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River Song connected some wires to the TARDIS console as it sparked and exploded around her in an attempt to land the malfunctioning machine. She ran from the console, ready to throw the doors opened when Danni came flying onto the floor, unconscious and ragged. River rushed over and shook the her best friend awake, who jolted and looked around, trying to get her bearings.
"Koschei!" She cried, confused and disorientated. River helped her up.
"Later, we're about to explode." She kept a tight grip around her waist and headed to the door, using one hand to open the doors. They were met by a stone wall, stopping them from escaping.
"I'm sorry, my love."River breathed out before looking back over her shoulder. She clung to her friend as the machine exploded in a bright light, engulfing the pair.
~0~0~0~
River Song connected some wires to the TARDIS console as it sparked and exploded around her in an attempt to land the malfunctioning machine. She ran from the console, ready to throw the doors opened when Danni came flying onto the floor, unconscious and ragged. River rushed over and shook the her best friend awake, who jolted and looked around, trying to get her bearings.
"Koschei!" She cried, confused and disorientated. River helped her up.
"Later, we're about to explode." She kept a tight grip around her waist and headed to the door, using one hand to open the doors. They were met by a stone wall, stopping them from escaping.
"I'm sorry, my love."River breathed out before looking back over her shoulder. She clung to her friend as the machine exploded in a bright light, engulfing the pair.
~0~0~0~
River Song connected some wires to the TARDIS console as it sparked and exploded around her in an attempt to land the malfunctioning machine. She ran from the console, ready to throw the doors opened when Danni came flying onto the floor, unconscious and ragged. River rushed over and shook the her best friend awake, who jolted and looked around, trying to get her bearings.
"Koschei!" She cried, confused and disorientated. River helped her up.
"Later, we're about to explode." She kept a tight grip around her waist and turned to head to the doors. The Doctor was stood against the door, leg crossed over the other and a fez on his head.
"Hi, honey. I'm home." He said smugly and River looked at the watch on her free arm.
"And what sort of time do you call this?" His eyes fell on Danni and he rushed over, taking her off River. Danni clung to him, flitting in and out of consciousness.
"What happened?" He asked, concerned.
"I don't know, she just appeared on the floor." River explained as he grabbed her arm and they disappeared out of the TARDIS and appeared on the roof with Amy and Rory.
"Amy! And the plastic Centurion?" River asked in confusion as the Doctor checked Danni over.
"It's OK, he's on our side." He told her distractedly as he held his head closer to her mouth, trying to hear what she was mumbling.
"Really? I dated a Nestene duplicate once... swappable head, it did keep things fresh." Danni groaned and woke up, looking up dazed and confused into the Doctor's eyes.
"Doctor?" She whispered meekly and he nodded.
"Welcome back, what happened?" He asked her but she shook her head, wincing as her brain rattled.
"River needs to talk next, not me." She replied instead, but refused to look away. A year, she realised. A whole year without seeing those eyes, she'd forgotten just how beautiful they were. She reached up, stroking his cheek with her fingertips. For that moment, she pushed everything that had happened out of her mind. Forgot all about Koschei, and focused entirely on him.
"No, tell me what happened." He demanded. She leant in closer, her lips brushing against his ear.
"You're wearing a fez." She whispered with a grin and he pulled back, smiling widely at her. The end of the universe, and she was exactly where she should have been. In his arms.
"Right then," River started pointedly, taking her cue from Danni, "I have questions. But number one is this... What in the name of sanity have you got on your head?" The Doctor looked at her, appalled and insulted.
"It's a fez. I wear a fez now. Fezes are cool." He replied. River shot Amy a look, who reached over and took it from his head. She threw it up into the air in the same motion and River shot it, disintegrating the headwear.
"Oh!" The Doctor exclaimed and Danni giggled, pushing herself off him.
"Exterminate!" A Dalek appeared from over the edge of the building, drawing everyone's attention away from the hat and to the alien.
"Run, run, move, move. Go! Come on!" The Doctor told them and they all ran to climb down the stairwell, the Doctor using a disused satellite dish as a shield to rebound the Dalek's firing. He slammed the door shut and soniced it to seal it. River aimed her gun at it, just in case the Dalek broke through anyway.
"Doctor, come on." She told him.
"Shh." He hushed her and she shot him an annoyed look, "It's moving away, finding another way in." He began climbing down the ladder, "It needs to restore its power before it can attack again. Now, that means we've got exactly," He checked his watch, "four and a half minutes before it's at lethal capacity." He continued down the stairs.
"How do you know?" Rory asked, confused.
"Because that's when it's due to kill him." Danni piped up, sticking close the Doctor, still shaking and eyes darting around. She clung to his hand, their fingers linked as the Doctor tried to think up a plan to save everyone.
"Kill him? What do you mean, kill him?" River exclaimed.
"Oh, shut up, never mind. How can that Dalek even exist?" He mused angrily as they stepped into the hallway, approaching the exhibit hall, "It was erased from time and then it came back. How?"
"You said the light from the Pandorica..." Rory started but the Doctor interrupted him.
"It's not a light, it's a restoration field, but never mind. Call it a light. That light brought Amy back, but how could it bring back a Dalek when the Daleks have never existed?"
"OK, tell us." Amy prompted.
"When the TARDIS blew up, it caused a total event collapse. A time explosion. It blasted every atom in every moment of the universe. Except..." He trailed off.
"Except inside the Pandorica." Amy finished and he nodded.
"The perfect prison." He confirmed, "Inside it, perfectly preserved, a few billion atoms of the universe as it was. In theory, you could extrapolate the whole universe from a single one of them, like cloning a body from a single cell. And we've got the bumper family pack."
"No, too fast, I'm not getting it." Rory replied, utterly confused.
"The box contains a memory of the universe, and the light transmits the memory. And that's how we're going to do it."
"Do what? Amy asked.
"Relight the fire. Reboot the universe. Come on!" He turned and continued towards the Pandorica, dragging Danni with him. Amy and Rory exchange confused looks as River ran off to catch up to the Doctor.
"Doctor, you're being completely ridiculous." She scolded him as they entered another hallway, "The Pandorica partially restored one Dalek. If it can't even reboot a single life form properly, how will it reboot the whole of reality?"
"What if we give it a moment of infinite power? Transmit the light from the Pandorica to every particle of space and time simultaneously?" He asked her.
"Well, that would be lovely, dear, but we can't, because it's completely impossible." She exclaimed in frustration. Why could he never be straight forward? Why was it always riddles and long, winding explanations?
"Ah, no, you see, it's not."He tapped her on the forehead for emphasis, "It's ALMOST completely impossible. One spark is all we need."
"For what?"
"Big Bang Two!" He whispered excitedly, "Now listen..." But instead of finishing, he shoved Danni away from him to the floor before being shot by the rogue Dalek and collapsing. The Dalek headed towards them, screaming it's battle cry. River rushed over to Danni's side, helping her up. Danni batted her away and the pair rushed to the Doctor's side, who was laid out on his back, singed around the edges from the direct hit.
"Get back. River, Danni, get back now!" Rory told the pair as the Dalek came closer. Still being made of plastic, he flipped his hand open and shot the Dalek with the gun that was hidden there. It was drained of it's energy and fell still. River didn't pay him any attention, trying instead to rouse the Doctor.
"Doctor. Doctor, it's me, River. Can you hear me? What is it? What do you need?" She asked frantically, remembering clearly how Danni had been when she had tried to kill him. She'd promised to make sure he was there for her always, and a stupid Dalek wasn't going to get in the way of that. The Doctor ignored her and instead activated his Manipulator, disappearing in a flash of light.
"Where did he go? Damn it, he could be anywhere." She exclaimed angrily, standing up and brushing herself down.
"He went downstairs. 12 minutes ago." Amy told the other woman solemnly.
"Show me!" River demanded.
"River, he died." The woman stared back at her in disbelief before turning to where Danni to see if she was okay. She frowned when the spot where the Doctor had thrown her was empty.
"Where did Danni go?" She asked but was interrupted by the Dalek.
~0~0~0~
Danni ran into the exhibit hall, panting heavily as she stared wide-eyed at the Doctor strapped into the Pandorica. He was battered and bruised and in obvious pain as he attempted to wire the Vortex Manipulator to the prison.
"You were just going to leave me?" She cried, heartbroken and he looked up.
"The universe will reset, you will be fine." He told her with a little difficulty and she stormed over.
"You are my universe!" She exclaimed, "I'm only here because of you. Would I just go back to the other universe? I don't want to do that!"
"You'll be fine, I promise." He repeated and she shook with rage.
"I am not fine. I will never be fine without you." She insisted and he smiled warmly at her.
"You've survived a lot more than this without me." He reassured her. She shook her head.
"I can't. I'm scared, really scared. Please don't leave me." She begged.
"Amy and Rory will look after you." He tried again and she growled in frustration.
"Oh for God's sake you can not be that unobservant!" She cried at him and he frowned, "I know you've been busy, saving the universe and everything but have you actually looked at me?!" He studied her for a moment, taking in her shaking and the sheen of cold sweat covering her skin. She had a large gash on her head and was tapping against her thigh urgently. Then he noticed the maid' outfit she was wearing, dirty and tattered from the amount of time she had spent in it.
"You've come from the Valiant." He stated in shock and she nodded.
"Yes. You can't leave me. I need you, I can't ever come through the other side of this without you. Don't you dare leave me too." She told him and he smiled sadly.
"Never." He swore and she grinned shakily, her eyes full of tears and she knelt down at his feet.
"Tell me what to do."
~0~0~0~
Amy, River and Rory ran over to the Pandorica, where the Doctor had passed out and Danni was shaking him, trying to wake him up.
"Why did he tell us he was dead?" Rory asked as River gently pulled Danni away before checking on the Time Lord.
"We were a diversion. Long as the Dalek was chasing us, he could work down here." Amy explained to her fiancé.
"Doctor, can you hear me? What were you doing?" River asked. Danni glared at her, pushing back to her place at the Doctors feet.
"We don't have time for this. We're running out of time, the whole of reality is collapsing around us. Just look at the room." She snapped.
"Where did everything go?" Amy asked as they glanced around the now empty room.
"History is being erased. Time is running out." Danni explained before turning to River, "He was trying to connect the vortex manipulator to the Pandorica so he can fly it into the heart of the exploding TARDIS, but he's still badly hurt and I don't know what to do!" She cried and the Doctor began stirring, slowing coming back round.
"Big... Bang... Two." He panted out.
"The Big Bang. That's the beginning of the universe, right?" Rory asked.
"What, and Big Bang Two is the bang that brings it back? Is that what you mean?" Amy asked the Doctor, trying to help him explain his plan. The Doctor gave a small nod and River jolted in realisation.
"Oh!" She exclaimed.
"What?" Amy asked.
"The TARDIS is still burning. It's exploding at every point in history. If you threw the Pandorica into the explosion, right into the heart of the fire..."
"Then what?"
"Then let there be light. The light from the Pandorica would explode everywhere at once, just like he said."
"That would work? That would bring everything back?"
"A restoration field, powered by an exploding TARDIS, happening at every moment in history. Oh, that's brilliant. It might even work!" She grabbed his sonic screwdriver, examining the work he had already completed.
"I know you can finish it, please help him." Danni urged River, pleading her to just hurry up.
~0~0~0~
The sky was bright orange by the time River had finished attaching the manipulator to the prison. Danni was leant against one wall, her eyes closed and she was ferociously tapping the four beat on her skull again just like she had done on the Valiant mere hours ago. Now the whole of the universe was collapsing around her and she was about the not exist anymore. She thought that it might of helped, but the silence around her was just cruelly highlighting the fact that there was nothing in her head, and no one to feed it to her. The Doctor had sent River to fetch Amy, and Danni knew that they were talking right in front of her, but she couldn't hear anything over the never ending silence. She tapped harder, she needed some sound.
She was startled as the ground shook and she opened her eyes to see Amy placing the screwdriver into his pocket.
"There's going to be a very big bang. Big Bang Two. Try and remember your family and they'll be there." He told Amy weakly.
"How can I remember them if they never existed?" Amy asked, heartbroken.
"Because... you're special. That crack in your wall, all that time, the universe pouring into your head. You brought Rory back...you can bring them back, too. You just remember, and they'll be there." He explained, kissing his fingers and placing it on her head.
"You won't." She insisted as she backed away but he just grinned.
"You'll have your family back. You won't need your imaginary friend any more." He laughed weakly, "Amy Pond... crying over me, eh? Guess what?"
"What?" He sat up straight with a triumphant smile
"Gotcha." The Pandorica closed and Danni manoeuvred herself onto his knee as he began typing wildly on the manipulator and it began flying towards the TARDIS. Danni grabbed his communicator out of his pocket, struggling to type a message onto it. She showed him what she was about to send, and he laughed at the 'GERONIMO' across it's screen. She hit the send button before burrowing her face into his chest, the g-force of the ride began making her nauseous. He held her tightly as they slammed into the exploding TARIS.
~0~0~0~
The Doctor took a deep breath as he shot up on the TARDIS floor, now completely back to normal. He saw Danni do the same next to her and laughed in relief. He stood up, helping her up as well. She was no longer dirty and tattered, and the gash on her forehead had gone. They hugged tightly.
"Oh! OK. we escaped, then. Brilliant! Love it when I do that." He checked his body, "Legs, yes." He checked for his bowtie, "Bow tie, cool." He then reached up and felt the absence of anything on his head, "I can buy a fez." Danni giggled at him, feeling much better than she had a moment earlier. He was about to say something else when he was interrupted by the Past Doctor at the console of the TARDIS.
"The beach. The beach is the best. Automatic sand." The Past Doctor was explaining to Past Amy as he piloted the TARDIS.
"Automatic sand? What does that mean?" Past Amy asked.
"It's automated, totally." They walked around the console to see Past Doctor and Amy dressed ready to go to the beach.
"Oh." The Doctor let out sadly as he realised what was happening.
"Cleans up the lolly sticks..." His past self continued and Danni batted his arm.
"You went to Space Florida without me?" she asked, annoyed.
"Amy wanted to go." He defended, "That's last week. We're rewinding. My.. My time stream... unravelling, erasing. Closing." She pointed to a screen on the console and he saw the image of the crack closing, "Hello, universe, goodbye, Doctor. Amy?" He called and the Past Amy turned around but looked right through them. He looked at her, confused. "Amy?"
Suddenly the time line rewound even further until they landed outside Craig's flat where Amy was placing the advert for the room in the shop window.
"Ah, three weeks ago, when she put the card in the window." He looked at Danni, "Have you done this yet?" Danni nodded, "It was brilliant..." he trailed off, saddened by the fact she was disappearing with him. She took his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze before turning to the other redhead.
"Amy!" She called and Amy looked over to where they were, but again couldn't see them, "Pay attention, Pond!"
"She can hear us! But if she can hear us..." The Doctor trailed off as he spotted the crack in the road and time rewound again.
They arrived in the forest aboard the Byzantium, just as the Past Doctor was leaving for the primary flight deck, leaving Past Amy on her own with the two clerics.
"Good luck everyone. Behave. Do not let that girl open her eyes. And keep watching the forest. Stop those Angels advancing." The Past Doctor told the two clerics, before turning to Past Amy, "Amy, later!"He tapped her forehead, "River, going to need your computer." He said as he left Past Amy. Danni nudged the Doctor.
"Go talk to her." She commanded and he frowned.
"Why?"
"Because she can hear you." She pushed him forward and he approached the young woman, placing his hands on hers.
"Amy. you need to start trusting me, it's never been more important." He told her gently.
"But you don't always tell me the truth." Past Amy accused.
"If I always told you the truth, I wouldn't need you to trust me." He replied.
"Doctor, the crack in my wall, how can it be here?" She asked, scared.
"I don't know yet, but I'm working it out." He told her, not technically lying as he looked over at his past self examining some readouts, "Now, listen. Remember what I told you when you were seven?"
"What did you tell me?" She asked, confused and he leant his forehead against hers, squeezing his eyes shut.
"No, no... That's not the point. You have to remember." He kissed her on the forehead and moved over to Danni, pulling her close and kissing her deeply as Past Amy called after him.
~0~0~0~
Time rewound again for what Danni knew would be the final time, and they landed still kissing on Amy's hallway, at the bottom of the stairs. They broke apart and the Doctor glanced around the dark room.
"Amelia's house." He stated, then looked at his watch, "When she was seven. The night she waited." He took Danni's hand and led her outside. The pair walked around the garden slowly, hand in hand, finding little Amelia Pond curled up asleep on her suitcase. They smiled bitter-sweetly at the sight, their little companion.
"The girl who waited. Come here, you."The Doctor picked the little girl up, Danni grabbing her suitcase, and they headed inside and up the stairs to her bedroom. The Doctor tucked Amelia into her bed and sat down on a chair next to it. Danni stood behind him, holding onto the back.
"It's funny. I thought if you could hear me, I could hang on somehow. Silly me. Silly old Doctor. When you wake up, you'll have a mum and dad... And you won't even remember me. Well, you'll remember me a little. I'll be a story in your head." He rambled to the sleeping child, talking was the only way he knew how to work through issues.
"But that's OK. We're all stories in the end." Danni pointed out quietly.
"Just make it a good one, eh? Cos it was, you know. It was the best. A daft old man who stole a magic box and ran away. Did I ever tell you that I stole it? Well, I borrowed it. I was always going to take it back. Oh, that box, Amy. You'll dream about that box. It'll never leave you. Big and little at the same time. Brand new and ancient. And the bluest blue ever. And the times we had, eh? Woulda had... Never had. In your dreams, they'll still be there. The Doctor, Danni and Amy Pond. And the days that never came. The cracks are closing. But they can't close properly until we're on the other side. We don't belong here any more." He looked up at Danni, asking her for permission and she nodded, "I think we'll skip the rest of the rewind. I hate repeats. Live well. Love Rory." He kissed her forehead, the tears not falling but were thick in his voice, "Bye bye, Pond."Danni walked around and stroked the ginger hair, causing the girl to shift but not stir.
"Amelia, the girl who waited. No longer will you wait for us. Be magnificent, as always." They left her, hand in hand as the crack closed behind them. Amelia woke up, looked at her wall as if noticing something was wrong, then went back to sleep.
~0~0~0~
Morning came 14 years later and Amy slowly woke up, her eyes travelling across her room at all her old Raggedy Doctor and Danni-Girl crafts; a dream from her childhood long ago. Her eyes fell on her wedding dress, staring at it as she tried to work out what was going on.
"Morning!" A female voice called from outside and a woman entered carrying a tray full of breakfast goodies. Amy shot up in her bed, surprised at the woman who stared back confused.
"You're my mum. Oh, my God, you're my mum." Amy said.
"Well, of course I'm your mum. What's the matter with you?" The woman asked with a grin, "And this is your breakfast, which your father made, so feel free to tip it out of the window if it's an atrocity. Downstairs, 10 minutes? Big day!" She left her daughter to eat and Amy watched her leave with a frown on her face.
"Of course she's my mum. Why is that surprising?" She climbed out of bed, chucking her cover of the discarded breakfast and made her way downstairs to her parlour, entering the room cautiously. Her father was stood at the fireplace, going over his speech in his hands.
"Ah, Amelia. I fear I may have been using the same joke book as the best man." He told her as she stared back in shock.
"You're my tiny little dad!" She cried happily before rushing over and pulling him into a hug, which he returned just as happily with one hand still on the book.
"Amelia, why are you behaving as if you've never seen us before?" Her mother asked as she entered the room and Amy moved out of the way as her mum put a tie over her dad's head and tightened it.
"I don't know. It's just..." She answered with a small smile, still uncomfortable with the nagging feeling she was getting in the back of her head that something was missing. She turned and left her parents to get ready, heading up to her bedroom and phoning her husband-to-be.
"Hello!" He called happily down the phone, his voice muffled with something in his mouth. She rolled her eyes, he always answered the phone whilst eating.
"Do you feel like you've forgotten something really important?" She asked without replying, "Do you feel like there's a great big thing in your head, and you feel like you should remember it, but you can't?"
"Yep." He replied after a pause and her lips turned upwards in the corners.
"Are you just saying yes cos you're scared of me?"
"Yep." The grin spread slightly more.
"I love you." She told him.
"Yep." He replied again, "I mean, I love you too!" He corrected himself quickly after realising what she had said. She hung the phone up and sat on the bed, staring at the wedding dress deep in thought before smiling widely and rushing over to it with a flourish.
~0~0~0~
Amy, Rory and their families were all sat at the head of the reception hall, clapping as the best man finished his speech. Amy lightly touched Rory on the hand as they discussed what he had said before clapping along with everyone else. She was now Mrs Williams, had finally married the man who she loved more than anything in the universe.
"Ladies and gentlemen," The Best Man concluded, "Ladies and Gentlemen, the father of the bride, Augustus Pond!" The hall cheered and Amy clinked her glass of champagne with her spoon as he father timidly stood up.
"Sorry, everyone. I'll be another two minutes. I'm just reviewing certain aspects." The crowd groaned good-naturedly and laughed as he sat back down to change the jokes the Best Man had used. Amy's mother leaned over Rory.
"Your father, Amelia, will be the absolute death of me. Unless, of course, I strike pre-emptively." Amy laughed joyfully at her mother, knowing that the pair really did love each other when she caught sight of a woman with a mass of curly blonde hair walking past the window. The woman looked in and smirked, as if knowing Amy recognised her. Amy shot up from her chair and watched her as she disappeared around the building and out of view.
"Amy? You OK?" Rory asked, bringing her out of the trance she had been in.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She cast one last look out of the window before sitting back down.
"Right. Er... You're crying." He pointed out, confused and a little wary of pointing it out.
"So I am." She replied calmly as she reached up and wiped a tear from off her cheek, "Why am I doing that?" She whispered.
"Because you're happy, probably. Happy Mrs Rory. Happy, happy, happy." He replied hopefully, trying to lift her spirits. However, she just shook her head.
"No. I'm sad. I'm really, really sad." Rory turned to look at the table in front of them, feeling nervous.
"Great."
"Why am I sad?"Her eyes caught sight of a blue book on the table in front of Rory and she paused slightly as she recognised it, "What's that?"
"Oh, er, someone left it for you." He picked it up, "A woman." She snatched it out of his hand, turning it over as if trying to work it out.
"But what is it?" She asked forcefully.
"It's a book." He answered. She flipped through the pages, trying to find something, anything.
"It's blank." She pointed out. The feeling of sadness in her chest increased with every blank page but she did not know why.
"It's a present."
"But why?" She asked. Everything that felt wrong with the day, from waking up and being shocked at her parents mere existence, to the empty seats on the pews, to the woman walking past the window, she knew were all connected to this empty book. But she didn't know why. Something, deep in her memory, was crying out but she just couldn't remember what was so special about the blue book.
"Well, you know the old saying." She looked at him blankly, "The old... wedding... thing. Huh?" He asked imploringly. She turned from him to stare at the book, desperately trying to cling onto the memories she could feel were there. She didn't register her husband calling her name or her father standing up next to her.
"Ready now. Sorry about that. Last-minute adjustments to certain aspects. Now then, it hardly seems a year..." She looked around the room as things began to catch her eye. A red bow tie around a teenager's neck, a pair of blue braces one of her uncles was wearing, a blue dress her cousin Sarah was wearing. She looked back down at the journal as a tear fell from her eye and landed with the loudest thud she thought she had ever heard. She suddenly shot up from her chair.
"Shut up, Dad!" She cried, startling everyone in to silence around her.
"Amelia?" Her dad asked.
"Sorry, but shut up, please! There's someone missing...some people... some important people. So, so important." She grasped the side of her head, as if it would help her.
"Amy, what's wrong?" Rory asked her, now very concerned.
"Sorry. Sorry, everyone. But when I was a kid, I had two imaginary friends."
"Oh no, not this again." Her mother said with a sigh as everyone on the table sat back for a familiar story.
"The Raggedy Doctor and Danni-Girl. My Raggedy Doctor and his Danni-Girl. But they weren't imaginary. They were real."
"The psychiatrists we sent her to!" Her mother tried to explain to the crowd, passing it off as an anecdote.
"I remember you!" Amy interrupted, "I remember! I brought the others back, I can bring you home, too. Raggedy man, I remember you, and you are late for my wedding!" Silence fell across the room as nothing happened. About to pass it off as a joke, her mother shifted in her seat but stilled as the ground began to shake, glasses tinkling against each other and the chandelier in the middle of the room began to sway.
"I found you. I found you in words, like you knew I would. That's why you told me the story...the brand new, ancient blue box. Oh, clever. Very clever." The noise of the TARDIS engines filled the hall as its ever-familiar wind blew around the guests.
"Amy, what is it?" Rory asked her.
"Something old. Something new. Something borrowed. Something blue." She whispered. The TARDIS began to materialise in the middle of the floor as the other guests gasped.
"It's the Doctor!" Rory exclaimed, confused, "How did we forget the Doctor? I was plastic. He was the stripper at my stag. Long story." The TARDIS solidified and Amy pulled the skirt of her dress up, climbed over the table and strode up to the beautiful blue box. She knocked on the door.
"OK, Doctor, Danni. Did I surprise you this time?" The door opened and the Doctor appeared wearing a top hat and tails, sporting a white bow tie and a white scarf over his shoulders. Danni snaked under his arm in a black dress with white polka-dots. She had a red belt and matching shoes, a black bow in her hair.
"Er, yeah. Completely astonished. Never expected that. How lucky I happened to be wearing this old thing." The pair stepped out of the box as the guests muttered around them.
"Hello, everyone. We're Amy's imaginary friends, but we came anyway." Danni announced, hugging the red head who returned it just as happily, "I told him we were late." She whispered in her Doctor walked up to the head table and shook Amy's father's hand.
"You absolutely, definitely may kiss the bride." Amy stated, walking purposefully towards the Doctor with her lips puckered up. The Doctor placed a finger against her lips before she can kiss him, turning away from her as he did.
"Amelia! From now on, I shall be leaving the... kissing duties to the brand new Mr Pond." He shook Rory's hand as the groom approached them. Rory was grinning from ear to ear, but double-took as he understood what the Doctor had said.
"No, I'm not Mr Pond. That's not how it works." He explained.
"Yeah, it is." The Doctor replied confidently. Rory looked at his wife and nodded slowly.
"Yeah, it is." The Doctor spun on the spot.
"Right then, everyone. I'll move my box. You're going to need the space. Come on Danni-Girl." He grabbed her hand and returned to the TARDIS, "I only came for the dancing." He spun Danni, who squealed in surprise before the door shut and the TARDIS vanished.
~0~0~0~
A Crazy Little Thing Called Love played as the reception was in full swing. Amy was laughing hysterically as she tried to dance with the Doctor, who instead was just grooving to his own tune.
"You're terrible. That is embarrassing!" She cackled happily but the Doctor just shot her a grin and continued.
~0~0~0~
The children at the party had all loved his dancing, and formed a little group to copy his unique moves.
"That's it. That's good. Keep it loose." He spun around, waving his arms in the air and all the children copied, smiling and having a great time. Amy and Rory sat off to the side, Amy leaning on Rory and the pair laughed at their old friend.
~0~0~0~
The Doctor leant against the doorway into the hallway watching Amy and Rory slow dance together. He smiled as Rory held onto Amy's bright red shoes.
"2,000 years. The boy who waited. Good on you, mate." He stated quietly as the pair kissed, oblivious everyone but themselves.
"The Boy and Girl Who Waited. Together, as they should be." He turned and saw Danni stood next to him, smiling happily.
"How are you feeling?" He asked her and she shrugged.
"Absolutely fine. I guess not existing for a while fixed me." She grabbed his hand, squeezing it but never taking her eyes off the pair, "They're just so happy, aren't they?" She whispered wistfully.
"Yes, they are. At this very moment, they are the happiest people in the universe." He replied.
"The happiest people in their universe." Danni corrected lightly. The Doctor looked down at her and she shot him a wide grin.
"We never did dance." He pointed out, pulling her closer.
"We didn't, did we?" She replied lightly and he leant down, kissing her gently on her lips. He pulled back, looking almost guilty but she just smiled, grabbed his lapel and pulled him in for a kiss of her own.
~0~0~0~
They had danced, eventually, the Doctor spinning her around the room much more elegantly than he had been up until that point. Every time a song would end, he would just shift his grip on her hand and smoothly move into the next song. They had barely spoke, and apart from the occasional kiss barely did anything for the rest of the night but dance just in case she disappeared in the next moment. Amy and Rory had watched them from the sidelines, happy in their newly-married bliss and glad that it was spreading across their friends as most newly-weds would be.
Danni knew that it was a lie. She knew that she would need to face up to what she had done to him. That he was just caught up in the moment, and it could quite possibly be the last time he held her in his arms. But, for now, she was going to drink up every moment she could. A year she'd waited to see him again, one, long, devastating year. She wasn't ready to let him go. She pushed off from his chest just slightly, standing up on her tiptoes.
"The answer's 'yes'." She whispered in his ear, her chest aching as tears sprung in her eyes. He frowned, smiling but confused.
"What is the question?" He whispered in reply and she shook her head, leaning it on his chest again and listened to his hearts beating.
"Not important." She told him, "You'll know when you ask it."
~0~0~0~
The Doctor led Danni back to the TARDIS in Amy's front garden after the festivities had ended, holding the TARDIS journal in his free hand. He pulled out his key and unlocked the door, looking down at her with a smile and about to open the door when a voice rang out behind them.
"Did you dance? Well, you always dance at weddings, don't you?" River asked. He spun around slowly.
"You tell me." He replied. River stood in the gap between the trees leading to the section of garden they were in. She was dressed up in a fur coat and pearls around her neck.
"Spoilers." She taunted with a smile. He let go of Danni's hand and stepped forward, meeting River in the middle and handing her back the journal.
"The writing's all back, but I didn't peek." He promised and she took it off him.
"Thank you." She replied sincerely. He pulled out the vortex manipulator and handed it back as well.
"Are you married, River?" He asked, trying to be casual about it.
"Are you asking?" River asked as she placed it around her wrist.
"Yes."
"Yes." She replied.
"No, hang on." The Doctor said hastily, "Did you think I was asking you to marry me, o- o-or asking if you were married?"
"Yes."
"No, but was that 'yes'", or 'yes'?"
"Yes." She whispered with a grin.
"River...who are you?" River shot him a sad look.
"You're going to find out very soon now. And I'm sorry, but that's when everything changes." And with that, she activated her manipulator and disappeared. The Doctor stared at the spot where she had stood for a moment before shrugging.
"Nah." He said quietly before turning around to face Danni. He frowned again at the fake smile plastered on her face, it not reaching her eyes. He suddenly had the urge to cheer her up and he spun her around again, leading her into the TARDIS and the pair danced up to the console.
"Where to now?" He asked her and she shrugged.
"Where do you want to go?" She replied quietly. He was about to ask her what was wrong when the door opened and Amy walked in determinedly.
"Oi! Where are you off to? We haven't even had a snog in the shrubbery yet." She stated as she approached the pair.
"No more snogging me for you." The Doctor reminded and she smirked.
"I wasn't talking about you." Amy retorted and Danni laughed. The Doctor looked back at her with a wide grin as Rory entered, shutting the door behind him.
"Amy!" He cried, exasperated.
"Shut up... it's my wedding."
"OUR wedding." He emphasised and Danni giggled again.
"Sorry, you two...shouldn't have slipped away. Bit busy, you know?" The Doctor babbled and Rory shot him a bewildered look.
"You just saved the whole of space and time. Take the evening off. Maybe a bit of tomorrow." He suggested but the Doctor shook his head.
"Space and time isn't safe yet. The TARDIS exploded for a reason. Something drew the TARDIS to this particular date, and blew it up." The phone began to ring but he ignored it, "Why? And why now? The silence, whatever it is, is still out there, and I have to..." Danni held up a hand.
"Excuse us a moment." She picked up the phone, holding it against her ear, "Hello the TARDIS, Danni-Girl speaking how can I help? Oh! Hello. I'm sorry, this is a very bad line. No, but that's not possible. She was sealed into the Seventh Obelisk. The Doctor was at the prayer meeting. But we're at a wedding." She looked over at the married couple with a knowing grin on her face as they listened intently, "Well, no, I get that it's important. An Egyptian goddess loose on the Orient Express," She nodded with a sigh, "Yes, I know, in space! Just one moment."She held her hand over the mouth piece, "Sorry, something's come up. This will have to be goodbye."
"Yeah, I think it's goodbye. Do you think it's goodbye?" Amy asked her husband.
"Definitely goodbye." He replied and she headed for the door, opening it wide and leaning outwards.
"Goodbye!" She called happily with a wave before pausing and taking in every detail of her new old life, "Goodbye." she whispered before closing the door. Danni looked up at the Doctor, who was smiling happily at the group before turning back to the phone.
"Don't worry about a thing, Your Majesty. We're on our way." She hung up and the Doctor set the TARDIS into motion, Amy, Rory and Danni clinging onto the console in delight.