Chapter 8: Denial

The Doctor felt nauseous, and suddenly a need for fresh air overcame him. As the music finished and the glowing couple finished their dance, he swiftly placed his fork aside, and pressed the cloth napkin against his mouth a few times, before standing up.

"Excuse me, fresh air." He muttered, but only William seemed to notice his abrupt departure, as Clara and Delilah were fixated on the couple, clapping away as the lights changed. The Doctor walked away quickly, trying to exit the hall as quickly as he could, his food going back up from his stomach.

When he reached the door, he nodded at the security guard and sat down on the sidewalk, watching the mingling guests outside. Some in fact, were barely arriving. Humans, he thought. He didn't quite know why he felt sick, perhaps the food upset him. Or if he faced reality, perhaps it was the new founded emotions that were swimming in him. Everywhere he looked, couples held on to each other. And every single time, the Doctor wondered if that would ever be possible to have with Clara, to hold her, in the gentlest of ways.

He remembered when he was younger, his last face, there was a sweet flirtatious side to their friendship. He actually let himself believe he was her boyfriend, it didn't go further, however. When his face changed, he became adamant in his decision to end any aspect of that kind of relationship, seeing as it was his fault in the first place. He couldn't let a silly crush get out of hand, and he tried his very best. Even as far as giving a few rude jokes every now and then concerning Clara's appearance, but only to fool himself. However, with the arrival of Danny, the silly crush burned inside of him, melting away his hearts; jealousy overflowing from him. It was Christmas when he decided to give in, let her turn him into Doctor Idiot, but now, the realization of how deep these feelings are, hit him full on.

"Doctor Smith, may I join you?" A voice behind him startled him, causing him to jump in surprise. He turned to find William leaning against the wall, eyeing him with a knowing look full of understanding and sympathy. The Doctor nodded and turned back to stare at the group of people leaning against a black car, laughing away.

William went to sit on the cement next to the Doctor, and uncomfortable silence followed for about a minute until he spoke.

"You're overwhelmed with emotion. I see it in your face." William broke the silence, staring ahead. The Doctor didn't bother looking at him, and simply replied, "Emotion never overwhelms me. Believe it or not, I don't have emotions like the rest of you people do."

William simply chuckled before sighing, "Sure. I believe you. Except the emotion I'm referring to is love."

The Doctor said nothing.

"Clara," William stared at the Doctor, studying the change in coloration on his face, "I saw the way you were looking at her during the dance. I saw those cold eyes glimmering as if you were watching the stars. I saw the exact moment you came to the realization that made your stomach lurch. You can lie to anyone else, Doctor, But not to me. Why? Because I had that same moment with Delilah, and that same face appeared on mine. No matter what face, I will always recognize that look. I don't know much about you Doctor, but I do know that you're in love with Clara and you'll protect her till the end of the universe." William's voice went soft, and the Doctor finally turned to face him.

"Yes, I would. And I will. And one day, I know I'll have to." The Doctor snarled.

"And you're in love with her." It wasn't a question, it was a statement. And it was one that the Doctor was most certainly not ready to accept. Bring a whole ship of daleks, the Doctor would most likely be ready to face them, than to face these silly feelings.

"I will not have this discussion with you." The Doctor simply said, and began to brush off the dust from his trousers, William laughing beside him.

"Okay Doc, I won't interrogate you. But the ladies are waiting for us, how about we get you back inside, have a couple of more drinks to have you relax." William began to stand, and the Doctor was not sure if he was ready to face Clara, but decided it would be better, or else she would be very cross.

"By the way, don't be an old fool and wait until it's too late." And with that, William walked back in first, leaving the Doctor behind to take his last words in consideration.

Clara giggled as the couple gave a public passionate kiss, causing the audience to whistle. When Alex and Karen removed themselves from the dance floor, the lights changed to brighter colors, and people began to flood the floor, gathering together as more upbeat music began to play, couples and children dancing. Clara turned to the Doctor to convince him to dance with her, already ready to hear his complaints, when she realized he wasn't there. She looked at Delilah who also seemed to be wondering where William left, and they both shrugged.

"They probably went for more drinks." Delilah rolled her eyes.

"I think the Doctor has had enough to drink tonight, and a drunk doctor is not what I want to deal with tonight." Clara giggled.

"Ohhh and what do you want to deal with tonight?" Delilah inquired, flashing a sly grin. Clara returned the eye roll and stood up, placing her napkin on the table. She walked to the other side of the table, and reached to grab Delilah's wrist.

"How about we get some more drinks ourselves?" Clara wiggled her eyebrows, pulling her up.

"You don't want the Doctor to get drunk but you're all for yourself getting tipsy, then?" Delilah shook her head in disapproval, but still followed Clara nonetheless. As they made their way through a crowd towards the punch table, Clara had to yell over the music in order for Delilah to hear her.

"I'm much more fun as a drunk than the Doctor, believe me. With me, you get groovy dance moves. With the doctor? You get a sloppy lecture on quantum mechanics! Plus, he's driving tonight." Clara laughed as they reached their designated spot, reaching for two glasses.

"Why does he call himself the Doctor again? Is he really a doctor, or is he just pretentious?" Delilah yelled.

"Oh..ummm he's a Physicist, but you can definitely add in the pretentious part in there." Clara giggled as she leaned back, taking a sip of her drink.

"Ahhh...and where will you two be staying tonight?" Clara saw a glint of mischief in delilah's eyes.

"Well..I dunno, actually? He probably knows." Clara couldn't possibly mention the TARDIS.

"If it's a hotel, you'll probably be staying in the same hotel room?" Delilah pinched Clara's arse, and Clara brushed her hand aside, shaking her head in disapproval. She grabbed another drink, and hiccups overcame her, along with a heat wave rushing over her body, flushing her cheeks.

"This stuff is extremely strong!" Clara gushed as she drank the entire drink in just a few gulps, leaving her breathless. Suddenly, she felt the room spin quite a bit, and her step towards Delilah turned into a fall, only to have her grab Clara by the arm to steady her. She looked up at Delilah who's face was a mixture of amusement and disappointment.

"And you're completely drunk."

Clara let out a giggle and turned to squint towards their seats, only to find William sitting at their table, and next to him was the Doctor, who was staring at her through the crowd with a hint of curiosity.

Oh oh.