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"Out, out, out! Everybody out. Don't breathe the smoke, just get out!" The Doctor ushered everyone out, each covering their faces with their respective tops to try and keep from inhaling the smoke. He reached out to place a hand on Danni's shoulder to guide her away from the malfunctioning TARDIS but she shrugged him off.
"I can't believe you shot the TARDIS!" She exclaimed angrily at Mels, who put her hands up defensively.
"I thought we were being angry!" She retorted.
"Not at the TARDIS!" She exclaimed as she spun around to face her, "She wasn't the one who got married without me!"
"Where are we?" Amy asked loudly to try and stop the pair from arguing.
"A room." The Doctor dismissed, walking over to Danni, "Please tell me what is going on!" He demanded, "Why are you saying I'm your 'ex'?"
"I told you." She replied, "You married River. You married River. Not me!" She jabbed in the chest, "You! You ended..." She waved her hands in the air, "Whatever this was! And this is me moving on!"
"With a gun-toting..." He paused, thinking of the right word, "Psychopath?"
"You did." She snapped back and the Doctor reached out to grab her hands, to try and reason with her but she recoiled from him, holding her hand up in warning, "I will smack you if you try and touch me."
"There must have been a reason why I did it." He tried to reason, "I wouldn't just up and marry someone!"
"There was a reason." She countered, "You told me you love her." The Doctor shook his head, getting ready to argue back when Rory stepped between the two. As much as he would have liked to hear the Doctor's side of things, at least some sort of explanation to why he would marry River in the future, there were more pressing issues to be thinking about.
"Right, time out." Rory told the pair before turning to the Doctor, "What room?" The Doctor shrugged, sending the Roman a glare, annoyed that he had to be all sensible and bring them back to the situation at hand.
"I don't know! I haven't memorized every room in the universe. I had yesterday off." He snapped, changing tactics and turning away towards Mels, ready to tell her what he thought about her brainwashing his Danni-Girl against him when he saw her trying to get back into the TARDIS. He stepped forward but Danni rushed over, grabbing the girl's arm and pulling her back, snatching the gun out of her hand and tossing it straight at the Doctor. He smiled slightly at her automatic response to go to him first, he was still in there somewhere.
"Oi!" Mels exclaimed angrily.
"Until you can learn not to shoot TARDIS's, no guns for you!" Danni snapped back, pulling the door closed and stopping the smoke getting out, "I hope she'll be okay."
"It'll be fine." Mels dismissed, "It's just a machine."
"Shows what you know." Danni retorted. Mels shot her a smirk and Danni laughed, shaking her head, "Fine, I forgive you." She put an arm around her and the Doctor pouted. So close.
"Doctor," Rory called, spotting a man unconscious on the floor and rushing to his side, "this guy, I think he's hurt." He checked his pulse and frowned, "No, hang on. No, he's... he's fine." The Doctor glanced down at the gun in his hand. He had to get it away from Mels before she caused anymore damage. He moved over a desk, slightly covered in rubble from their collision with the building, and placed it into a fruit bowl for safe keeping. A groan came from behind the desk and a man slowly pulled himself up.
"Ooh, hello! Sorry, is this your office?" The Doctor asked, turning to point at the TARDIS, "Had a sort of collision with my vehicle. Faults on both sides, let's say no more about..." He trailed off as he turned back, his tongue darting out to wet his slight dry lips as he saw who the man was, "…it." He finished. The rest of the group spotted who the man was and Amy, Danni and Rory walked up to the Doctor, staring in shock at him.
"Is that...? No, it can't be, Doctor?" Amy asked and the Doctor nodded slightly.
"Thank you." Hitler told them gratefully, "Whoever you are, I think you have just saved my life."
"Oh, well done." Danni said sarcastically, "Save Hitler, what a good plan."
"Believe me... it was an accident." The Doctor replied. Hitler caught sight of the TARDIS and slowly walked over.
"What is this thing?"
"What did he mean we saved his life? We could not have saved Hitler." Amy hissed.
"You see?" The Doctor turned, snapping at Mels, "You see, time travel, it never goes to plan."
"This box, what is it?" Hitler tried again.
"It's a police telephone box from London, England." The Doctor strode over to the German, smirking knowingly, "That's right, Adolf, the British are coming!"
"No, stop him!" Hitler suddenly shouted, taking out his gun and shooting at the man who had been laid out on the floor.
"No!" Danni screamed, dashing forward and slamming into Hitler, sending his gun flying out of his hand before he could do any harm. The dictator fell to the floor and Rory scrambled to pick the gun up, aiming it at him.
"Sit still, shut up." Rory commanded and Hitler put his hands up as Amy rushed over to the side of the man Hitler had been trying to shoot.
"Are you OK?" She asked him and he nodded faintly.
"Yes, yes." He replied in a German accent, "Yes. I'm fine. I think he missed."
"He was going to kill me." Hitler defended and Rory turned to him.
"Shut up, Hitler!" He snapped, seeing the strangeness of the situation quite clearly but having learnt long ago to just roll with it.
"Rory, take Hitler and put him in that cupboard over there now. Do it!" The Doctor commanded and Rory nodded.
"Right, putting Hitler in the cupboard. Cupboard, Hitler. Hitler, cupboard." He pulled Hitler off the floor and marched him to the cupboard in question, "Come on."
"But I am the Fuhrer!" Hitler protested.
"Right, in you go!" Rory replied, pushing him in and shutting the door in Hitler's face. The Doctor nodded his approval before heading over to the other man, who Amy had helped sit down on some rubble.
"Are you OK?" The man blinked at him.
"Oh, I..." And the man fainted. They all stared at him in shock.
"I think he just fainted." Rory stated.
"Yes, that was a faint." The Doctor agreed, "A perfect faint." Amy looked over at Mels, who was stood off to the side, a dazed look on her face.
"Mels?" She asked, standing up from her crouch and Mels shot her a weak smile.
"I almost got shot by Hitler." She replied and she looked over at Danni who, to his delight, was stood at the Doctor's side, "I almost got shot by Hitler!" She exclaimed happily and Danni laughed with her nodded.
"Yeah, I know." She giggled, "Close one, eh?"
"He's a lousy shot." Mels concered, "Thanks for stopping it, Danni-Girl." The Doctor mocked her silently as Danni shrugged.
"No problem, Mels." She then reached into her jacket, pulling out her own gun and shot Mels straight in the stomach. The girl cried out in agony as the rest of the group yelled in surprise. Danni dropped the gun, running over to her as she dropped to the floor.
"I don't understand..." Mels groaned as Danni knelt by her, teeth bared in fury, "I thought..."
"What? We were friends?" Danni mocked, "Let me get this straight for you, we will never be friends." She leant in closer, "You don't understand yet, but this isn't about me never forgiving the Doctor. He broke my heart, left me with nothing at all, but I still have the Doctor's before him. I'll be okay. But you..." She put her hand on the wound, pushing hard and causing Mels to scream in pain, "I will never forgive you River. And I promise that I'll never let you go, I will never stop taking it out on you. You stole him from me, I will never get him back, so I'm going to make sure you never forget me." The Doctor pulled her away from Mels as Amy and Rory dropped to her side.
"What have you done?!" Amy screamed and Danni and the blonde girl smirked in reply.
"Nothing out of the ordinary." She retorted.
"Rory, fix her." The Doctor commanded, looking down at Danni, "What is going on?"
"The only water in the forest is the River." She replied pointedly, not looking or feeling remorseful. Mels was going to get shot anyway, she had just changed the shooter. The Doctor's eyes widened.
"You haven't lost me." He promised her and she nodded.
"Yes I have." She whispered sadly as Rory fought to help Mels.
"No, no, no! I've got to stop the bleeding!" He snapped in frustration.
"How bad is it? Rory, what can we do?" Amy cried as she stroked her friend's hair.
"Just keep her conscious! Stay with us, Mels." Rory commanded as Mels seemed to drift away from them.
"Are you sure?" The Doctor whispered to Danni and she nodded.
"Who did you name Melody after?" Danni called over, not taking her gaze off the Doctor.
"Why does it matter?" Amy snapped, "She's our best friend." Mels laughed painfully, gasping as Rory did his best to help her.
"How..." She gasped again, "Boring."
"Who did you name Melody after?" The Doctor replied.
"Mels." Amy told him and he looked over at the three in realisation, working out what was happening before turning back to Danni.
"I knew you wouldn't kill anyone." He said in relief and she shot him a smirk.
"Just you." She retorted, "I've had months to think this over. I'm going to forgive you." A smile started to spread on his face and he reached out, bringing her in for a snog that Amy and Rory couldn't believe was happening as Mels was dying. Danni grasped at his jacket until he broke away, leaning his forehead on hers, "And them I'm going to move on from you." She whispered and his eyes shot open in shock.
"No." He breathed and she nodded, "No, no you can't do that." She shrugged.
"I'm gonna try." She twisted out of his grasp, "I had nothing left to lose but you. So I'm taking control of that situation." She nodded over at Mels, "Go sort her out." The Doctor looked at her in despair and she shot him an encouraging smile. Hoping that if he did what she asked, she might at least listen to him, he rushed over to Mels.
Hey, look at me." He told the girl on the floor, shooting her a smile of his own, "Just hold on."
"I used to dream about you. All those stories Amy told me." Mels told him, "You and your Danni-Girl. How I loved you both."
"What stories? Tell me what stories. Vampires in Venice, that's a belter." Mels laughed breathlessly.
"When I was little, I was going to marry you." She admitted, "But then I met Danni."
"I can't marry you." He gently told her, "But I can get Danni to say sorry, yeah? But only if you live. Deal?"
"True." She replied, "Think what my parents would say."
"I suspect they're as clueless as me right now." He looked out of the corner of his eye, "Right, Amelia?" Amy and Rory exchanged glances as Mels began to glow bright orange.
"Penny in the air." Mels whispered. The Doctor grabbed Rory and Amy by the arms, pulling them away, "Penny drops!" She stood up as Rory turned to Danni.
"What the hell's going on?" He demanded, "Since when did you go around shooting people?"
"Since she stole my boyfriend!" Danni snapped in reply, "It's fine, trust me. Mels is short for Melody, right?"
"Yeah, I named my daughter after her." Amy retorted.
"You named your daughter... after your daughter." The Doctor finished and they all turned to face her.
"Took me years to find you two. I'm so glad I did. And, you see, it all worked out in the end, didn't it? You got to raise me after all."
"You're Melody?"
"But if she's Melody, that means she's also..." Rory trailed off, realising why Danni might have been mad at her.
"Oh, shut up, Dad!" Mels snapped, "I'm focussing on a dress size." She chucked her hands out and screamed as she regenerated.
~0~0~0~
They always flirted. Danni sighed, rubbing her temples tiredly as they watched the Doctor and the newly-regenerated Mels/River dance around each other, Mels trying to kill the Doctor and the man himself stopping her at every turn. Amy and Rory were finding this very hard to come to terms with, but then again who wouldn't? She felt a spike of joy at the thought of Madame Kovarian burning because of what she did before shaking her head, getting to the task at hand.
"You were not a psychopath! Why would she be a psychopath?" Amy asked the Doctor as Mels and the Doctor circled each other, eyes trained on the other.
"Oh, Mummy, Mummy, pay attention." Mels scolded lightly, "I was trained and conditioned for one purpose. I was born to kill the Doctor."
"Demons Run, remember? This is what they were building, my bespoke psychopath." The Doctor added, "I did feel bad for her, until I found out what she would do to Danni. Now," He shrugged, "She's just another obstacle for us to get around."
"I wouldn't do anything to Danni!" Mels protested angrily, "She's just upset but she didn't mean anything by it. She saved me from the Spacesuit! She helped me find my parents. She's my best friend, no one else's!" Danni shook her head, completely amazed that she still thought they were friends after everything she had... would do in the future!
"And then you break her heart." The Doctor tutted sarcastically, "Your daughter, Ponds. I hope you're proud." Melody looked over at Danni and saw her looking at the floor, playing with the hem of her tank top and her eyes narrowed. She wasn't upset because of her, she was upset because of the Doctor. They'd been right all along, the Doctor destroyed everything he touched, and he'd even turned her best friend against her! Well, there was something she could do about that. She reached forward, brushing her lips against the Doctor's, who immediately jumped back in surprise.
"What are you doing?" He exclaimed, wiping his lips but it was too late. It had been too late from the moment her lips touched his. She turned, walking over to the window sill and stepping onto it, looking out at the city outside.
"Oh, look at that! Berlin on the eve of war. A whole world about to tear itself apart." She looked back at the group inside, "Now that's my kind of town. Mum, Dad, don't follow me. And, yes, that is a warning." She told them. The Doctor stepped towards her slightly, knowing River's love of jumping out of buildings he wasn't about to let Mels do the same.
"No warning for me, then?" He asked.
"No need, my love. The deed is done and so are you." The Doctor's legs wobbled and he collapsed as he chest exploded in pain as he struggled to breath. Danni caught him on one side as Amy and Rory darted forward to catch him.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Danni cried, cupping his face to make him look at her, "I forgot about the lipstick!"
"Doctor, what's wrong?" Amy asked, just as worried from the other side.
"What have you done?" He asked, rubbing his side to try and work out what was happening to him, "River!" She rolled her eyes.
"You really shouldn't be calling out for her when Danni is right there." She smiled at the blonde woman at the Doctor's side, "You can thank me later, sweetie."
"Do you have any idea what you've done?!" Danni snarled back.
"What have you done?!" The Doctor shouted as he fell to the floor, pulling Danni with him.
"It was never going to be a gun for you," Mels told him with a smile, "Doctor, the man of peace who understands every kind of warfare, except, perhaps, the cruellest." His fingers traced his lips as he realised what had happened, "Kiss, kiss." She winked at Danni, "I'll be back for you soon, sweetie." She blew them all a kiss then jumped out of the window.
"What's wrong with you? What's she done to you?" Rory asked the Doctor.
"Poisoned me," The Doctor replied, "Because she's programmed to want to kill me. And a tiny bit because she wants Danni all to herself, but I'm fine." He tried to push himself up but stumbled again, "Well, no, I'm dying, but I've got a plan."
"Since when do you ever have a plan?" Danni asked him and he shot her a cheeky grin.
"It's already working." He told her with a groan, "I'm not dying. See, fine!" With help he finally got to his feet, wrapping his arm around Danni's shoulder for support, "You didn't jump out of the window with her. Step one, complete."
"Oh, you are such a bloody fool sometimes!" She snapped, her anger flaring up, "Don't think just because you're dying I'm on your side."
"No, but you are by my side." He pointed out, "Prospects are looking up. As I strictly do not die."
"OK, what do we do? How do we help you?" Rory asked. He used his free hand to rummage through his pockets, pulling out his sonic screwdriver and handing it to Amy.
"Take this! The TARDIS can home in on it." He told them, "Now, go, get after her! Me and Danni-Girl are going to make sure I stick to the no-dying plan." She rolled her eyes.
"She's outside antagonising Nazis." She explained, "You should probably stop her." She gave Amy a gentle shove before they went their separate ways, Danni helping the Doctor into the TARDIS.