. But both almost drove me insane. I destroyed every painting, every sketch of her. If you asked me now I couldn't even tell you what she looked like. I only remember the lesson it taught me."

Clara reached out and took his hand into her own, squeezing it softly. She meant it as a comfort although she wasn't sure why this could still weigh so heavy on his heart after such a long time.

"Did you try again?" she asked quietly, "With another muse?"

The Doctor swallowed hard. "Yes but I don't want to talk about her. If you knew you would never look at me the same way again."

Clara was sure that eventually he would tell her. It had taken him a while to start opening up to her and once she could make him see that she wouldn't leave or hurt him the Doctor would surely tell her about the rest as well.

She leaned forward and pressed a long, soft kiss to the corner of his lips. "Thank you," she said sincerely, "Thank you for telling me, for trusting me. You won't regret it."