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The credits rolled, the lights brightened as if on a dimmer switch. Danni sniffed and wiped her eyes on one of the tissues that the Doctor had handed her. She wasn't really much for crying at movies these days, after all they weren't real and it seemed strange to get upset over them. But the Little Mermaid had always got to her, ever since she was a little girl. Something about Ariel never living with her father again broke her hearts every time. It had been over 8 years now since she'd seen her own parents, she could see why it would resonate with her now.
She and the Doctor were curled up together on the sofa in the Entertainment room. The TARDIS had been kind, spreading the sofa out so they could sit completely on it, side by side with their legs up off the ground. The Doctor's were spread out in front of him, but Danni's were curled up next to her. They were under their duvet from the bedroom, the Doctor running his hands through her hair as he had done the entire movie. Ever since they'd left Caliburn house, he'd barely let her go. Not that she was complaining.
"We shouldn't watch this again if you're going to cry every time." He told her, sounding more amused than concerned and she looked up at him, eyebrow raised sceptically.
"You don't think that." She accused playfully, sniffing again, "You like it when I cry at movies."
"Why would you say that?" He asked.
"Because you can comfort me." She replied, "You've always been like this." She shifted, rolling onto her knees so she could face him, "You think you're being so sneaky, but I can see right through you."
"Well, why would you watch them?" He countered.
"Because I love being comforted, obviously." She told him and he smiled. She squeaked slightly as he pulled her down onto him, placing a kiss on her lips. It was just a little kiss, a quick peck that turned into another, then another. Soon their lips were moving against each other, her hands pressed against his bare chest. That was another reason why they were under the covers. He really hadn't wanted to let her go.
His hand started on her cheek, slowly heading downwards, fingernails lightly dragging over the kind on her neck, following the curve to her shoulder. His hand continued down her arm, until it hit the manipulator that sat there.
"We need to talk about this." He murmured against her lips before pulling back. Her eyes widened fractionally, she hadn't realised she'd put it back on again. She made sure she only wore it when he couldn't see it, and the fact that he hadn't brought it up until now made her question just how long it had been sat there again.
She moved back slightly, hearts racing at being caught. Immediately her mind raced with a thousand and one reasons at why she was wearing it again, but none of them could break past the lump in her throat. Was he angry? How could she get away?
"Hey, it's okay." He reassured her quickly, feeling the panic rushing off her in waves, "It's okay, Danni-Girl." He reached out with his other hand, ready to bring her back towards him so he could hug her, but she flinched. He felt her tug her arm, trying to get free of his grasp and he quickly let her go, "Danni, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." She frowned, settling back down again. She didn't think he was, did she? Sure, occasionally she would get some irrational fear he'd left her when she couldn't find him. But then again, she also was occasionally hit with the terror that she'd forgotten her glasses, even though they were sat on her nose. There was the fact she was certain she was going to trip in front of people and everyone would laugh; she hadn't been lying when she'd told Merry that.
"I know." She replied, trying to sound confident instead of confused, "I don't know why I reacted like that." She looked down at her arm, where her manipulator sat, "It makes me feel like me." She told him.
"You are you." He insisted, "All that thing did was tear us apart."
"It brought me to you." She corrected, staring at the band. It had started everything, really. The brown toy had shot her from her own universe, she'd been ripped apart and put back together again, all because of a gift from her friend for Christmas, "It's been over four years, I still don't know who I am without it." She let him pull her up against him this time, her head resting on his chest.
"You're cheeky." He told her, "You're beautiful. You still can't cook, and you're wary of everything you don't know. You have incredibly cold feet." She frowned, offended and looked up at him.
"I do not!" She protested.
"Yes you do." He replied, "I've felt them. They're like ice!"
"Says you!" She retorted, "You're always freezing! It's like hugging an ice sculpture sometimes!"
"See?" He laughed, placing a kiss on top of her head, "Cheeky!"
She sighed, "I don't want to take it off." She mumbled, "I don't feel as scared as I used to with it on."
"Then don't." He replied, "We'll just have to work on how to stop you feeling like you need to be scared." He nudged her impatiently, causing her to giggle as she moved like he wanted her to, lying down half on him so he could wrap his arms around her, holding her close, "I think we can fit another movie in before we go pick up Clara again. What do you think of Big Fish?"
She laughed at the suggestion, remembering crying with Donna over the movie, "And I'm the cheeky one?" She exclaimed.
"I don't know what you mean." He replied smugly as the movie began playing on the large screen. The lights dimmed once again as he rolled her on top of him, hand on the back of her head as he brought her lips down to meet his.
~0~0~0~
The universe outside seemed to swirl with purples and blues and reds. It seemed to glow like a billions of tiny lights, a sight of true beauty. Danni pulled her dressing gown around her tighter, not out of cold but more as protection for herself. She stepped into the now clear doorway, hand gripping the door frame so tightly her knuckles turned bright white. She needed to make sure she had a good grip on the TARDIS, she didn't want to fall out. Flashbacks of the inability to breathe in the space outside had her taking slow, deep breaths to remind herself that was no longer the case.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" The Doctor asked gently, speaking before approaching her to ensure he didn't startle her. She glanced at him over her shoulder, then nodded.
"Yeah." She whispered and he fell into place at her side. She reached into her pocket with her free hand, pulling out the small transporter band she'd gained on the Valiant so many years ago.
"He told me he loved me." She told the Doctor, looking up from it, "He didn't. He never did, and I never loved him." He reached towards her, stroking her hair back behind her ear.
"It's okay." He told her and she shook her head, looking back out the door again.
"No, it's not okay." She insisted, "But that's okay." She gripped the transporter band tightly, motioning like she was about to throw it out the door, but didn't let go, "I need to do this." She whispered to herself, "I need to do this."
"Danni," The Doctor turned her face so she was looking at him again, a finger under her chin, "You don't have to do this."
"What if he'd come back with me?" She countered, "What if when I came back from the Time War, it was like he planned? What would have happened?" She'd dreamt about him the night before, a mess of memories and fears about the other Time Lord. The fact that she'd been intimate with her husband, that she had finally gone back to having a loving relationship with him was spoilt by the constant reminder of Ko- of The Master.
The Doctor didn't know how to reply to that. He didn't allow himself to think of what would have happened to his wife if the Master had come back as well. Every day he was thankful that hadn't happened, her old body had been conditioned much more than he'd realised to gravitate towards him, and even her new one was heavily influenced by her time with the Master. All he could do was stare, helpless as she worked it over in her head.
Then, a determined look set on her face. She turned and chucked the band out into the universe outside. It floated away, slowly and only powered by the momentum she had given it. She reached out, pulling the doors towards her, the Doctor only managing to step out the way just before she slammed them in their face. She stared at the blue wood, her hearts pounding in panic. She wanted to reach out and grab it again, but she didn't. She took another couple of deep breaths, then turned to her husband.
"Let's go get Clara." She told him decisively, "Let's take her somewhere beautiful." Tears sat in her eyes, but she didn't start crying. He smiled, pulling her close and placing a gentle kiss on her lips before leaning his forehead on hers. Her emotions swirled, she couldn't work out if she was sad or happy, so he focused everything he could on happy. He knew this wasn't the end of it, but she was starting to admit to herself what had actually happened. He could still see her in that maid's outfit, being led towards him with a hand on her forehead, pale and sick and completely under his power. The Doctor hadn't seen it until it was too late, but the Master had broken her and he had been so powerless...
"Somewhere beautiful?" He declared and she smiled widely as he looked thoughtful, "I think I can do that." He spun her around, she giggled in surprise, and then he nudged her towards the hallway, "Go get dressed. I'll go pick up our companion." She nodded, dashing out and he could have watched her for forever.
~0~0~0~
"Welcome to Grahitus 3!" The Doctor declared with all the dramatics he normally portrayed as he pushed both of the doors to the TARDIS open. Clara stepped out first, eyes already darting around as she took in the new planet. He watched her for a moment, eyebrow cocked in amusement. This was one of the best parts, he would always say that and it would never change. He loved watching his companions, his friends, see something new and marvel at the splendour of it all.
Of course, then his attention turned back to his wife, who stepped out echoing Clara's awe. He had known she would love the planet, especially as she had specifically requested somewhere beautiful. Grahitus 3 was nothing if not beautiful. He'd purposefully landed them slap bang in the middle of a forest, where the trees hung overhead like a canopy. It was full of luscious greens and reds, all coming together to let just the right amount of light in and still protect them from the sun above which radiated slightly hotter than Earth's, with it being just that little bit closer.
"It's like something out of the Jurassic!" Danni commented, pulling her small backpack up onto her shoulders slightly more. He'd told them to prepare for a long walk in a warmer climate, nothing too strenuous but enough for both Danni and Clara to pack supplies. They'd both also gone for lighter clothing, but while Clara was in shorts and a t-shirt, Danni had actually gone for something a bit more old-Danni; a grey skirt and black leggings with a white t-shirt over the top. She looked lovely, but she'd just batted him away when he'd told her, saying he always said that and she never knew if he meant it or was just being nice. He always meant it.
Danni headed over to a large plant with gigantic, shiny green leaves, running her hand over the surface of one. Each leaf was probably the height of her, all coming out from a very tiny deep purple stump. It's surface was very smooth, and she briefly considered if it would be like a slide, then dismissed the thought as incredibly too childlike, "Where are we headed?" She asked the Doctor, looking back over at him. He'd not even bothered to take his jacket off, but then he did always choose an outfit and stick with it. She could feel the heat already, it didn't bode well for him.
"About five miles," he frowned, turning on the spot before pointing just to the left of the TARDIS, "that way is a beach. There's ice cream, sandcastles and the water is bright pink."
"Pink?" Clara questioned and he nodded.
"It's perfectly safe to go swimming in." He reassured her, holding his hand out for Danni to take, "And the fish! Oh, the fish are simply marvellous! They've learnt how to perform at certain times of the day to get the most food, and there's boats that take you out to watch them."
"What kind of boat?" Danni questioned as the trio headed into the wilderness, "Not rickety old things, you know how I feel about unsafe water travel." Again, it was one of the side effects of her regeneration, she hated being on anything that didn't look or feel particularly sturdy.
"Definitely not." He promised, "There's viewing decks, champagne," He used her hand to pull her up against him, "dancing." He murmured and she blushed as he placed a kiss on her lips.
"None of that!" Clara called over her shoulder, "I don't need to see you two sucking face while we're... Well, anywhere!"
"You're just jealous because you're not allowed to kiss her." The Doctor replied smugly, only letting her go so they could get to the boat.
"'Not allowed'?" Danni asked, slightly amused but trying to sound annoyed.
"Nope." He replied, not at all sorry and she rolled her eyes.
"I'm really not." Clara retorted, "But I'm not stopping every other minute to pry you off her. I'm sure Danni would love to actually see somewhere new for once."
"She sees plenty of stuff!" The Doctor protested.
"She is right here." Danni pointed out, about to argue the fact that she could in fact go more than a minute without snogging the Doctor, he just didn't like to, when she spotted something small and furry appear in the distance. It dashed across the path they were following before disappearing into the foliage around them, "What was that?" She exclaimed.
"Oh, that was a Jerocrat." He explained, "Cute little things, they're sort of part rabbit, part kitten." That was another reason why he'd brought them here. He knew Danni loved rabbits, and Jerocrats got on famously with Earth rabbits. They could pick up a friend for Sebastian, that way she wouldn't have to worry about the rabbit being alone all the time. Plus, as much as he tried, Sebastian wasn't getting any younger.
"Part rabbit, part kitten?" She repeated and he nodded.
"Adorable little things." He replied, "Cat faces with little cotton wool tails. They run wild in the forests, usually in packs made up of immediate family members. The children always visit on the days of their parents' birth, every year like clockwork." He had a hundred and one facts to tell them both, he was fully prepared for all their questions on the people who lived there and the plants and animals that surrounded them.
He hadn't be prepared, though, for when another one of the cute little creatures darted out and Danni let go of his hand. He stood, dumbfounded as she proceeded to grab Clara by the hand and drag the other woman after it, yelling about how she was getting a picture of one if it took her all day. Clara looked over her shoulder, shooting him a superior look at the fact his wife was now holding onto her, before they both left him stood there, wondering if a companion had really been the best idea after all.
~0~0~0~
Danni and Clara were shivering as they entered the TARDIS, both women completely drenched from head to foot. Danni clung to Clara, both of her arms wrapped around Clara's left and their shoes squelched on the ground.
"'Let's go to Grahitus 3'." Clara mocked as the Doctor followed them in, "'The sea is pink and the fish perform tricks'."
"They did." The Doctor grumbled, brushing his hair off his face.
"With us!" She cried in reply. The day had been going so well, they'd managed to catch up to a whole family of Jerocrats and Danni filled her phone with pictures of the little babies playing together. The Doctor had led them through the twists and turns of the large forest, pointing out everything and anything he could think of in an attempt to impress both Danni and Clara.
Clara was amazed by the change in Danni, the other woman seemed so much more comfortable around her, and seemed to share the same amazement she felt at every new thing they came across. She had to remind herself that Danni was nowhere near as old as the Doctor was, but that idea seemed more alien than anything they came across. That meant there was a time when they hadn't been together, and one of them without the other seemed incredibly wrong.
They'd made it to the beach just as the sun was setting, maybe a couple of hours after they'd set off. The Doctor had managed to get them on the swankiest looking boat in the dock, even though both girls were not dressed for it. Turned out he had saved the planet from a meteorite a few Earth years previously planet-time, during one of the periods Danni hadn't been there. Again, Clara had a tough time imagining why Danni wouldn't have been there at all, but neither of them had wanted to elaborate and then she'd been given some absolutely delicious champagne and had forgotten the question.
The Doctor had danced with Danni for most of the evening, sometimes with a gracefulness that had surprised the brunette until it disappeared and he was flailing across the dance floor, his wife in tow. Considering the times she'd spent with the alien man, she had been perturbed by his elegance and everything felt right in the universe when he'd stepped on Danni's toe. She'd stood to the side, savouring the booze and the high class of clientele even though she had no idea who anyone was. Danni had tried to dance with her on more than one occasion, but the Doctor was having none of it. In fact, he'd tried to drag Danni away from Clara all day, failing to hide his jealousy and Clara had thought it was adorable. Danni had been holding her hand, or at least linking arms with her, the entire day and the Doctor didn't seem too happy that his wife was paying attention to someone who hadn't been himself. Of course, this meant that Clara had teased him mercilessly by making sure that she was always stood between the two, or managing to interrupt him if he was going to kiss her or hug her. It had been a great day.
That had been before one of the 'fish', Clara was more convinced it was an octopus although the Doctor had insisted the species didn't have eight tentacles, had grabbed them off the deck in turn. All Clara remembered from the five minutes that followed was being swung around like a toy, before being dropped into the pink sea and wishing that she'd just stayed at home.
"I did tell you to stand back from the edge." The Doctor replied, slipping his jacket off and hanging it over the railings.
"Yeah, but not because we were going to get attacked by an octopus!" Clara retorted. The Doctor looked to his wife, who surely knew it wasn't his fault.
"A little warning would have been nice." Danni pointed out, "I wouldn't have picked a white shirt if I had known I was going to get slam-dunked by a squid."
"It wasn't a squid!" The Doctor complained, "Or an octopus."
"So you keep saying." Clara snapped, "Yet I've just had to walk five miles through a freezing forest, soaked from head to toe because I was attacked by one!" Danni tugged on her arm, pulling her towards the hallway.
"We'd better get you into something warm." She commented, "Then I'll make us a cup of tea." Clara nodded as the Doctor started following. Danni pointed back at him, not even turning around, "You stay here!"
"But I'm wet too!" He moaned.
"Well dry off here then!" She snapped in reply as the two women disappeared into the TARDIS. He pouted, failing to resist the urge to cross his arms over his chest like a child. Stupid Clara, it was all her fault.
The moment Danni was sure they were out of earshot, she beamed at Clara, "Oh, that was excellent!" She cried, startling the other woman slightly, "It was like something out of Harry Potter. You know, the squid in the lake!" Clara stared at her, completely bewildered at how happy she seemed.
"Hang on, are you telling me you enjoyed that?" She exclaimed and Danni frowned, confused.
"What, you didn't?" She asked.
"No!" Clara exclaimed, "That's why I was angry."
"Oh!" Danni let out in realisation, "I thought we were doing the whole 'pretending to be angry so he doesn't do it again' thing. Me and Donna used to do that all the time."
"Who's Donna?" Clara asked and Danni shook her head.
"Doesn't matter." She dismissed, "I can do actually angry." She stopped at a door, "I don't know if the TARDIS has made you a room yet, but until then you can use this one." She pushed the door open, revealing a brown and cream bedroom.
"You do have spare rooms." Clara commented, stepping it. It wasn't a style she'd choose for her own bedroom, but it was very pretty.
"We do." Danni agreed, "But this is my old room." Clara looked around it again, trying to picture the woman next to her choosing the colours and the furniture.
"You had a room?" Clara asked as she headed over to one of the walls. It was covered in a large metal sheet, hundreds upon hundreds of fridge magnets on it, pictures being held on the wall with them.
"Of course! We weren't always married, you know?" Danni laughed, "There's some clothes in the wardrobe, I used to be your size and shape, so you should fit in them just fine." Clara nodded slowly, about to ask why they kept talking about her looking different, when she spotted a photo that drew her attention.
"Who is that?" She asked, pointing to it. Danni walked over and smiled fondly. It was a picture of her and Donna in the 34th Century. The Doctor was stood behind her, arms wrapped around her waist and the biggest grin on his face. Jack was behind the camera, the Doctor had taken her to visit him after finding out she'd just come from Rose-Ten. He had always tried to make it up to her.
"Oh, that's Donna." She pointed out the old companion, "That's me," she pointed to her ginger self, "And that is the Doctor. That's what he looked like before he regenerated."
"When I was trying to get into the TARDIS, that's the man the TARDIS used to talk to me through." Clara replied, "And you're telling me he's the Doctor?" Danni nodded, "That man, out there, with the bowtie was also him?"
"That was his Tenth body." Danni explained.
"But they look nothing like you." Clara insisted and Danni tilted her head slightly, brow furrowing slightly.
"Has the Doctor not explained regeneration to you?" She asked. Clara shook her head, remembering him mentioning something about in back on the submarine, "Right, get changed, and I'll tell you everything over that cup of tea."
~0~0~0~
Clara had been amazed and full of questions and Danni explained her life since she'd jumped universes so many years ago. Questions about the reason behind it, which had been because of an insane Time Lord and his need to destroy the universe. Questions about the biology, which Danni still really could answer the basics of. She knew regeneration had something to do with the two hearts, but to be honest she hadn't really cared to find out why. This version of herself didn't seem to care too much about the fine detail of things like that. Questions about old companions, which Danni could answer, and many stories were told.
It was the reason they were now in 23rd century New Wales, outside a house that never seemed to change no matter how many times they visited it. She was beyond nervous, but talking about all of the old companions had just reminded her how much she missed them all. There were so many people she couldn't see anymore, Rose was off with her Ten, Donna would burn and all the sadness and grief in the universe was not worth burning her for. Amy and Rory needed to live their life, and as much as she wanted to, visiting them and leaving them behind was too much for either of them to bear.
There was one person, though, who she had spent four years avoiding in fear of rejection. Then, telling Clara about the immortal American captain reminded her of how wonderful he had always been to her, how he'd comforted her when Nine had been focused on Rose, or how he'd looked after her when he'd found out Eleven had 'abandoned' her. He always knew when it was her birthday, he'd danced with her for her father-daughter dance even after realising that the need to calm the Doctor down on their wedding day had meant he couldn't walk her down the aisle after all. There had never been a time when Jack hadn't been there for her.
Didn't mean she wasn't nervous. Or terrified of his reaction. Even if this wasn't the first time seeing the 'new' her, didn't mean that he had reacted kindly the first time or that he accepted her now. However, as he was the only other person she knew that had gone through such a shock to their DNA, she reasoned that it meant he'd be understanding.
"He's going to love you." The Doctor told her from her side as they stood in front of the door. They'd been there a while, she was sure of it, but she couldn't bring herself knock, "Why wouldn't he?"
"It's a big shock, Theta." She replied, "What if he doesn't? I don't want to lose Jack as well."
"You won't." He promised, squeezing her hand gently, "You can do this." She swallowed, nodding before raising her free hand and rapping her knuckles on the door. After a few moments, it opened and Jack appeared. His face, which hadn't looked particularly annoyed but not exactly thrilled at people being at his door, positively broke out in a smile.
"Oh, Danni-Girl!" He cried, picking her up and lifting her off the floor in a hug. Too shocked by his reaction, she didn't complain like she normally would have at being lifted. He laughed happily, placing her down.
"How do you know who I am?" She replied, amazed as the Doctor watched on, amused at how stunned she was.
"Hang on, is this you after you've just regenerated?" Jack asked and she thought on it, wondering if she should tell him about the almost-four years of avoiding him.
"Relatively, yeah." She settled on and he cupped her face, looking so happy to see her she couldn't help but smile back.
"Look at you." He breathed, leaning forward and placing a kiss on her forehead. She giggled and the amused look on the Doctor's face fell away from his, replaced by a slightly jealous one, "Right, three hours like normal, Doc?" Jack asked and Danni turned to look at her husband, uncertain on how to feel. On the one hand, Jack seemed so happy to see her, but she really wanted the Doctor to be there with her just in case.
The Doctor made the decision for her, though, nodding, "No flirting." The Doctor warned, also like normal and Jack laughed heartily, leading Danni into his house.
"Not promising anything." He told the Time Lord, "You know she can't resist me!" With that, he shut the door before wrapping his arm around her shoulders, "You look overwhelmed. Wine?" She nodded, incredibly grateful and he walked her the living room. Danni immediately felt more at ease in the familiar room, "So, regenerated, eh?" Danni nodded.
"I know. I still can't believe it. It doesn't make any sense." She frowned, her eyes falling on a picture of herself on the wall. Longer hair, but still her, she was sure of it.
"Try being me!" Jack retorted, heading towards the kitchen, missing her confused look as she stepped towards the picture. It looked familiar, she'd seen it before, "You know," He called through as she examined it. That was definitely her, the brown eyes and the glasses proved it more than the blonde hair. But that picture, it looked really familiar, "When River told me you were our daughter, I didn't believe her." She gasped, backing away and into the couch. That was Ella! That was Jack's daughter, but it was definitely her! How could a picture of Ella be her?
Then her brain kicked into gear and all she could do was stare at Jack as he brought in the two glasses of wine, "It was a shock, let me tell you. But when I got my head around it, everything made perfect sense, and the same will happen for you." He held a glass out to her, already sipping from his own. She shook her head, stepping towards the front door and he frowned, instantly seeing something wasn't right, "What's wrong, Danni-Girl?" Her hearts thumped, her head felt woozy. Her legs felt like jelly, but she needed to run as the flippant comment from him ran through her head again and again. Ella. The pictures had always been there. She'd seen the back of the woman's head on more than one occasion, but Jack would always make excuses so she couldn't meet her. All those years, seeing that picture, she'd never put it together at all. It was Ella. It was her.
"What do you mean, River told you I was your daughter?" She whispered.