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Danni watched the Doctor spin around the console with his usual grace and enthusiasm, oblivious to the fact that she was less than happy to be going anywhere at all. She hadn't been too keen on a trip so quickly after the last one. Sure, once she'd finally got the full story of what happened on that submarine from the Doctor, she'd been more than happy that Clara was there to save him. But then the Doctor was suddenly flying them to the next week to pick her up and she didn't like that at all.
He was slowly becoming obsessed with the impossible girl, and no matter how many times he hugged her, kissed her, told her he loved her, Danni found herself more and more worried about the girl being on the TARDIS. It wasn't just the fact that Clara could be a potential danger to the Doctor, which Danni had slowly started to change her mind on, which was annoying. The more they travelled, the further down his time line they went, the closer they got to the time she'd first met Clara. When it was so obvious, no matter how he'd tried to reassure her, that Clara was there because she was the 'new' Danni. Maybe Danni surviving the Time War changed that, but the worry was still there.
"We'll stay on Earth." The Doctor was saying, "Somewhere pleasant, out in the country. I'm thinking 1970's." He stopped in his pacing, spinning to face her as she stood by the pilot chair, "Ghosts!" He cried suddenly, startling her.
"Ghosts?" She repeated, a tint of disbelief to her voice and he nodded excitedly.
"Ghosts." He confirmed, "I know just the place." He explained, "Creepy manor, out on the moors. A great man, Professor Alec Palmer and his companion worked tirelessly to prove the house was haunted." He shot her a grin, "Why don't we go help them out?"
"Sounds good." She agreed. A haunted house, who could say no to that? "Maybe it could just be you and-" And the door opened, naturally, as Clara rushed in, ready for her next adventure. She'd dressed a bit more sensible this time, deciding once and for all that the appropriate outfit should come after they were in the right place, not before.
"You're late." She told the pair as she strode to the console, jumping into place by the Doctor's side.
"Me." Danni finished in a resigned whisper.
"Hey, it's Wednesday, isn't it?" The Doctor replied to Clara, sounding offended by the attack on his driving skills, "That's the right day, in the right order."
"Yeah, but it's nearing midnight." Clara pointed out, "It's almost Thursday."
"But it's not." The Doctor replied, "So we are fine. Now, hold on." He shot them both a grin before taking off, the ride as bumpy as always. Clara smiled at Danni, hoping that she was feeling better with her presence than last time. She might have told the Doctor that it didn't matter if not everyone liked her, but that had been a giant lie. Everyone should like her, that was how the world worked and she'd get Danni on side if it killed her.
"Where are we going?" The brunette asked.
"The moors, apparently." Danni replied.
"What, Yorkshire?" Clara replied, nose wrinkling in confusion.
"Apparently." She said with a bit of shrug. She was right, it did seem a bit cliché, a haunted house on the moors but she trusted her husband to know what he was doing.
Sometimes.
The TARDIS landed, and the Doctor turned around, running to his wife and grabbing her hand. She smiled as he excitedly pulled her away, heading towards the door, only for the smile to fall as he grabbed Clara's hand as well. Surely Clara would have followed on her own? That was her hand, right?
"The year is 1974." He explained to them excitedly, "And this is considered one of the most haunted places in the country." He let go of Danni's hand to open the TARDIS door, just in time for a flash of lightning to explode outside, illuminating the fierce storm raging around them, "Ah, well, what's a haunted house without a thunderstorm?" He dismissed. Danni rolled her eyes, bending over the railings by the door to pull up two umbrellas. She held one out to Clara, the red one, then the blue one out to the Doctor.
"I'll go find another." She muttered but he shook his head, putting an arm around her waist to pull her up against him.
"Nah, we can share." He replied, "Come along, Danni-Girl." He popped the umbrella open outside the door before stepping out. Danni stepped out after him and he pulled her against him once again. It really was only a one person umbrella, and she told him such, "You'll just have to stay close, then, won't you?" Was his reply. They walked through what appeared to be the ruins of what was, once, a magnificent garden, heading towards the front door of the mansion ahead.
The Doctor dipped his head slightly as they walked side by side, Clara just close enough to not allow the umbrellas to bump together, "Remember when we went back to see Clara's parents?" He murmured in Danni's ear and she nodded.
"Yeah, why?"
"Well, rain, an umbrella," He pointed out, pulling her to a stop, "Kissing." He pulled closer still, coaxing her into a kiss as Clara continued on. When she noticed they were following, she turned to see them wrapped up in each other as the Doctor held the umbrella above their heads. She rolled her eyes. Really?
"You didn't even make it to the front door!" She shouted at them, "Ghosts, remember?" Danni backed away slightly, flushing deeply and the Doctor smirked, smug, before taking her hand and pulling her after Clara.
"Of course we remember." He told her, "We're here to get rid of the ghost. Or, whatever the ghost actually is."
"So it's not a real ghost?" Clara asked, slightly disappointed.
"In our experience, it's never ghosts." Danni replied, "But there's a first for everything." She looked up at the mansion, "I do love the idea of actually meeting a ghost." She looked up at the Doctor, "Are ghosts real?" She asked, "I mean, maybe not actual ghosts, but like in the Library, they were 'ghosting', weren't they?"
"That's what we're here to find out." He replied, delighted at how she seemed to be genuinely curious about it. She'd developed a love of horror and scary movies since regenerating, he was surprised he'd not thought of this sooner, really. Maybe it was his old age finally catching up with him. He'd have to watch that, wouldn't want her thinking he was an old man.
The front door was comprised of two wooden doors with metal knockers on each, echoing the age of the rest of the house. The Doctor discarded their umbrella, they wouldn't need it inside, while Clara rolled hers up just in case she needed it later. The Doctor knocked on it three times, making sure not to make it four. Then two more times for good luck. He smiled down at his two companions, one on either side as he knocked another two times. The other door opened and the Doctor leaned to his side, smiling at the man who had opened it, a woman stood slightly behind him, timid but curious.
"Boo!" He greeted and the man jumped in surprise. He chuckled, stepping forward into the frame of the open door, around Danni, "Hello, I'm looking for a ghost." He told the man.
"And you are...?" He asked leadingly in a deep Scottish voice.
Clara jumped around Danni, appearing next to the Doctor and taking an opportunity she just couldn't miss. She smacked the palm of her hand with the tip of her umbrella, "Ghostbusters!" The Doctor turned to her, grinning fondly at her joke and she beamed back up at him.
The Doctor pulled out the physic paper, flashing it at the man, "I'm the Doctor." He explained, making sure he only got a glimpse of what was displayed, just in case he started question it.
"Doctor what?" The man asked.
"If you like." The Doctor muttered, wondering what ever happened to 'Doctor Who?' He liked that question, "And this is Clara." He continued on like it didn't bother him, stepping into the house, ready to introduce Danni as he always did, as his wife. However, as his mouth opened, he spotted the set-up in the hallway. Very old computers that still ran with tapes as storage, with tiny monitors displaying basic information.
"Ah, but you are very different!" He cried, rushing over and leaving Danni and Clara in the doorway. Clara smiled awkwardly as they all followed him, Danni trailing behind with a scowl on her face. She didn't need the Doctor to introduce her, but he always had. Always told everyone he could that she was his Danni-Girl, his wife. But now Clara was there it was all different. Everything was changing and she didn't like it.
"You are Major Alec Palmer." The Doctor was rambling, turning back to the man who had let them in. Alec, apparently, was more important that her. Excellent. "Member of the Baker Street Irregulars, the Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare." He walked over, leaning in closer as he tried to whisper, "Specialised in espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance behind enemy lines." He backed off, grinning like a school boy, "You're a talented water-colourist, professor of psychology AND... ghost hunter!" He grabbed Alec's hand, shaking it happily, "Total pleasure. Massive."
Clara shook her head, amused by his childishness as she walked over the computer. It looked so retro, although if this was really 1974, then it was probably quite contemporary. It was all dials and green lines on black screens. She glanced over her shoulder, seeing the Doctor still rambling and Danni stood to the side, arms crossed over her chest with a peeved look to match. She tried to hide her smile as she turned back to the screen. Honestly, they reminded her so much of her parents it was actually slightly worrying at times. Her dad had always been oblivious when he'd upset her mum.
"...Because you're Emma Grayling..." The Doctor cried, pulling Clara's attention back as he approached the woman, taking her by the shoulders and giving her two air kisses, one on each cheek, "the Professor's companion..."
"Assistant." Emma corrected.
"It's 1974 - you're the assistant," He agreed, still grinning. Oh, this was wonderful, "and 'non-objective equipment'." He turned to Clara, "Meaning 'psychic'." He explained, didn't want her confused.
"Getting that." She told him, "Bless you, though." With a clap of his hands, he walked over to Clara to look at the equipment.
"Relax, Emma. He's Military Intelligence." Alec reassured his assistant, who nodded slowly. She could tell they weren't directly there as a threat, part of her abilities she supposed, but it still made her uneasy that this Doctor seemed to know so much about Alec. Especially stuff she didn't know, stuff he'd never told her.
She didn't like that train of though. Why would Professor Palmer tell her anything? She wasn't his... She was just his assistant. She turned her attention to the blonde woman who had followed the Doctor in. She seemed to be rather anxious, despite the air of annoyance she was trying to portray. Deciding that she'd focus on her instead of Professor Palmer, Emma walked over and smiled gently at the woman.
"Are you okay?" She asked quietly and the blonde woman shook her head, not taking her eyes off the Doctor and Clara.
"Ever feel like you're watching yourself be replaced?" Danni replied, watching Clara jump up onto the desk the equipment was on, swinging her legs happily. The first Clara she had met, back before she'd regenerated, had reminded her so much of herself she was still convinced that that it hadn't been a coincidence. She shook her head, now she was looking for reasons to be unhappy. She was being ridiculous, He'd not even been able to make it to the house without stopping in the rain to kiss her. Not Clara, her. Lord, her jealousy was getting out of hand.
The Doctor pulled out his screwdriver, scanning Alec quickly before darting over, scanning Emma. He shot Danni a smile, a great big one that reassure her until he turned away without a word. He quickly read the results as he headed to an arch that lead off into the house, making sure that they were safe to be around the two. Danni had been a bit too close, but then again only minor exposure wasn't going to kill her. A quick glance over his shoulder at her, of course it wasn't. It wouldn't even harm Clara, his Danni was fine.
"What's that?" Alec demanded.
"Gadget. Health and safety. Classified, I'm afraid." The Doctor dismissed, stopping under the arch, flipping his screwdriver in his hand, "You know, while the back room boffins work out a few kinks." He turned around, scanning the archway, the buzzing noise just confusing both Alec and Emma.
"Well, what's it telling you?" Emma asked as he checked the results.
"It's telling me that you haven't been exposed to any life-threatening transmundane emanations." He muttered with a hint of relief. He didn't expect anyone to understand what he was saying, but that's why he did it. Showing off, making sure he was the smartest person in the room, "So..." He turned back to them, pocketing the screwdriver before clapping his hands together, "where's the ghost?" He stepped over to Clara and Alec, picking up a candelabrum, "Show me the ghost."
There was a bang, it echoed through the room with a strange whoosh of air, like it wasn't a real bang at all. The Doctor rushed over to Danni, grinning and holding his free hand out to her. She smiled, taking it. That's better, when the excitement came, he was right by her side.
"Ghost time."
~0~0~0~
After some very careful persuading on the Doctor's part, Alec showed them through the dark house to the base of his work. The only light they had as they walked through the halls was the candelabrum the Doctor didn't seem to want to put down, but Danni didn't mind. It probably was very expensive to light such a large house, and it meant the Doctor held her hand very tightly as they walked through the hallways, ending up in a small room in a slight state of disarray.
There was a large board in the middle of the dimly lit room, where Alec headed to organise his thoughts and findings. As annoyed as he was that the Ministry were sticking their nose in where it didn't belong, this Doctor seemed rather intelligent and maybe a fresh pair of eyes could help decide where to go next.
The Doctor, on the other hand, had seen the mass of equipment and other pieces of furniture and decided he was in a sweet shop. He kissed Danni on the top of the head very quickly before dashing off to play with a camera. Danni watched him with a smile on her face. What a child, honestly.
She spotted Emma sit down by a table covered in all the necessary ingredients to ensure a long night of working; coffee and lots of it. The poor woman looked a bit overwhelmed by the sudden appearance of the trio, understandably so, the Doctor could be a bit overwhelming. She headed over to reassure her at the same time as Clara, who had obviously seemed to have decided to do the same thing. She faltered slightly as Clara sat in the chair across from Emma, before shaking her head. She was just concerned, that's a good quality to have in any young, pretty, companion.
"So what's an empathic psychic?" Clara asked gently, smiling warmly at the woman in an attempt to reassure her they weren't there to ruin her and Alec's work.
"Sometimes I... sense feelings." She explained timidly as the Doctor walked over, joining them to explore the coffee table. She'd not had the best experience telling people in the past, not everyone had an open mind and even though these people would probably not make fun of her, she was still wary of telling anyone, "The way a telepath can sense thoughts. Sometimes, though. Not always." She turned to the blonde woman, "You're very sad." She declared as an example, the Doctor pausing as he sniffed a jar of coffee, "Something's changed, and you don't like it." Danni nodded slowly, eyes wide in amazement. That was incredible, how did she do that? "What's your name?" Emma asked her.
"Danni." She replied, "I'm his wife, but I don't deserve as high a billing as the companions anymore." She winced slightly, she hadn't meant to sound that harsh. Especially with the Doctor standing right there. He'd spun around, looking bewildered but she refused to look at him, brushing off her comment with a nervous laugh, "That's really quite amazing." She told Emma, "Does it not get a bit much, though? All those emotions everywhere?" Emma didn't reply, her brows furrowed as she stared at Danni, "Are you okay, sweetie?" Danni asked, scooting forward on her own chair so she was closer to the other woman.
"You're so worried. All the time." Emma told her, "Even now, you're scared because he didn't do something. Something he always does." She blinked, backing away and staring at Danni in surprise, "I'm- I'm sorry, I don't normally get that much."
"It's okay, sweetie." Danni told her, "I guess I'm just a bit overemotional, eh?" She reached over, taking Emma's hand in hers, "Guess that just proves you're the right woman for the job, doesn't it?" Emma smiled gingerly back.
The Doctor clapped a hand gently on Emma's arm, ducking down so he was a part of the triangle of women, "Emma, why don't you and Clara go see if Alec needs a hand?" He suggested to the pair gently. Clara rolled her eyes, pushing herself out of her chair.
"If you want to be alone with your wife, just say so." She told him, "No need to be coy about it." She nodded towards Alec to sign Emma to follow her, leaving the Doctor to take the empathic psychic's chair.
"You going to tell me off?" Danni asked, trying to be nonchalant as she looked at her hands in her lap.
"What didn't I do?" He replied in a soft tone. She shook her head, laughing it off weakly.
"It's nothing." She promised, "I'm just being silly, honest."
"Tell me." He encouraged and she looked up, seeing him smiling at her. She flushed slightly, because it really was slightly embarrassing, after all.
"You, erm, you always introduce me." She told him, breaking eye contact in the hopes he didn't see her blushing too much, "You always tell people that I'm your wife, or your Danni-Girl. It's like, the first thing you always say. You didn't even mention me, only Clara. Not even my name."
He stared at her, at the pink in her cheeks as she refused to look at him. He'd felt how uneasy she was, but he'd assumed it was because of the 'ghost', but he hadn't been worried because she'd seemed so excited before they'd come in. He'd still not brought up her projecting, it was no wonder Emma had picked it up. But to think it was because of something he'd done, that hadn't been his intention at all. He'd just seen all the equipment and had become excited.
She caught his gaze, "I know it's silly. I just like that you like to tell people. Oh, I don't know." A smile spread on his face, one that told her he was rather amused by her embarrassment and she batted at him, "Stop it." She moaned and he reached out, grabbing his hand. He linked his fingers through hers, moving forward so he was kneeling in between her legs.
"You are my Danni-Girl." He told her lowly, eyes burning into hers before dropping, his gaze landing on her lips, "You are my wife, and I am never letting you go."
"Not even for Clara?" She asked with a hint of trepidation. The confused look her shot her reassured her, then he smirked.
"You're jealous of Clara?" He asked, shuffling closer. Oh, he loved it when she was all flushed.
"She's very pretty." Danni pointed out quietly.
"Is she? I didn't notice." He replied. She was jealous of Clara. He'd not considered that a factor before, he thought it was due to the fact that she really had no idea what was going to happen for the first time since she'd jumped into his life, all those hundreds of years ago. The fact that she was jealous over the potential of his head being turned away from her by anyone else, the fact that she wanted him to want her, well, that was just delightful.
Alec watched the pair as he finished his work, out of the corner of his eye as he tried to focus. Watching the Doctor move ever closer to the woman who'd turned out to be his wife, holding her hand had been very distracting. Seeing what he wanted being played out between two other people was almost painful, when he knew that he could never have that with the woman he... He cleared his throat, once again denying that thought a voice as the Doctor ducked his head down to kiss his wife.
"Would you, er, care to have a look?" He called over to the man, who'd frozen just before his lips touched his wife's.
"Why will no one let me kiss you?" The Doctor whispered to Danni, incredibly annoyed at the interruption. She giggled, equally as disappointed.
"Ghostbusters, remember?" She reminded him, using Clara's turn of phrase to nudge him back into the situation. He nodded, knowing she was right, but it didn't stop him placing a chaste kiss on her lips before jumping up, pulling her with him as they went to the board.
"Caliburn House is over 400 years old," Alec started, motioning to the bits of information and photographs that were on the board, letting the group have a look over it themselves, "but she's been here much longer... the Caliburn Ghast. She's mentioned in local Saxon poetry and Parish folk tales. The Wraith of the Lady, the Maiden in the Dark... the Witch of the Well." Danni took in the images, they were amazing. A ghostly figure appeared in all of them, a blur of whiteness with large, black eyes in the other. A shiver went down her spine, oh, it was actually like a real ghost.
"Is she real?" Clara asked, echoing Danni's feelings as she stepped towards the board, "As in, actually real?"
"Oh, she's real. In the 17th century, a local clergyman saw her. He wrote that her presence was accompanied by a, 'dreadful knocking, as if the Devil himself demanded entry.'" Alec explained. Oh, that was even scarier. Danni and the Doctor shared a look, he'd obviously not been expecting it to have been going on so long, by the look on his face.
"During the war," Alec continued, "American airmen stationed here left offerings of tinned Spam. The tins were found in 1965, bricked up in the servants' pantry, along with a number of handwritten notes. Appeals to the Ghast..." He pointed to a particular hand-written note in the middle of the board, "'For the love of God, stop screaming.'"
"She never changes." Clara pointed out, "The angle's different, the framing, but she's always in exactly the same position. Why is that?"
"We don't know." Alec admitted. The Doctor let go of Danni's hand just for a moment to grab the candelabrum again, returning to take her hand and to get a better look at the photos, "She's an objective phenomenon. But objective recording equipment can't detect her..."
"Without the presence of a powerful psychic." The Doctor finished. The images were really fascinating, all from different time periods, mostly photos but also some drawings, all depicting a woman in white, large black holes for eyes and a mouth that was open in a grotesque scream. Again and again, too many times to be a coincidence, and in too many places to be a lighting flare.
"Absolutely." Alec agreed, taking off his glasses and shooting the Doctor a slightly suspicious look, "Very well done."
"She knows I'm here..." Emma breathed and they all turned in unison to see her staring at the board, drawn to the images of the ghost, "I can feel her... calling out to me."
"What's she saying?" Clara asked gently.
"'Help me.'" Emma whispered, the thought of how lonely the poor spirit was bringing her to tears. They fell into a tense silence, each one of the freaked out by the ghost even if they wouldn't admit it.
"There's no well." Danni commented as she looked over the pictures again, trying to distract herself from the idea of someone trapped, calling for help. The Doctor turned back, using the candles to have another look over the board.
"Well spotted." The Doctor praised as she shot him a little proud grin. He turned to Alec, "Where's the well?" Alec shared a look with Emma, not many people they'd come across during their time investigating got to that point of query as quickly as those two had. He put his glasses on and led them to a table covered in large pieces of paper.
"A copy of the oldest plan that we could find," He told the pair, pointing to what appeared to be a rather old drawing of the house, "there is no well on the property. None that we could find, anyway."
"So why a well?" Danni asked.
"We think, perhaps, it comes from the sound of the knocking. You heard the sound before. It echoes..."
"Like she's in a well." Danni finished and Alec nodded. The Doctor put his finger on the plan, drawing his way through the house before nodding to himself. He dragged Danni off to the side, holding the candles between them so their faces were illuminated.
"Let's go find her and ask." He whispered excitedly.
"Ask what?" Danni whispered in reply.
"Where's the well." He replied, "I think it's all to do with the well."
"What if she wants to, you know, eat us or something?" Danni pointed out, "We've never had a good track record with ghosts."
"Oh, come on Danni-Girl." He whined, still whispering, "There's a ghost, a trapped soul wandering this house, begging for help. Wandering the halls of an old mansion in the damp, dark moors for centuries, reaching out, trying to grasp onto anyone who could bring her home." He watched her glance at the board, the photos barely visible in the poor lighting, "Don't you want to find out why?" He tempted, murmuring in her ear and she pulled back. She smiled, nodding excitedly and he dragged her over to Clara, who was still examining the board. He held his finger to his lips, telling Danni to be quiet before tapping Clara on the back of the head. The brunette jumped, gasping in surprise before turning to glare at the ridiculous man.
"You coming?" He whispered and she frowned in confusion.
"Where?" Clara whispered in reply.
"To find the ghost." The Doctor told her, like it was obvious. It still didn't stop her shooting him a dubious look.
"Why would I want to do that?" She retorted.
"Because there's a ghost." Danni replied, "And we're ghostbusters." She nudged the other woman, "Come on, it'll be fun!" The Doctor nodded, walking Danni to the door, assuming Clara would follow.
"Well, I dispute that assertion." Clara whispered after them. The pair stopped, the Doctor noticing Emma was watching them so he nodded pointedly towards the door.
"I'm giving you a face. Can you see me? Look at my face." He whispered back. Clara rolled her eyes.
"Fine." She walked over, arms crossed over her torso. She looked out into the corridor, which was almost completely pitch black. When else could you go find a ghost, really? "Dare me." She told the pair.
"Double dare you." Danni replied.
"No takesies-backsies." The Doctor added. Clara shook her head, biting her bottom lip to stop herself grinning before taking the candelabrum off the Doctor, holding it steady before heading out into the darkness. The Doctor smiled down at Danni.
"No one can resist." He told her a cocky grin and she shook her head, pushing up to place a kiss on his cheek.
"The Music Room is the heart of the house." Emma called as they set off after Clara, and the couple paused, the Doctor looking sheepish, like he thought they wouldn't have been seen leaving.
"Thanks, sweetie." Danni replied.
~0~0~0~
The only light that lit up the corridors was the candelabrum that Clara was carrying in front of them. Not that Danni minded, it gave her a reason to snuggle up into the Doctor's side as he explained their sort-of plan to Clara. This was more like it, the Doctor and herself together, the companion somewhere they could keep an eye on them. Maybe the Doctor was right, maybe she really had nothing to fear where Clara was concerned.
She briefly wondered if her Clara would have been so eager to run around a haunted house, and her chest ached for her lost friend. The thoughts were coming less and less these days, after all time passes and people move on with their lives. However, when you've got the mirror image of someone you've lost in your life, it's hard not to think about them. Especially as they made their way through the kitchen. There was no way any soufflés had been made in that room for a long time.
The music room had been at the end of a long corridor, the only door unlocked and in the best state they'd seen so far. It was dusty, but tidy, with marble busts and a couple of harps standing side by side. Clara waited in the doorway, but the room was illuminated by the moonlight outside as it broke through the clouds. The walls were covered in wood panelling, and there were a couple of lights dotted around.
"Ah, the Music Room." The Doctor declared as he walked both him and Danni into the room, pulling his screwdriver out to scan the area, "The heart of the house. Do you feel anything?" He asked Clara.
"No?" She replied, sounding really uncertain.
"Your pants are so on fire." The Doctor accused. He glanced back at her and she giggled, jogging slightly to catch up with them.
"It's freezing." Danni commented as looked around the, quite frankly, stunning room, "Is that normal? I mean, the house is pretty empty, but it's really cold."
"It's an old house." The Doctor replied, letting go of her hand to smack his screwdriver against his palm a few times, "They get cold." He started scanning the room before pausing, looking down at her as a thought occurred to him, "Do you want my jacket?" He offered. She shot him a smile, touched by the offer, but shook her head.
"Looks much better on you." She commented and he smirked, pointing the sonic at the ceiling and setting it off.
"Is the flirting necessary while ghost hunting?" Clara asked them, feeling rather unsettled by the room. Danni nodded as she headed back towards the door.
"Flirting is always necessary." She told Clara, looking back out into the hallway, "But if you're feeling left out, I can flirt with you for a while, if you like."
"No you can't." The Doctor called over lightly. Danni looked over her shoulder at him, pulling her tongue out cheekily, which he returned.
"Do either of you feel like you're being watched?" Clara asked, now feeling completely uncomfortable about the room. There was no way the other two couldn't feel it. It felt like it was clinging to her skin.
"What does being watched feel like?" The Doctor asked, "Is it that funny tickly feeling on your neck?"
"That's the chap." Clara confirmed.
"Then, yes, a bit. Well, quite a big bit." He replied. Danni stepped back into the room, about to add her own thoughts when her breath suddenly became visible in front of her. She puffed it a few times; neither the Doctor nor Clara were creating the effect.
"Doctor?" She called over to him, "I think there's a cold spot." As he looked over, she puffed her breath out to demonstrate and he joined her, trying himself.
"I think you're right." He agreed, "Spooky." He started stepping in and out where he thought it was, "Cold, warm." He muttered to himself as something creaked by Clara. Both women glanced over, but neither could see anything in the dark.
"I think she's here." Clara stated ominously and Danni nodded, the Doctor nudging her out of the way as he did his tests.
"I think you should come over here." Danni replied, motioning to the woman. Clara quickly skipped to her side, agreeing with her completely as the Doctor bent down, spinning around in a circle, drawing around the cold spot with a piece of chalk from his impossible pockets.
"Doctor?" Clara hissed as another creak echoed through the house. A creak that didn't come from the old floorboards or furniture, "Doctor!"
"What?" He asked, jumping up to scan the cold spot.
"I'm not happy." She told him in no uncertain terms. He at her as she stared into the room, wondering why she was imparting this piece of information to him.
"No." He replied, although he was sure that he'd felt more confident when he'd entered the room. He reached out, grabbed Danni's hand and pulled her back into the hallway.
"What about Clara?" Danni asked, to which they both heard her cry 'Hey!' followed by the unmistakable sound of her running to catch up with them, "Where are we going?"
"Away from the room." He told her, "Hopefully back to the front of the house. I want to see the readouts from when she appears."
"I thought we were going to talk to her." Clara pointed out as she caught up with them.
"I don't think she wants to talk to us." The Doctor replied lowly, "I don't think she can." The readings hadn't made much sense, the signs didn't point to a ghost, although that wasn't a shock, but they had also been very old. Ridiculously old, like whatever it was had always been there, and always would be there. It was a similar feeling to a fixed point, but felt less unbreakable, less unnatural.
Another loud banging noise rang through the house, startling the three to a halt. Danni grabbed the Doctor's arm out of reflex as Clara jumped slightly on the spot.
"What was that?" She whispered, not wanting to alert the ghost to their presence, but also really starting to become slightly terrified. Two more thuds sounded and they all stared as their breath became visible once more. A gust of air from nowhere blew out the candles on the candelabrum that Clara was still carrying and Danni whimpered in fright, the Doctor holding her close as they stared at it.
"Maybe we should move?" She suggested with a shaky voice.
"Good plan." Clara agreed, "Great plan. Perhaps we should go." The Doctor nodded, running was always a fine plan, but then he noticed the glass in the windows. He walked over, keeping Danni firmly next to him as he reached out, almost touching it as it spread to the other side of the old window.
Three bangs this time, making all three of them jump, "Okay, this isn't fun anymore." Danni declared, looking to her husband for answers, "What is it?"
"I don't know." He told her, "It's a very loud noise. It's a very loud, very angry noise."
"But what's making it?!" Clara demanded.
"I don't know." The Doctor repeated, "Are you making it?" Another bang had both Danni and the Doctor back by Clara's side, their eyes darting around as they tried to find the source of the noise.
"Doctor?" Clara whispered.
"Yes?"
"I may be a teeny, tiny bit terrified." She told him and he nodded. That was understandable.
"Yes?"
"But I'm still a grown-up." She replied and he chuckled. Oh, if only.
"Mainly, yes, and...?"
"There's no need to actually hold my hand." She whispered. He frowned, holding his hands out in front of him. One was holding onto Danni's tightly, so tightly he did actually wonder if he was hurting her. The other was empty and he turned it over, just to make sure.
"Clara?" He drawled out as Danni gasped, seeing what was very wrong with the other woman's claim.
"Yes?"
"I'm not holding your hand." She quickly looked at him and he showed her both his hands. All three of them slowly turned around, afraid of what they might find in the dark. A flash of lightning revealed the silhouette of a creature and Danni let out a scream. An actual scream, a terror filled expulsion of noise and they all took off, running down the hallway to where they met the stairs. Alec and Emma were already there, the equipment around them very noticeably whirring in a buzz of life at the activity around them.
As the trio made it to the bottom of the stairs, a large, black, swirling disk appeared just behind Alec, floating in mid-air and emitting a whirring noise. Danni skidded to a halt.
"What the hell is that?" She screamed as the Doctor pushed her back it Clara, pulling out his screwdriver to scan it. Hopefully, this time, he'd get something useful.
"Has this happened before?" He asked Alec, who shook his head.
"Never!" The man replied. A few buzzes of the screwdriver and the Doctor turned back to Alec, holding his hand.
"Camera! Camera!" He demanded, reaching out and snatching it off when it was obvious the man was too stunned by the sight of the disk to do anything. As the Doctor took pictures of it, it began to crack and shatter. Danni turned away from it, clinging to Clara who was rubbing her back, trying to comfort her. Her eyes caught Emma staring into the archway from earlier, completely ignoring the dish as she seemed frozen in fright.
"Emma?" Danni asked, concerned. From the dark, a bright white figure appeared, blindingly shining from the blackness.
"Doctor?!" Danni screamed and he turned at the sound of his wife's terrified voice. The figure seemed to be screaming, reaching out towards Emma and he started to take picture after picture of it. Emma backed away, overwhelmed by the sight of the ghost that had been calling to her, and as she collapsed against Alec, the ghost exploded and screamed for help.
There was a crash from the stairs and Clara's head shot around at the noise, eyes widening in fright at the words scrawled on the wall, "Doctor?" She called. The Time Lord looked up from checking Emma, seeing the ghostly message the ghost had left on the wall. He dashed up, fingers tracing the letters as they faded away, the disk disappearing into nothingness. He looked down at his companion, who was panting from the adrenaline and running, clutching the candelabrum like it was her lifeline. Behind her, though, Danni stood. She was shaking, staring at him with wide, terrified eyes and he pushed past Clara roughly, pulling Danni up against him so she could bury her face in his chest. He placed a kiss in her hair, rocking her gently, whispering whatever came to his mind in an attempt to make her feel safe.
"This isn't fun anymore." He heard her whimper, hands clutching at him tightly, "This isn't fun."