Clara stepped out of the blue wooden doors and was greeted with bright, vibrant sunlight. It was so vivid that for a moment, Clara was blinded by it. She could feel the heat of it on her skin and she quickly moved further out, out of the TARDIS and into the open air. As soon as her eyes adjusted, she moved out further into the grass, and, with reckless abandon, laid back on the grass, staring at the sky as happiness spread through her heart.

It had been over a year since she had stepped onto her own planet. While it was common for her to be gone for long stretches of time, never had she been gone for this long. She took a long time, simply basking in the feel of the sun on her skin, the grass underneath her, smelling the distant city scent of petrol and cooking chips. She was home….

It had been a few weeks since the Doctor had regenerated. Clara had spent most of that time in bed, recuperating from her terrifying night with Mr. Clever. The Doctor had been constantly at her side, attending her every need; often even smuggling her with his constant presence. Though he tried to play it off, she knew that he felt responsible for her state and he was going to do anything he could to help her get better. She didn't blame him for what had happened; it would be a long time before she could fully forget what he had done under the influence of Mr. Clever but she didn't blame him for it. While she had felt shaky trust of him in the first few days after his regeneration, weeks later with no sign of the terrifying cyberplanner gave Clara the sense he really was gone. He was just as kind, just as caring as he had been before this horrible year. She was really convinced that he was back to normal. But that didn't mean that she didn't still want some time back on Earth to get back on her feet. The Doctor, she knew, didn't fully accept this.

"Are you going to stand there pouting all day?" Clara asked with a smile. She didn't have look to know the Doctor was standing at the door of the TARDIS, looking glum despite the beautiful day that was laid out in front of him. Part of Clara still was convinced that he felt she was upset and that was why she wanted to come back but part of her knew that he really understood. Not all things would heal in such short a time.

Clara was staring up at fluffy white clouds in the sky when the Doctor's head came into view. "I was not pouting" he insisted even though his voice at the moment sounded whiny. "I was…just standing there."

Clara sat up, looking at the Doctor standing next to her with his arms crossed resolutely. She pushed herself up from the ground and stood to face him. Even after all of this time, she hadn't gotten used to him being eye level with her, just like he hadn't stopped bragging about his ginger highlights.

"I'm not doing this to punish you" Clara said, taking the Doctor's hands from his chest and putting them in her own.

"I know" The Doctor said flatly, his eyes not looking at Clara.

Clara reached her hand up and put it on the Doctor's cheek. His eyes flickered toward her at the touch. "Do you?" she asked.

"Yeah…..yes…..I know" The Doctor said, as if trying to convince himself. "It's just…I couldn't keep you forever, I suppose?"

Clara couldn't help but think about how that was exactly what he had tried to do. He had only let her out of the TARDIS a handful of occasions in the past year, always when they were on an alien planet far from home. She didn't comment on it. "You've got me as your companion for as long as you like…just don't forget to come back and get me" Clara said.

The Doctor pulled her into a hug, squeezing just a bit too tightly to be a normal, carefree hug. "I couldn't ever forget you, not ever" he said. He pulled back, his hands on Clara's cheeks. "And I don't think companion is exactly the right word for what we are anymore"

Clara felt her cheeks turn slightly redder at the thought. A lot had happened in the past year; sure, it was mostly things that she wanted to forget. But that didn't stop the fact that had somewhere along the line they had become much more than Doctor and companion. Not all of the incidents of intimacy had occurred under Mr. Clever's influence. Plenty of them had been 100% consensual. "Oh yeah?" Clara teased, "Then what are you going to call me now?"

The Doctor seemed to stumble over his thoughts for several moments before deciding to lean in for a kiss. Normally, she would have pressed more for an answer but under the circumstances, she allowed herself to be swept away in a few glorious minuets entangled only in the sensations. When the Doctor had been about to die, Clara had told him that she loved him and she meant it. He had said the same; it wasn't something that she expected that they would speak of anytime soon but they both knew it was there and what it meant.

When Clara reluctantly broke the kiss, the Doctor was smiling at her. "I guess I'll accept that as an answer" Clara said, still feeling the warm blush on her cheeks.

The Doctor put his hands on the small of her back and pulled her close to him. "Is it enough to make you stay?" he asked, the smallest hint of hope in his voice.

Clara put her hands on his chest, giving him a small kiss on the tip of his nose. "It's tempting…..but I'm still taking a break" she insisted.

The Doctor put his arms around her tighter and Clara rested her head against his shoulder. "I really am very sorry for what I did" the Doctor said in a small voice. Clara was sure that it was at least the 1000th time that he had apologized.

"You didn't do anything….he did. And he's gone…so we're alright" Clara insisted. She squeezed him tightly before pulling back and giving him a smile. If she didn't do it now, she might not do it at all.

"I guess this is goodbye for a while" Clara said softly, reaching over and straightened the Doctor's bowtie.

"No" The Doctor said, returning her smile with the warm one that she was used to. "Not goodbye just….I'll see you around"

Clara reached up and kissed the Doctor's cheek. "Until next time, my Doctor"

Well, guys, this is the end :) The dark! Doctor is gone and our Doctor is back! All is well with him and Clara once more :) Thank you all for reading the story. Please let me know what you thought!