Uh...long time, no see...(also yes, same person, I changed my pen name again thanks to a newfound obsession with Orange is the New Black.)

I have no excuse, other than I am a fierce procrastinator at the best of times, so when you combine that with exams and holidays, well, seven month gaps happen. I'm not going to say that I promise to update frequently since that's a promise I'm worried I won't be able to keep but I'll try. I will. Otherwise do feel free to throw bricks and other potentially fatal objects at me.

I feel like Series 8 deserves a mention here. I'm not that big a fan of the writing, but I ADORE Twelve. As with season 7 I am completely in love with Jenna, and I have high hopes for Missy and her storyline, was nice to get a glimpse of her in the most recent episode (The Caretaker). Not particularly keen on Danny though. He annoys me.

It's strange how easily people adapt to things. Completely torn away from their world, thrown in to somewhere totally different, and yet within weeks we learn to get used to it, form patterns and routines.

Clara Oswald had been through a lot of changes - the usual trials and tribulations of growing up, losing her mother, living on campus at university. She'd learned to adapt fairly quickly during her life, and so living with the Doctor temporarily hadn't been as difficult as she'd first expected.

Being an early riser, he would always wake her up at half past six (they were still sharing a bed, Angie still teased them and they still denied anything other than friendship. No change there.), give her ten minutes to wake up properly while he tried a vaguely edible breakfast. She'd hop in the shower and get dressed while he served up the food, upon which they'd settle on the sofa for half an hour watching the morning news and the occasional Doc Martin rerun if they had time. They'd leave the house at seven, he'd drop her off at the school and then continue on to the library.

At about four thirty, Clara would leave the school and walk twenty minutes to the hospital, where she'd sit with Nina for an hour or two. When she was told to leave, she'd catch the bus to the library, often getting there at around six. The Doctor would stare steadily at the door until she walked through, upon which he would smile and go to greet her with a firm hug. After this, he'd put the kettle on for some tea, they'd pick out a show or sometimes some books, and watch/read until around half past eight, stopping at seven for a dinner break. Sometimes they did a bit of cooking, sometimes Clara would sit marking test papers, frequently pausing while they talked about their days. When it was time to go, he'd shut the library down, lock the door and drive them home, where they'd watch some Game of Thrones or Downton Abbey, heading to sleep at around ten, only to wake up in eight hours and start the process all over again.

Weekends were slightly different. They spent Saturdays at the library as usual, but the Doctor had begun to close it on Sundays so that they could do something different. Sometimes they went out, sometimes they just spent the day lazing around at home. Clara had started keeping a small photo album from the days they went out, filling it with various pictures she'd taken. She had over fifty pictures by now from places all over England. Her absolute favourites were a series of pictures taken in Brighton, where they were both on the beach, standing ankle-deep in water after a short swim. There was one of the Doctor spinning her around in the water, one where his hand was grasped firmly in hers, both of them laughing, though she couldn't remember why. The third was a selfie of them and the Maitland kids, who they'd gone with, and a fourth was the two of them sitting on a bench on the end of the pier. They'd had a truly wonderful day, despite Clara's short burst of guilt that she hadn't gone to see Nina. Angie had taken the pictures, and Clara had loved them so much that she'd printed them out. Definitely her favourite day so far.

"Clara! Wake up! It's Sunday! Brighton day!"

Despite her excitement, she could have bloody strangled him. Being woken up by shouting at seven in the morning wasn't her idea of fun, but she soon gathered her thoughts together and within an hour they were both dressed and ready. Angie and Artie were being dropped off at eight thirty (no surprise entrances this time), giving them half an hour free time. Clara used it to pack, making sure she had absolutely everything she needed - sun cream, hat, towels, beach dress, flip-flops (no way was she wearing open shoes on a crowded train from Victoria Station), a good book and her Polaroid camera, plus her purse, train tickets, and a short list of everything they wanted to do. The Doctor simply watched her fondly, mentally plotting out a map of where they wanted to go, travel costs, and almost anything else he could think of to fill the time.

The doorbell rang at exactly eight thirty. Clara opened it, greeted by a very excited pair of kids, before assuring their father of the time they'd be back. Angie and Artie said goodbye to their dad, before following Clara back through to the flat, where the Doctor was waiting. For once in her life, Angie didn't have her phone in her hand, which sparked a sense of relief in Clara, as it meant that she genuinely wanted to be with them. Artie was already in deep conversation about space with the Doctor. No surprises there.

The train journey passed uneventfully, other than Angie's constant smirks in the direction of the adults. The Doctor had settled his arm absent-mindedly around Clara's waist, as she leaned against him with a Stephen King book. Artie's excitement was off the scale as they finally pulled in to Brighton Station, heading through the archway in to the busy streets. They walked down to the famous clock tower in Churchill Square, stopping to have a look around the shopping mall. Clara gave the kids a bit of money and told them to meet her in the café's upstairs in an hour, letting her and the Doctor have some time to potter around. They mainly stuck to bookshops, looking around and making a few small purchases (the first Game of Thrones book for the Doctor, a couple of postcards and Gregory MacGuire's Wicked for Clara), before heading upstairs for a sandwich or two.

"Have you been here before?" Clara asked, biting in to a cheese and ham baguette. "You seem to know exactly where you are."

The Doctor smiled. "I grew up down here, right in the heart of the city. I'd forgotten how much I love it, as much as I like London, it's always nice to go back to your roots."

Clara nodded in agreement. "Definitely. I was in Blackpool a few months ago, and there really isn't anywhere quite like home."

They chatted amiably for the rest of the time until the Maitlands returned, where the four headed down to the beach. Despite being rocks and pebbles instead of sand, it was surprisingly comfortable, once they were all settled down. The kids immediately raced off towards the water, practically sliding down the dips of the rocks. Angie won, but Artie got revenge by dragging her under the water unexpectedly, both of them laughing as they so rarely got to swim in a proper sea. The Doctor and Clara both began reading their books, laying back on towels in the sun. It brought back memories for both of them, having both been raised near beaches, and almost three hours went by peacefully.

When the kids finally came out of the sea, Clara handed them both their towels before turning to the Doctor. "Race you to the water," she said quietly, a smirk forming and a glimmer in her eye, before she stood up and darted off, the Doctor hot on her heels. She gasped as the freezing water hit her feet, having forgotten what it felt like, before the Doctor caught up to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her up to spin her around. Clara found herself laughing as he set her down, before walking in to deeper waters and diving in. She'd taken swimming lessons for a few years and was still surprisingly good, having to wait for the Doctor to catch up on several occasions.

"Didn't know you could swim so well," he said, slightly out of breath as he caught up.

"I took lessons as a kid. I guess once you learn, you never forget."

"It's so nice down here. It's a shame we don't have beaches in London, it's the only real fault I can find."

Clara looked up at him. "I agree. I love the bustle of the city, but spots like this are what makes a place what it is - London has it's landmarks, but whenever somebody says Brighton I immediately think of the beach. We should come down here more often, you know."

"That'd be nice. The kids clearly love it, and it's not too expensive to take them on the train. Plus, I have to show you the Lanes at some point, they're the best place in the whole city, honestly. I don't know if we'll have time today, but one day."

"Isn't that the place with all the unique shops? There's the old and new Lanes, right?"

"That's the one. I prefer the old ones to be honest, since it really is all narrow alleys and cobbled pavement, but the whole area is lovely."

They fell in to a comfortable silence, staying where they were for a few minutes before slowly swimming back to the shore. Clara turned around to look behind them, stopping completely to look at the vision before her. The Doctor gently took her hand in his, both pausing for a moment to look before heading back to the kids.

The rest of the day was spent on the pier. The Maitlands spent almost two hours in the arcade, exchanging their pounds for pots of two pence pieces to spend on the machines, while the Doctor and Clara found a bench near the end where they could look out to sea. After about half an hour of quiet conversation, they got some fish and chips to share, wanting to make their Brighton experience a 'proper one'. Clara almost fell off of the bench laughing as a seagull swiped a chip straight out of the Doctor's hand, leaving him looking thoroughly disgruntled. When the kids rejoined them, the four headed back up to the station, and it wasn't long until they were back on the train home, Clara already asleep and leaning firmly against the Doctor, who was talking quietly with the kids about what could only be described as a perfect day.

They didn't get home until almost eleven at night, where Clara dropped her bag and fell face-first on the sofa, feeling absolutely exhausted. She yawned, stretching out, before glancing at the time. "Should we just head to bed? It's ten to eleven at the moment and unfortunately it's Monday tomorrow," she said wearily, standing up and reclaiming her bag.

"Sure. I know how bad you are in the mornings anyway, so the more sleep the better," the Doctor teased, as she smacked his arm playfully. He used that moment to gently pull her towards him, slipping an arm around her shoulders and gently squeezing them. "Thank you for a completely wonderful day, Clara Oswald," he murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. She grinned up at him. "Any time at all, I had a great time, and I think the kids did too."

"I'm glad, nothing quite like a traditional beach day to raise the spirits."

"Amen to that," Clara replied, before heading through to the bedroom to get changed. The Doctor busied himself with making sure their programmes had been recorded - Clara would flip if they missed a Downton Abbey episode - and went through to get changed himself when she emerged.

It didn't take long for them to be settled down, facing each other with a smile. "When can we do this again?" Clara asked, rubbing her eyes with a yawn.

"Soon, hopefully. Maybe we could go next weekend, just the two of us? There's so much more I want to show you, and as much as I love the kids, they definitely wear us both out."

Clara nodded. "That'd be great. It's such a lovely place down there, I can imagine it's full of little hidden gems."

The Doctor nodded, and a fleeting silence settled between the two of them as Clara shuffled closer and curled up against him, his arms settling about her frame as he switched the lamp off. "See you in the morning," he whispered, kissing her head again as she yawned, totally asleep in five minutes with him not far behind.

Was that okay? I'm always out and about in Brighton so it's awesome to share some of my favourite places with you guys :) Reviews would be amazing as always, and I hope everyone enjoyed that - I'll try and update as soon as possible, preferably within a week or two :) Hope you all have an awesome day!