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Danni stepped out onto the top of the pyramid, panting slightly from the climb up the stairs to get to the roof. Captain Rory quickly barricaded the door, pointing out that they'd been lucky to not have been found as it was, and he wasn't taking any chances.
"Why does everything have to be so high?" She groaned, sitting down against the edge and leaning against it, "Where are we up to?" The Doctor walked over, hands still trapped behind his back and he struggled to kneel on the floor next to her.
"Are you okay?" He whispered, ducking his head to try and get into her eye line. She nodded, then shook her head.
"My head hurts." She replied softly, "It feels like it's burning." He looked around, taking in his surroundings before nodding.
"It's the Silents. You're too near them, we need to get you away. Now." He looked over his shoulder at River, "You see? This is what your stalling is doing. You claim to love her, but she's dying here."
"We can stop it." River insisted, "The whole universe is crying out to help you. They'll help her too." He used all his strength to push himself off the floor.
"I don't want the universe's help." He bit out, storming over to River, "All I want is for you to touch me, and together we can save her." River looked over at the girl, Amy taking over the Doctor's position and her hand reached out for just a moment, before she shook her head and pulled it tightly by her side.
"I won't let you leave her." She replied, "You've decided that the universe is better off without you, but the universe doesn't agree and neither do we. Danni agreed to this as well, this is what she wants." The Doctor growled, pacing as his frustration increased before he turned to Danni, opening his mouth to shout. He saw her on the floor, Amy cradling her in her arms and he sighed, smiling with a sad laugh.
"I don't have to convince you, do I River?" He declared, "If Danni says yes, you'll do it, won't you?" He didn't even have to look at River to know she nodded.
"I'll do anything for that girl." She agreed and Danni looked up at him, tears in her eyes.
"I know you'll be okay." She started slowly, "But at what cost? No one will know you're alive, which is great for the universe but not for Amy. I... I don't know what to do." She sniffed and he joined her again on the floor, fidgeting anxiously, "What if it doesn't stop when you die? What if you need to die? Then what will you do?" She whispered into the robot's ear.
"We'll work it out." He murmured in reply, telling her all she needed to know.
"I don't want to see you die. Any version of you. When you were Ten, and you were hit by the Dalek I knew you'd be okay. I knew you'd send the energy into your hand, and that we'd get a metacrisis Doctor-Donna and it still ripped by heart out. I don't..." She clenched her fists together, "What happens to me when you die? Do I have to go back? What if, after this, I have to go home again? The Silents won't need me anymore, what if it was them that sent me here in the first place? I can't go back, Theta, please." He hung his head, then, with a grin, looked up at her.
"Marry me." He told her quietly.
"What?" She asked, her breath catching in her throat.
"When this is over, when we restart time, marry me." He shifted slightly, "You and me, finally together. All you have to do is tell River to touch me." Her eyes widened as her heart dropped.
"No." She whispered in horror and he blinked at her, surprised, "No, don't you dare!" She jumped up, leaving him on the floor, "I know what you're doing. You don't mean that! You're only asking so I'll tell River to touch you!" She screamed, pointing at him before swaying, "You're not supposed to ask someone to marry you to manipulate them!" Her head was spinning from the rush of standing up too quickly. and Rory dashed forward to catch her before she fell.
"Danni! Danni, can you hear me?" The almost-murse asked before turning to the Doctor, "I think she's unconscious."
"No, no she can't be." The Doctor tried to push himself up but he couldn't get a grip on anything to help him up, "Rory, wake her up, now. She needs to know..."
"I'm awake." Danni slurred slightly, gripping Rory, "Stop shouting." The Doctor let out his breath in relief as Rory checked her pulse.
"Her heart's slowing." He exclaimed, alarmed, "We need to get her some help. Now." Amy helped the Doctor off the floor, but he shoved her away with a nudge of his shoulder as soon as he was off the ground.
"We need to restart time." The Doctor exclaimed angrily, "River, please." She shook her head.
"I can't kill you." She replied firmly, "You don't understand, I can't be the one who does that."
"Why?" He screamed at her, but she barely flinched at the force of it.
"Because I love you." She replied instantly, "You just have no idea how much yet, do you?" The Doctor stared at her, a very, very good idea forming in his head as he stared River down. She loved him, did she? He shook his head, no, he promised Da... he turned to face her, seeing her clinging to Rory as she shook with the strength to hold herself up he realised he didn't have the option anymore. Even if it meant that Danni would hate him forever, he could do that, he could stand that if she just didn't die!
"Amy, uncuff me, now." Rory felt Danni stiffen in his arms as Amy shot River a look. The blonde nodded minutely and Amy did as she was told. The Doctor took a deep breath, steeling himself before throwing on one of his trademark grins and rubbing his hands together.
"Okay. I need a strip of cloth, about a foot long. Anything will do." He declared. Danni pushed off Rory, who protested at the movement but she waved him back, all but falling into the Doctor. She reached up to his bow-tie before using it to pull him down to her face.
"I know what you're doing." She hissed, eyes blazing, "Just know I will never forgive you for this." She untied the red piece of cloth from around his neck before shoving it into his hand, "But you don't care, do you?" He shrugged.
"Why would I? I love her." He stated loudly, "I always have. You know that." Danni squeezed her eyes together before turning and marching over to Rory and Amy.
"Whatever he tells you to do." She told them, "Do it." Amy looked at Rory, who looked just as baffled as she was.
"What's he going to do?" Amy asked as the Doctor handed River the other side of the tie, helping her wrap it around her hand.
"Just do it." She headed to the door, removing the barricade Rory had placed and stepped straight into the stairwell, keeping her head high until she counted ten stairs. She then sat down, her heart crumbling as she sobbed into her hands, the world flashing out of existence in a bright white light as the Doctor married River.
~0~0~0~
Danni watched as the astronaut shot the Doctor, and as Amy begged for him not to be dead. She stayed completely silent until, with a brief flash of light masked by the flames, the Doctor and the rest of the crew of the Teselecta teleported out of the burning body and off to somewhere safe. She then smiled softly to herself; she couldn't let Amy and Rory know what she was feeling, they still had all of that to come. And she felt so much better, physically she felt much better the moment the other universe had disappeared. Her stomach was eating itself, suddenly she felt so hungry and she knew the weakness she was feeling was from the hunger. Her head was quiet, the drumming had stopped the moment the robot had hit the floor. The plan had worked, she knew she wasn't dying anymore, she just had to build her strength back up again.
"It's so quiet." Danni stated quietly, taking joy in the confused looks from the three around her.
"He was quiet the talker." River replied, her voice full of the tears and Danni fought back the grin that wanted to come through. She hoped it hurt the big-haired woman. She hoped that one day she would remember killing the Doctor and it would tear her apart. Her, the Doctor and that little brat of a girl.
"No, not that. My head." She tapped her skull instead of letting it out, "There's nothing. It's so quiet. I'm glad it worked." She looked back out at the body as Amy and Rory shared a confused look behind her.
"What worked?" River prompted when the girl continued to stay quiet.
"The Doctor dying." She stated calmly, as if it wasn't a big deal. River tensed in anger at her attitude, her mouth dropping open at the thought of anyone being happy the Doctor was dead. Danni smirked slightly. Although she knew the Doctor was fine, River didn't and it was wonderful to see her suffer for it.
"What?" River snapped, taking a step towards the girl, hand already lifting to slap her. Danni just smiled sadly, realising the Doctor that jumped away wasn't her Doctor anymore and she disappeared in a flash of light, appearing on an older TARDIS. Ten's, which she was very thankful for. She headed straight of the doorway, opening the door to find them floating around in deep space. She sat down, dangling her legs into the universe as she hugged herself tightly. It was so quiet, so silent. She hadn't expected it to be so loud around her, her head had been silent before the drumming but now it felt like she was drowning in it. She tried tapping on her head, and it brought some form of temporary relief but soon she found even that frustrating. She hadn't notice how mind-numbing the quiet had been before. How had she survived with just herself rambling away inside her head?
"Can I get some music, Sexy?" She called to the Time Machine without turning around to look back in, "Keep it in here though, yeah? Don't want to wake anyone else up." There was some more never-ending silence, then a slow beat started up.
Remember those walls I built? Well, baby they're tumbling down
And they didn't even put up a fight. They didn't even make a sound
"Hmm, not what I would've chose, but I bow to your logic." Danni told the box. It didn't really help too much with the silence in her head, but it distracted her enough to focus on the one thing she really didn't want to admit to. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to stop the tears she really didn't want to shed for the man who'd broke her heart, but they fell anyway. She had been so glad to see Ten's TARDIS, even if it was early Ten anything would have been better than the chance of seeing Eleven. If she'd appeared with him, she might have just collapsed into a broken mess and she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he'd broken her. In fact, she hoped for early Ten, prayed for him because he'd never lied to her. He didn't like her and he was pretty vocal about it. She could deal with that. Hate was so much easier to deal with than faked love. He never made her believe he loved her and then broke her heart. He didn't do this to her, Eleven did. Eleven married River. Eleven loved River...
She hugged herself tighter as she began sobbing unabashedly, letting her grief and pain come out as she shook. He told her loved her. He made her love him right back. They'd... she didn't have sex with just anyone, and she felt so foolish. He'd just used her, hadn't he? Why would he ever love some stupid little girl like her?
"I... want... to... go... home!" She snivelled out, her tears causing her to gasp for breath between each word, "I... want... to... go... home... please..."
~0~0~0~
Donna stepped out of her bedroom, looking around in confusion as Beyoncé, of all people, filled the big blue box. Well, she was sure it was Beyoncé, it sounded like the singer anyway. The only person to listen to music, especially what she guessed was future music, on a regular basis was Danni so she pulled her dressing gown around her and headed down the hallway, coming to the console room fairly quickly.
"I... want... to... go... home... please..." Danni begged, curled up into herself, sat in her favourite spot. Donna frowned.
"Danni?" She rushed over and sitting next to her. She hadn't been expecting to see her in such a state, pleading with the universe to go home. After everything she knew the girl went through, she'd never once expressed the desire to be with anyone but the Doctor, "Oh, sweetheart, what's happened?" She was surprised by the grip Danni had on her as she pulled the girl in for a hug.
"Her married her." Danni sobbed, "He loves her."
"Married?" Donna asked, confused and Danni nodded into the shoulder.
"The Doctor..." She paused, a particularly violent sob breaking from her throat, "The Doctor married River... He said he loved her..."
"No, no that can't be right." Donna dismissed, "You told me he loved you. He does love you, anyone can see that." Danni shook her head again but didn't reply as she sobbed uncontrollably. Donna pulled her in for a tighter hug, rubbing her back as she tried to work out what Danni could have possibly seen to make her believe the Doctor loved anyone else before sighing, "I'm so sorry." She knew what it was like to have someone you thought loved you change their tune, but this seemed... worse, somehow. Danni and the Doctor were written across the universe, aliens far and wide had heard of the them and had heard of them as a pair. Lance hurting her had been the making of her, but the Doctor hurting Danni...
"It hurts." Danni whimpered, "What do I do now?" Donna really didn't have an answer for her, so she placed a kiss on her hair.
"Why don't you just sit here in your spot?" Donna suggested gently, "And I'll fetch you a cup of tea?" Danni nodded slowly, brushing her hair back off her face and Donna let her go, "Then we'll do something together, just the two of us to take your mind off him, yeah? He's just a bloke, after all. They're all useless, even Time Lord ones." Danni managed a small smile, which Donna took as a triumph considering the circumstances and she headed off into the TARDIS, her anger building with every step until she met the offending Time Lord coming out of a room, looking confused.
"Ah, Donna. Is that you playing that music?" He asked, stepping towards her, "I thought it might be... ow!" His hand flew to his cheek, which had instantly turned bright red from Donna's slap, "What was that for?" He exclaimed.
"Something you've not done yet." She snarled, "And remember it, Spaceman." She motioned to his eyes, like Danni would do when addressing his future self, "When you're in the future, when you're making that decision, remember that and remember I will never forgive you." He frowned.
"Donna, what did I do?" He asked lowly, wondering if something had gotten to her. She grabbed his arm and marched him around a corner and straight back to the console room. Evidently the TARDIS wanted him to see her as well.
"That." She told him, voice quiet as she pointed to the sobbing, heartbroken girl in the doorway, "You broke her heart, and even if she can find it in herself to forgive you, I don't think I will." He watched Danni shake, her sobs echoing in the large room now the song had ended. He walked slowly over to her, not wanting to alert her to his presence even though he didn't think she was paying attention. He'd seen her cry before, seen her absolutely terrified, but the hopelessness that was radiating off her practically tore his hearts in two.
"Baby I can feel your halo." She whispered, "Pray it won't fade away." His chest tightened further at how small her voice sounded. He sat next to her, jolting her out of her thoughts as she stared at him, wide-eyed.
"Are you okay?" He asked and she shook her head, her sobbing starting afresh, "Oh, don't cry." He pulled her in for a hug, "Tell me what I can do to help." He almost begged, "What can I do to make it okay?"
"Don't let go." She sobbed. He placed a kiss on her head, much like Donna had done before.
"Never." He promised, "What happened?"
"River got married." She told him after a pause, "I didn't think she would, I thought I might have made a difference, but I didn't. She got married, I was right there..." He squeezed his eyes shut, almost in pain as he quickly worked out what she actually meant. She hadn't mentioned him at all, sticking to River but he wasn't stupid.
"Then he'd a fool, isn't he?" He told her, his voice thick, "He'd a fool for ever letting you go." She sat up straight so she could looked at him, sniffling slightly as her brows furrowed and she reached up to stroke his cheek.
"What happened?" She asked.
"Donna slapped me." He told her, refusing to lie to her.
"Why?"
"Because..." He trailed off for a moment, "Because River got married and it made you cry." She kissed the hand print, a quick brush of her lips that made his breath hitch.
"She shouldn't have done that."
"Yes, she should have." The Doctor corrected instantly, "I deserve so much more."
"You haven't done anything." She pointed out.
"But I will." He whispered. She couldn't reassure him, she didn't have it in her to try and tell him it would be okay when she knew it wasn't. So, she curled up into his side.
"You're the only one who hasn't hurt me." She told him, "You've not done anything wrong."
"What do you mean?" He asked, looking down at her in confusion.
"Nine didn't know who I was," She began, "Rose-Ten was cruel. Martha-Ten couldn't let Rose go and Eleven..." She trailed off, not wanting to say it again, "Donna-Ten is the only one who hasn't broken my heart." She finished, sounding as if she'd just realised it, "What am I going to do? I can't go back to him! I can't do this..." She looked up at him, "Please, don't make me go back. Please, I don't want to see him. Can't I just stay with you? I don't want to see them together..." He took her hand, squeezing it tightly.
"I wish I could." He told her honestly and she hung her head as she shook, "If I could, I'd hold your hand and I'd never let you go. You and me, in the TARDIS, 'til the end of time itself. But I can't, I wish I could but I don't know how to keep you next to me." He tilted her head up so she was looking at him, holding his own tears back at the devastation written across her face, "Danni, please." He begged, "Please tell me I don't do this. I don't want her, I want you. It was always you. Please."
"Then why did you marry her?" She whimpered and he began crying with her, foreheads pressed together as he tried to show her just what she meant to him, flooding her mind with his sorrow and the promise that no matter what, he would change it.
~0~0~0~
Amy sat at the table in her back garden, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders to protect her from the evening chill that seemed to define British summer weather. She swirled a glass of red wine in one hand as she glanced across the garden at Danni, who was stood by the bushes, staring at the starry sky above. Jack, the attractive American, had dropped her off a couple of days ago. She'd barely said a word, occasionally tapping on her head but otherwise was pretty shut off from the world. She'd gone to get a bottle of white wine, but Danni preferred red to the best of her knowledge and she hoped she'd join them. A flash of light indicated the arrival of her daughter.
"Heard there was a freak meteor shower two miles away... So I got us a bottle." Amy told her and River smiled gratefully.
"Thank you, dear." River picked up the bottle pouring herself a glass before sitting down next to her.
"So where are we?" Amy asked her.
"I just climbed out of the Byzantium. You were there. So young," She laughed, "didn't have a clue who I was... You're funny like that. Where are you?"
"The Doctor's dead." Amy stated, too calm for River's liking, and the pair both glanced at Danni who hadn't looked away from the stars.
"How is she?" River asked.
"She just watches the sky as if she's waiting for him." Amy replied, "But I think if he did just appear, she'd turn and run away."
"Has she said anything?" River pressed and Amy shook her head.
"Sometimes she cries, but I don't think she realises she is crying." They both watched her for a moment longer before Amy turned to her.
"Why did you marry him?" She asked, "I just don't understand why." River shrugged, taking a sip from her glass.
"Because he asked." She replied, "And that told me everything I needed to know."
"But you knew he loved her, that she loved him. Why would..."
"How are you doing?" River interrupted loudly, cutting off that conversation and Amy sighed, knowing she wouldn't be getting anything else from her on the subject.
"How do you think?" She retorted.
"Well, I don't know unless you tell me." River pointed out and Amy slouched slightly.
"He'd dead. He shouldn't be, but he is and after everything that happened...I need to talk to the Doctor, but I can't now, can I?" River carefully set her glass down on the table, shifting so she was facing her mother properly.
"If you could talk to him, would it make a difference?" River asked her and she brushed the comment aside. She knew a leading question when she heard it; three psychiatrists. River didn't get it all from Madame Kovarian.
"But he's dead, so I can't." She said in reply.
"Oh, mother...of course he isn't." River whispered, a small smile on her face as she rubbed her mum's leg reassuringly.
~0~0~0~
Amy headed over to Danni, two glasses of wine in hand, a huge grin on her face as she quickly glossed over the fact that the Doctor could now be considered her son-in-law. She grimaced slightly before forcing the thought away, they'd just not mention that. She offered one of the glasses to Danni, who took it silently.
"Did you hear? He's not dead." Amy told her and Danni turned to face her, tears streaking down her face.
"I know. I was there when he set it all up. When he asked Carter for the favour. I always knew he wasn't going to die." She turned back to the sky as Amy frowned in confusion.
"Then why are you so sad?" She asked, "He's okay, isn't that what you wanted?"
"Oh Amy..." She sighed, glancing over her shoulder at Rory and River, the former trying to force a conversation between the pair, "Four versions of reality. You had parents, you didn't have parents, you lived in Upper Leadworth and were the size of a planet, and time almost died. Each time you chose him. Your Roman Rory." She turned back to her fellow red-head, "Do you ever regret it?" Amy shook her head.
"No." She replied instantly, "Never. Why?"
"Even if he never chose you," Danni continued, "would you still choose him? Just to have him for a moment?" Amy nodded again.
"Yes. Danni, what's wrong?" She asked, placing a hand on the girl's arm. Danni sighed before raising the glass to her lips, drinking it down in one move.
"Your Rory chose you. Mine didn't, did he? He chose her." She motioned to River with her glass, who was doing a great job ignoring her, "I never stood a chance against Melody Pond." She handed Amy the empty glass before taking Amy's full one, "I used to read all these stories, all these different versions where the episode would change, and he wouldn't marry her. He's do something completely different but still so monumental. I guess the fangirl in me hoped it was the same for me too." She looked up at Amy, "He visits her every night, you know? To make up for her having to spend her life in prison. And me, well, I'm just the stupid little girl who he has to drag along on his adventures with the people he cares about."
"He loves you." Amy insisted, "I don't know why he did that, but you can tell he loves you more than anything else in the universe. He was so worried about you." Amy insisted and Danni shook her head.
"I'm just a distraction." She corrected, "Rose, Martha, Donna, You, and now River. There is always the point when I go back and he doesn't care. Maybe I'm there already, he married her right in front of me, knowing it would break my heart. And I don't expect you to sympathise, because she's your daughter. Why wouldn't you root for her, for her to be happy? I just," She sighed, "I just wish I had someone on my side." She downed Amy's glass of wine, willing the buzz from the booze to hit her soon, to drown out her own thoughts now the drumming didn't do it, "It doesn't matter. I'm off now, anyway. Who know? I doubt I'll land somewhere more exciting than this, after all this has been a blast."
And Amy was left standing on her own.