Rating: K+

Word Count: 1,434

Summary: What should have happened at the end of "Nightmare in Silver". Following Artie's "Thanks Clara's boyfriend" and based on a Tumblr role play prompt: "We're alone, you can kiss me now".

"Thanks Clara, thanks Clara's boyfriend!"

Clara stood beside the Doctor against the console and smirked as Artie ran off after his sister.

She was so glad that they got to experience even a little bit of the action Clara had. Of course, the almost dying thing wasn't all that fun, but before that, the trip had been great. It was almost a relief to be able to share her double life with the two people she saw most.

It was also a relief to finally have the kids at home. Not only was she overjoyed that they got home safe despite the events of the day, but she was glad that she finally had some time alone with the Doctor. Her Doctor.

She looked up at the tall man and smiled, realizing that this would probably be the time for her to thank him and say goodnight. But she wasn't ready for that just yet; she didn't want to say goodnight, or a generic 'see you next week', the night was still young.

"Well Doctor, we're alone. You can kiss me now." She joked.

"What?" The Doctor sounded taken aback by Clara's proposal. "Why would I do that?"

Clara went pink under his quizzical eye. Suddenly the TARDIS was too quiet. Her face felt hot and her heart was practically thumping out of her chest. Stupid! She thought. Why would I ever ask that!

"I-I don't know." Clara told him in a small voice. "I'm sorry Doctor, I shouldn't have said that."

"Why?"

Clara looked at him, not quite understanding what he was asking. Did he want to know why she asked him to kiss her, or why she shouldn't have said that?

"I don't know." She repeated quickly. Her usual quick wit seemed to escape her in that moment. Usually she'd be brushing off her mistake by now, joking about how ridiculous it was and teasing him about his facial expression. But she couldn't do it.

The Doctor frowned at Clara. "Why should you not have said that? People kiss me all the time." He thought back to her echo in Victorian London, the feeling of her lips pressed against his, the way she pulled away before he could submit to her. "I'm not usually the one starting it, but I'd be willing to give it a go." He told her nonchalantly.

It was Clara's turn to be confused. The Doctor's own quizzical expression was mirrored on her face as she looked up at him. "What?"

"Well it seems we have a new word of the day, and that word being 'what'. It's all very confusing isn't it?" The Doctor told Clara with a chuckle, trying to diffuse the tension. "Why don't we start from the beginning?" Clara nodded in agreement, but wished that he would just drop it altogether. "Alright. Now that we've got that settled, why did you ask me to kiss you in the first place?"

"I don't know, it just sort of… came out."

"So you don't want to kiss me then?"

Clara stopped for a moment to think about the last few minutes. "I-I don't know." She said, almost in a whisper.

"It's not that difficult Clara. If I were to kiss you now, what would you do?"

Hyperventilate. Kiss you back. Smile. Giggle. Tell you I love you. "Um…"

"Cat got your tongue?" The Doctor chuckled and turned to face her. "Clara, I kiss you all the time, just not on the lips. That is where someone with romantic interests might kiss you. But you've never asked for a kiss before. So, does that mean that one Clara Oswald has romantic interests?"

Clara blushed and looked away from the Doctor

"Oh, Arthur Conan Doyle would have been proud of my sleuthing!" He said enthusiastically. "So, romantic interests then?"

"Yes, romantic interests." She repeated.

"You know, you're not the first of my companions to feel that way." He told her with a smile. The look on her face didn't cheer her up. "Okay, not helping. Yes, it's true, my friends do have a tendency to… develop feelings for me during their travels. Not just the girls though, the boys too, Jack is still quite a handful." Clara's face lit up in a smile hearing about it. "But you see, I've not felt that romantic pull at my hearts with many people. In my 1200 some odd years, there have only been a handful. My wife back on Gallifrey, and Rose Tyler, who I guess did end up happily married to me, or at least metacrisis me, but that's another story for another day. But just know this Clara, I never know when, I only know who."

Clara accepted her defeat. She understood that he didn't feel the same way, and she didn't expect him to. Sure, sometimes she wondered, but deep in her heart she knew he didn't.

The Doctor paused before continuing on. "I knew it'd be you from the moment you called the TARDIS."

"Wait, what?"

"You should know that I don't do this often." He told her with a nervous chuckle. "So feisty and adventurous, completely impossible. Of course I'd fall in love."

"Hold on, now I'm not so sure I understand." Was the Doctor really telling Clara that he loved her?

"Clara… say that thing you said earlier."

"What thing?"

"The thing you said when Artie left."

Clara frowned at the Doctor, confusion present in her expression. "We're alone, you can kiss me now?"

"Okay." The Doctor smiled and stepped closer to Clara.

"You really want to kiss me?" Clara asked as he timidly bent his finger under her chin.

"Well I did just tell you I loved you." The Doctor said with a chuckle.

"You did." She said, smiling and blushing.

"So… we're alone now, Clara will you kiss me?"

"Okay." Clara replied giddily before the Doctor's soft lips met hers. She breathed in sharply as his lips parted to settle one of hers between them.

The only sound in the console room was the soft parting of lips and clothing ruffling as they shifted their arms around each other. Clara's on his chest, the Doctor's on her cheeks. Clara's around his neck, the Doctor's around her waist.

She was pressed up against him, and without warning, he picked her up and spun her around. Clara giggled as their lips parted and hung on for dear life until he placed her back on the ground. As soon as she'd regained her balance, she kissed him again.

Neither one of them noticed when Artie poked his head in to find his nanny.

"Angie, Angie look!" Artie whispered, beckoning his sister over.

"What is it n—"

"Shhhh!" He insisted.

"Why are you sneaking about? Is she not in there?" Angie said, matching her volume to his.

"Just look."

Angie peered in, much like Artie had to find her nanny quite wrapped up with the Doctor. "Good on you Clara!" She said with a smile. She did think the Doctor was handsome; they made a nice pair. "And top marks for the hold there Doctor. Lucky Clara." Angie chuckled.

"What's that mean?"

"Nothing, you'll find out when you're older."

The two hurried back into the house, not wanting to rush their nanny's romantic moment. They waited for her patiently, holding the best poker faces they could muster until she returned, but when she did, they couldn't hold back the hints of smiles.

"What's wrong with you two?" Clara asked them. Angie could tell right away what they had been doing, the signs were there even if she wouldn't have seen them together in the TARDIS. Blown out pupils, hair slightly out of place, jacket and skirt ruffled, and the most prominent sign, swollen lips.

"Nothing." Artie blurted out.

"So you're sure he's not your boyfriend then?"

Clara frowned, hoping she'd just made a lucky guess, but the mischief showed on Angie's face. Clara knew that her and the Doctor had been caught.

"Not a word, Angie Maitland." Clara called as she turned to walk up the stairs to her bedroom. She heard the two kids burst out into fits of giggles as she went, and she couldn't help but join in silently once she was out of earshot. It had been a pretty great end to their day.

She readied herself for bed, turned out the light and snuggled into her covers, smiling to herself the whole time until she heard a bump.

"H-hello?" She said, sitting up quickly.

"Pssst, Clara, it's me!" Came a voice from the darkness.

"Doctor…? What are you doing here?"

Part 2 coming soon.