A/N - Sorry for the delay with this chapter! I had everything written up to this chapter, so now the gaps between chapters might be a bit bigger than usual! Hope you enjoy this one though!
Chapter Eight
Another week passed and on Friday evening, Clara was just about to settle in for the night when her phone rang. It was the Doctor.
"Hello you," she answered, a smile creeping across her face as it did every time she spoke to him.
"Clara Oswald," he said, deep affection in his voice, "What are you up to right at this moment?"
She laughed. "Erm, nothing much really. I've just done the washing up, I was about to finish my book with a glass of wine or something. Why? Do you have other ideas?"
He chuckled. "Maybe. Open the front door."
He hung up and Clara looked confused, crossing her living room to the front door.
When she opened it, she saw The Doctor at the bottom of the steps, hands in the pockets of his black jeans, a light grey jacket over a white t-shirt which clung to him gorgeously. He was effortlessly sexy and it made Clara hot under the collar. Just then, a small person popped his head out from behind the Doctor, small hands clinging to his Dad's jacket. Roland.
The Doctor leaned down and whispered something in Roland's ear. Roland nodded and then went ahead of his Dad, climbing up the steps towards Clara. Clara crouched down to greet him properly.
"Hello Roland, this is a nice surprise," she said warmly.
Roland shuffled on his feet a bit; his father's son.
"We're going to the fair and we wanted to know if you'd like to come too?" he asked shyly.
Clara looked past him at the Doctor, leaning against the wall, legs crossed, with the same shy smile on his face as his son.
Clara grinned at Roland. "That would be lovely! Do you want to come in whilst I get my coat?"
Roland smiled a bit and then he nodded. "Yes please."
"Go on through that door there and I'll say hello to your Dad,"
As he disappeared into the house, the Doctor was approaching, climbing the steps two at a time until he was right in front of her.
"So, will you come with us?" he said, looking down at her, his gaze lingering.
She reached out and touched the edges of his jacket. "I'd love to," she said quietly, her face breaking out into a warm smile.
He looked at her intently and shuffled closer to her body. He touched her neck, this thumb grazing her jawline softly.
"Good," he whispered before leaning down to kiss her, his mouth opening hers up and his hand sinking into her silky brown hair. Clara slid her hands inside his jacket, touching the soft white cotton clinging to his hips and feeling warmth radiate from him. She stood up on her tiptoes to make up the height difference as she gave into him. She ever-so-slightly teased his tongue with hers, making him growl softly into her mouth and tighten his grip. They broke apart for air, mouths still close, foreheads touching and Clara nipped at his bottom lip playfully. She would never tire of kissing him. She felt him stroke her cheek with his thumb.
"I've wanted to do that all week," he breathed, "I've missed you, Clara Oswald."
Clara felt a rush of warmth in her chest. With his deep voice rumbling in her ear, part of her wanted to tug him inside and press him against the door and strip him from his layers and make him fall apart. Then she remembered his son was inside.
She rubbed her nose against his, hearing him inhale sharply.
"I'm really glad you came over," she whispered, curling her hands around his slim waist.
He was just about to kiss her again, when a tiny figure appeared in the doorway.
"Can we go yet?" said Roland.
"Absolutely!" said Clara, loosening her hold on the Doctor and slipping from his grasp, but not without him catching her hand and squeezing lightly first. "Let me just go and change really quickly,"
Clara disappeared into the house, and the Doctor took the opportunity to bend down and zip up his son's coat.
"Daddy," asked Roland "Do you like Clara?"
The Doctor smiled. "I do, very much," he said "Do you?"
"Yeah, she smells nice and likes books," said Roland, making the Doctor laugh. "I'm not going to kiss her like you though - that's yucky."
The Doctor chuckled, smoothing back his son's hair. "No kissing anyone until you're at least 25, my boy,"
Then Clara returned with a black leather jacket, tight skinny jeans, Converse and a swipe of lipstick. The look the Doctor gave her made her flush - he looked like he wanted to devour her.
"Let's go!" said Roland, darting ahead down the steps.
The Doctor slid his hand across the small of Clara's back and kissed her cheek as they followed.
The evening air was warm still and the fair was buzzing with people, the smell of candy floss and burgers in the air and the delighted squeals of children as the rides whizzed them around.
"Which ride first, Roly?" asked The Doctor, holding hands with his son, swinging their arms playfully.
"Can we go on the Teacups? And then the ferris wheel? Ooo, and then can we go on the dodgems?"
"Woah, slow down there hot potato, I can't keep up!"
The Doctor leaned over to Clara. "How do you feel about Teacups? He likes to spin pretty fast,"
Clara grinned. "Bring it on."
After a few dizzy spells on the Teacups, the three stood in line for the dodgems.
"Can I go with Clara?" asked Roly.
Both Clara and the Doctor looked at each, surprised. The Doctor smiled.
"Yeah, sure little man. You think you can both take on your old Dad?"
Roland looked up at Clara and grinned. She held her hand up for a high-five.
"I think we'll make a great team, Roly," said Clara, and Roland nodded hitting his little palm against hers. Clara was jumping for joy the inside. For her, his request was a huge step.
As Roland turned back to look through the railings at the little electric cars bashing into each other, Clara looked up at the Doctor who was smiling softly at her.
He leaned down and whispered in her ear. "I knew he'd love you,"
Clara's breath hitched at that word. Love. Was that what this was? It'd be so long for her. The tightening in the chest, the butterflies in the stomach, her head swimming with contentment every time she looked at him, the spark of electricity when he touched her. It all added up but surely it was too soon? She needed to slow her brain down, take it one step at a time.
"And then Dad got stuck in the corner and we came around the side and went BOOM!" Roly laughed with Clara, and the Doctor rolled his eyes.
"Yes, very funny, Dad got stuck which was completely unfair because that those two bigger boys kept going the wrong way and throwing me off course!"
"It's ok, Doctor," said Clara, waking backwards in front of him and grinning "It's ok to accept that Roland and I are better at dodgems - you can't be good at everything,"
The Doctor narrowed his eyes at her, his smirk giving him away. He looked over at Roland who was distracted by a man juggling nearby, and took the opportunity to pull Clara close to him by her waist.
"I can't wait to show you all the other things I'm good at," he whispered hotly in her ear.
Clara felt a rush of arousal and heat creep up her neck. The Doctor slid his hand into hers and pulled back, pinning her with another smouldering glance, before tugging her off towards the games stalls where Roland was heading.
Roland used his big blue eyes to convince the Doctor to try and win him a teddy at one of the stalls - the one where you throw three balls at some stacked tin cans. After two balls, the cans came tumbling down and Roland squeaked with joy.
"Well done, Dad!" he said, clapping his little hands together and beaming as the man held out a teddy with soft fur and a kind face. "Thank you!"
"One for the lady, sir?" the man behind the stall asked the Doctor, nodding at Clara.
The Doctor spun round to smile at her and then fished in his pockets for some more coins.
"Go on then,"
He turned back and winked at Clara, a grin on his face.
In one swift move, the Doctor knocked the middle can in the bottoms row and sent the other cans flying in all directions.
Roland clapped again and Clara laughed, clapping too as another teddy was handed to the Doctor. He turned and held it out to Clara.
"Very impressive, Doctor,"
He smirked. "Is it working?" he asked "Am I impressing you?"
She took the teddy from him and smiled back. "Yes."
She stretched up and kissed him quickly. "Thank you - he's very lovely."
"Me or the bear?" he teased.
"You're more than just very lovely."
He blushed and kissed the corner of her mouth. Then he bent down to Roland and lifted him up, placing him on his shoulders, making the little boy squeal.
"Come on you, it's WAY past your bedtime,"
Roland tried to protest, but Clara could already see him leaning down to rest his head on the Doctor's, eyes drooping and his hand clinging to his new teddy.
Together, they all started the walk back to the Doctor's house.
Whilst the Doctor put a very sleepy Roland to bed, Clara lingered in the hallway, looking at photos on the wall. Roland in a paddling pool wearing goggles and armbands and grinning at the camera; a beautiful candid shot of Roland in the Doctor's arms, little hands around his Dad's neck as the Doctor pointed out something in the sky; Roland as a baby lying on his front in the grass; and then a photo of a woman with masses of curly hair lying in a hospital bed and clutching a tiny baby in her arms - River and Roland. She looked so happy, staring down at the bundle in her arms. Clara felt tears prick in her eyes, thinking of how difficult it must have been for the Doctor to lose his wife just as he was thrown into fatherhood. He was marvellous.
"Roland wanted me to tell you: 'Thanks for coming to the fair and being my dodgems partner." The Doctor's voice pulled her from her thoughts and she turned to look at him at the other end of the hall.
She smiled as he made his way towards her.
"He's always been quite wary with other people - a bit shy, very clingy with me around others - but he's really taken to you," he said, his hands moving to her hips as he pulled her closer, looking at her affectionately. "I can't blame him,"
Clara wound her arms around his neck, stroking the soft hair at the nape of his neck.
"He's brilliant," she said "just like his Dad."
The Doctor lowered his head and kissed her; it started gently, but then his teeth grazed her lip and and he pulled her tighter against him and she was consumed by him. She sunk her hands into his hair and let his tongue into her mouth and his warm hands under the hem of her t-shirt, pressing herself against him deeply, feeling his strong chest against hers and his thigh slip between her legs.
He tilted his head and smiled against her mouth, catching his breath. She breathed a soft laugh and her eyes flickered open to look at him, catching his gaze.
"I want you so badly," he whispered, his forehead touching hers, lips still close. "I'd ask you to stay but…"
His eyes flickered down the hall.
Clara stroked his cheek and kissed him again. "It's ok," she said "I understand,"
He kissed her neck, making Clara arch into him and groan softly.
"You drive me crazy, do you know that?" he said hotly, his teeth scraping her earlobe. "I want you naked in my sheets, I want to wake up with you in the morning, I want to make you feel special, I want to make you come undone,"
"Doctor," she breathed, clinging to his neck as he pressed against her. She was about ready to burst into flames.
He kissed her again and then pulled back to look at her. "Soon, I promise."
Clara smoothed his hair back.
"God knows I wish I was in your bed right now," she said quietly and he laughed, "But there's no rush - I'm not going anywhere,"
He leaned closer, nose brushing against hers affectionately. Clara kissed his ear. "In the meantime," she whispered into it "I'll have to satisfy myself whilst I think of you,"
The Doctor groaned in frustration and Clara chuckled. She leaned back and he kissed her forehead.
"Can I call you and Mr. Bear a taxi?"
Clara looked down at the teddy she'd placed on the sideboard.
"His name isn't Mr. Bear actually,"
"What is it then?" he asked with a smile.
"John."
Thank you for all the lovely comments - they really make my day. More soon!