Falling Slowly

Summary: AU. Clara Oswald hesitantly signs up for online dating and is immediately infatuated with a man who calls himself 'the Doctor'. Whouffaldi.

-x-

Author's note: I have a thousand and one apologies to make to anyone who has been waiting for this to be updated. I have had a hard time writing for the past 6+ months and I am only recently overcoming it. What with work and other things demanding my attention I have had no chance to write and I can only say sorry. I hope I am now back on track and can go back to updating more often. Thank you for understanding. And I am sorry this chapter is not as long as I would have liked, just trying to get back in the swing.

-x-

#4.

Clara woke to the sound of rain battering against her bedroom window. The sky was dark outside and the clouds were grey, indicating more rain to come. Then her eyes came on rest on her bed mate who she did not expect to still be there. His arm was bent under his head and his other hand lay on her forearm under the duvet and, judging by the warmth, it had been there for a while. His features were soft with sleep and he breathed deeply and evenly as he slept soundly. Clara watched him for a moment before she slid out of bed, placing his hand down gently on the bed. The chill hit her skin once she had left the warmth of her bed, making her shiver gently. She pulled on a hoodie that was lying over a chair before using the bathroom and then entering the kitchen, flicking the switch on the kettle. Her phone suddenly vibrated on the kitchen counter and she picked it up, noting Jack's number on the screen.

"Hi honey," she said when she answered, still sounding a little tired.

"Did I wake you?" he asked.

"No, I woke up about ten minutes ago. What's up?" she asked, getting teabags from the cupboard and dropping them in to two mugs.

"I was just making sure you were up because I'm on my way to see you. In fact, answer your buzzer so I can get in," he said and hung up. Clara shook her head with a smile, looking up at the clock (it was only nine-thirty on a Saturday morning) and went to buzz him in, unlocking the door so he could get in once he got up the stairs. She went to the cupboard and pulled out another mug for him just as the door opened and Jack entered, closing the door gently behind him. He came into the living room, rubbing his hands together, his face red from the cold outside and his coat and hair wet with the rain.

"Hi," she said and she kissed his cheek. "How are you?"

"Fucking freezing," he said. "I hate this time of year."

"Me too," she said. "Where's Ianto?"

"Working. He got the short straw this weekend. So how are you?" he asked, discarding his wet jacket and hanging it up before moving into the kitchen beside her.

"I'm good. Really, really good," she said with a slight smile. Jack narrowed his eyes at her.

"You're being ... weird. Is there something you're not telling me? You get fired? You moving house? Please tell me you're not dying?" he asked, looking suddenly panicked. Clara let out a laugh.

"No, nothing like that," she said. "I'm just ... good. You know when you feel really good about something?"

"Yeah ... oh, is it about Mr Doctor-Surgeon Guy. How's that going?" he asked, as she poured the tea and went to the fridge to get milk. "Honey, you know you've made three cups, yeah? There's only me and you."

"One's for John," she said.

"Oh, is he coming over. Sorry, did I disturb you?" he asked with a wink. She looked a little bashful.

"He's sleeping in my room," she said, her voice quiet. Jack stared at her for a moment while she put his tea down in front of him before his face burst into the biggest grin she had ever seen. She held up her hand. "No, don't give me that look. Before you say anything crude and Jack-like, we just slept. There was no funny business, not yet anyway." She felt her face heat up as she thought about that step in their relationship. "He had a horrid night at the hospital. He came here for some company at one in the morning. We had a deep conversation. I feel I know him better and feel we can get past some hurdles in the relationship, if that's what we can even call it right now. He just ... held me."

"That's adorable," he said. Clara smiled and she picked up a mug of tea.

"I better go see if he's still asleep. I don't know if he's meant to be at work today," she said. "Give me five minutes and I'll be back through." Jack nodded.

"I'll be in here, honey" he said, picking up his own tea and moving through to the living room. She nodded and went back through to the dark bedroom, the Doctor's still form nestled under the sheets. She sat on the bed next to him and put the tea down on the bedside table. She watched him for a few moments before she reached out to run her fingers through his silver hair. It was so soft to touch. She ran her fingers down his cheek, his skin warm against hers. His eyelids flickered slightly but other than that he made no movement.

"John?" she said gently, a little more than a whisper. "John?" He hummed gently, so she ran her fingers through his hair again before hesitantly leaning down and pressing her lips to his ever so slightly. He didn't move. Her heart was beating hard against her chest and she took the chance and she did it again but a little firmer. When she pulled back, she saw his sleepy blue eyes watching her, her cheeks turning a slightly darker shade. "Good morning."

"It certainly is," he said, making her smile.

"I just came to check you didn't have work to go to," she said. "And I brought you tea, not actually knowing how you take it." She chuckled. "So I hope I did okay." He looked so cosy and peaceful under her sheets that she just wanted to keep him there. His eyes were sleepy.

"No, I don't have a shift today. I am on call again though," he said.

"Okay, go back to sleep then. You're tired," she said, running her thumb over his cheek. "I'll be here."

"Are you feeling better?" he asked, taking her hand gently.

"Much better than yesterday, thank you," she said before leaning down once more to kiss him chastely. "Sleep. I'll come back in soon. I have a nosey visitor who likes to turn up on my doorstep at ridiculous times of the morning."

"I'm sorry for dropping everything on you last night. It ... it was a lot to burden you with," he said. She shook her head gently.

"No, I'm glad you did. I was scared I wouldn't be able to live up to your image of River and I wanted to make a good impression," she said. She placed her hand on his chest, a sad smile on her face. "River will always be there, somewhere inside you. I know that."

"You don't have to be River. I like you for you, Clara," he said in almost a whisper. "I really do."

"Likewise, silly man," she said and this time it was the Doctor who pulled her down to meet his lips, his arms winding round her and pulling her down to lie beside him, their bodies pressed together gently. They kissed lazily but Clara was glad she was lying down or she'd have been swooning. She deepened the kiss, cupping his face gently before pulling back for air, both panting for breath.

"As much as I'd like to continue this, I do have a guest sitting in the living room," she said. "Go back to sleep for a while and I'll come back soon."

"You're a devil woman," he said, slightly breathless. She bit her lip before sliding out of his embrace again, tucking him under the warm sheets again.

"Be back soon," she said and she left the bedroom, closing the door behind her, and moving into the living room again, Jack sitting cross-legged on the couch, shoes off, looking positively giddy. She rolled her eyes and sat down, picking up her tea from the coffee table.

"So what's the gossip?" he asked her. She rolled her eyes again and took a sip of her tea. She felt Jack's piercing gaze on her as she drank. "Your lips look a bit red, Clara. Sure you're okay?" His grin just got wider, if that was at all possible.

"Shut up, he'll hear you!" she said. "Like I said, he had a horrible shift at the hospital. He brought me soup yesterday afternoon and then he got a call to go in to work. Then he appears at my door at one in the morning looking like the world was going to crash down on him. He told me things about his wife before she died, saying he couldn't save her. I could only listen and hold his hand. We were there for a while before he said he was going to go so I told him to stay. He slept beside me and held me the entire night." She sighed gently, taking another sip of his tea. "I really like him, Jack. Really like him."

"Honey, to tell you all that, he must really, really like you too. He's definitely got it bad," he said. "That's kinda heartbreaking. It must have taken it out of him for a long time."

"Yeah, I think so," she said. "He makes me forget about how shit some guys can be because he's such a gentleman."

"Clara, as long as you have him, losers like Danny Pink can't get to you," he said and reached over to take her hand. "You gotta get a move on though."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I mean he's in your bed right now and you haven't thought about jumping his bones? Lady, that's poor," he said. Clara felt her face burn.

"Jack! Stop it ..."

"You haven't thought about it?"

"Of course I have ..." she said through gritted teeth, which made Jack laugh louder than he should have. "Shhh! He's so handsome, how could I not? But he just told me about his wife. I can't easily go 'that's nice' and mount the man. I'd like to take this at a nice pace. I'll ask him if he wants another date and we'll take it from there." She saw Jack open his mouth to speak. "No, Jack! I'm going to do this right."

"Good girl," he said, taking a drink of his tea. "I can tell you like him. I'm proud of you for getting yourself back out there." They shared a smile.

"I'm proud of me too, you know," she said. "Danny knocked my confidence a little and now I feel like ... like I'm back in the game."

"Good. Well, listen, I'll go and let you get back to your doctor," he said with a smirk. Clara rolled her eyes and she stood when Jack did, grabbing his coat for him as he slipped his feet into his shoes.

"Give my love to Ianto. Who knows, we could maybe double date," she said. Jack beamed.

"That is the best idea," he said. "Let's arrange it asap, babe."

"Deal," she said and held his coat open for him, helping him pull it on. She cupped his face and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "Love you lots, you nosey prick." Jack laughed out loud again.

"Love you too. Get that man thoroughly ravished soon though, yeah?" he said with a wink and Clara rolled her eyes again before she let him out, both saying their goodbyes. She closed the door after him and locked it up again, clearing up their mugs before she moved slowly back to the bedroom. Everything the Doctor had told her the night before still whirled around in her head. She moved into her bedroom again, closing the door behind her to keep the warmth in. She reached the bed and she slid back under the duvet beside the Doctor, watching as his peaceful face shifted as his eyes opened to meet hers. She shimmied forward into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his lean frame. One of his hands came up from under the duvet to brush gently against her cheek.

"Hello again," he whispered, voice slightly hoarse with sleep.

"Hi," she said, her cheeks turning pink as she blushed under his gaze.

"Can I kiss you again, Clara Oswald?" he asked her in that same sleepy whisper. Clara bit her lip gently before she nodded and before she knew it; his lips were on hers, his hands on her back pulling her closer to him. She moved with him, her leg sliding over his hip, pressing herself intimately to his front as he devoured her lips with heavenly kisses, her own fingers sliding gently through his silver hair. She felt one hand travel up under her t-shirt, tickling the soft skin of her back, making her sigh against his lips before she pulled back, her cheeks an adorable shade of pink.

"I think we need to go on another date," she said.

"Funny that, I was thinking the same thing," he said, slightly breathless from their kisses. "Thank you again, for listening to me last night. It meant a lot to me."

"I'm glad you felt you could tell me," she said before she chastely kissed him again. "I'm sure River would have wanted you to be happy."

"I think so too. I'm happy here with you right now," he said and those words made Clara blush scarlet. "Come to my house on Friday night, I'll cook for you." She smiled gently.

"I'd love that," she said. He pulled her closer to him and they both snuggled down against one another, falling asleep in each other's embrace.