Thank you so much for the many, many "WHAAAAT?"s :D Now, let's see why Clara pushed him away. . . .

Chapter 22

John stared at her for what seemed like an eternity and yet the look he got in return from Clara only added to his confusion. He tried to think of a better word than abhorrence, but couldn't come up with one.

"I'm not Clara!" she told him and John had no idea what to say.

Then a sound from the other end of the room started him and John turned around to see Clara standing in the living room. He looked back to the person next to him on the sofa. Clara. Back by the door. Also Clara.

John couldn't say how often he had managed to turn his head back and forth until Clara, the one in the doorway, finally found her voice to speak. She seemed furious.

"You. Are. Dead," Clara hissed towards the other woman and now John finally noticed it. The woman next to him wasn't Clara, but he could only see the difference now that he had compared the two of them. The clothes she wore weren't right. Her tone of voice wasn't right. John hadn't even noticed before. They really looked alike.

"It's not what it looks like," the other woman said, granting her an apologetic smile, "There has just been a misunderstanding."

"Oh, really?!" Clara yelled, "Cause for a moment I thought I had seen you kiss my husband!"

The other woman opened her mouth, but John cut her off. Before both Claras started to get into a fight, he had some questions that he would really like answered.

"Can anyone tell me what the hell is going on here?!" John enquired loudly and rose from his seat. He took a couple of steps back so he could look at both of them at once. The one on the sofa definitely wasn't the real Clara and somehow he felt like he should have seen it. But how could he have seen it? He hardly knew Clara at all.

"I'm Bonnie," the woman on the sofa replied, "Clara's twin sister."

"No!" Clara said harshly and suddenly approached the sofa too quickly for him to react. She grabbed Bonnie's arm and yanked at it until she was forced to stand up, "You're leaving, that's what you are! Get out!"

Clara shoved her towards the door.

"Out!"

"I just came to talk!" Bonnie yelled back in defence.

"No, you came to mess with us!" You knew about John and that he wouldn't recognize you! You-"

"Clara," John said softly, "Please, I think it's just a misunderstanding."

Bonnie's gaze shifted from Clara to him and for a moment she looked almost grateful, but there was something else. Something he didn't really understand.

"I'll go," Bonnie said eventually, "I'll leave you alone."

John watched as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small note that she left on the table next to her.

"That's my new address," she explained, "In case you want to talk or, you know, burn down the building."

"I think that's more your area," Clara growled. She stepped forward and took the note, crumbling it in her hand and throwing it in the direction of the bin. She missed.

Bonnie nodded and slowly turned around to leave, but not without throwing another glance in John's direction.

When the door closed behind her, John heard Clara take a deep breath before she buried her face in her hands. She was upset and she had every right to be. After all, she had just witnessed her sister and husband kissing.

"I'm sorry," he apologized quietly, "I'm sorry, I didn't know. I didn't realize she wasn't you. I should have seen it."

"No," she replied quietly and finally lifted her hands from her face to look at him, "It's not your fault."

"You're still upset."

"Of course I'm upset!" Clara shouted at him and the sound of her voice made him flinch, "My sister is a bitch and always has been! Grandma must have told her about you and she used the situation for her games, to mess with me! None of this is your fault!"

"Then why are you yelling at me?"

"Because it hurts!" she admitted and all of a sudden there were tears in her eyes, "Because everything just keeps getting worse and worse and there's no end to it! You and Bonnie! Why can't it be like before the accident? Why can't she just disappear?! Why can't I just have you back?!"

"Clara-"

"I know it's not your fault! I know you're trying!" she sobbed, her voice growing quiet, "But I am still furious and I just want my husband back."

John didn't think. He wasn't even nervous anymore. The only thought in his head was the sudden urge to comfort her, so he stepped forward and laid his hands on her cheeks as gently as he could. He swallowed, gathering up all of his courage and then bent down to give her a short, soft kiss on the lips.

"I'm sorry," John whispered.

Clara exhaled sharply and closed her eyes, the tears still running down her cheeks.

"It's the beard, isn't it? You're crying cause it's itchy," John joked cause right now he felt at a loss as to what else he could do to make her feel better.

To his relief she laughed. "No, silly."

When she opened her eyes and looked at him John cursed himself once more for not realizing earlier that Bonnie was Clara's twin sister. It had all felt wrong right from the start and he had ignored it. There hadn't been any connection between them, not like the connection he had with Clara right now. With her it just felt easier.

"Come on," he said softly, "Why don't we sit down? I've got a lasagne in the oven and you can tell me all about Bonnie over dinner?"

She hesitated for a moment and John felt like she was about to say she wasn't hungry, so he wanted to be faster than that.

"You skipped breakfast. You should at least have a decent dinner," he argued.

"Fine," Clara agreed, finally cracking a smile.

Ten minutes later they were both sitting on the sofa, a plate on their laps and eating their dinner. Clara told him about Bonnie, about their teenage years, their mother's death and how she had ended up in prison.

"So, she wants to reconnect?" he asked, stuffing more lasagne into his mouth.

"That's what grandma said. I don't know what she wants. I'm not sure I want to know," Clara sighed, "Bonnie is dead to me."

"She's your sister," John argued and suddenly an idea crossed his mind, "Have we talked about this before my accident?"

"No," she said instantly, "I didn't know she was in town until after your accident. Why?"

John couldn't really say why. It was just the way Bonnie had looked at him right before she had left and his own gaze now wandered back to the little slip of paper next to the bin. He had an inkling, but he wasn't sure.

"Doesn't matter," John said, "Do you like your lasagne?"

Clara smiled at him. "It's delicious. Thank you."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Uhm, sure," Clara nodded.

"How was our first kiss?"

To his surprise Clara started to chuckle while she put her empty plate away and leaned back on the sofa. "Basically, you were an idiot," she explained, laughing softly.

"Apparently I'm always an idiot. Tell me," John prompted and made himself comfortable on the sofa next to her.

Clara started telling him their story that had started on a quiet Christmas Day a few years ago and he listened intently. His memories didn't resurface, but he could very well imagine how that man in her story must have felt because he was experiencing feelings that were quite similar right now.