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Danni stared, waiting for Jack to reply, but he just stared back with the look of a man who really knew he'd said something wrong. Wide eyes, glasses held in his hands but completely forgotten as his brain tried to process what just happened. All he had to do was laugh it off, tell her that he hadn't meant it or that he and River just called themselves that. But the longer he stared, the less likely that seemed to be something that was going to happen.
"Danni, I..." Jack actually stuttered out, reaffirming that he was out of his depth and she shook her head in disbelief. This wasn't happening, this couldn't be happening. If he was joking, he would have said something by now. He would have laughed, telling her to stop being so gullible before handing her the drink. He genuinely thought what he said was true.
"No." She snapped decisively, "No, I have a mum and dad. They're trapped in another universe, but they're my parents. Not you." Everything felt too close, the room was too small and too hot and she decided the best course of action was to get out. As far away from the house, and as far away from Jack as she could get.
"Danni!" He cried as she turned and tried to run away. He cursed, he shouldn't have assumed, but she always made him so happy, he didn't stop and think! He put the wine glasses down and chased her into the hallway, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean for you to find out this way."
She turned, eyes blazing with angry tears, "This is sick, Jack!" She screamed, her gut reaction to lash out at him, "I know we're close, but this..." She shook her head again, "I'm going home!" He grabbed her arm to stop her.
"Just let me explain!" He pleaded and she yanked her arm back, reaching into her pocket with shaking hands to pull out her phone.
"Don't touch me!" She snarled, holding the phone to her ear until the Doctor picked up. She didn't even wait for him to say hello, "Pick me up. Pick me up right now. I want you outside the front door when I come out!" And she hung up before he could reply. She didn't want to explain to him what had happened, she just wanted to leave.
"Please, Danni." Jack begged as she headed towards the front door, "Please, you're my baby girl, just let me explain."
"I have a dad." She retorted, "Who read me stories when I was a kid, who loved sweater vests and loved me. I am not your daughter, and I never will be!" With that, she turned and rushed out of the house, just in time to see the Doctor step out of the TARDIS. Her hearts, which had been beating in her chest fast and hard, eased just slightly at the sight of her husband. It always did, he was always so reassuring.
"If you think for one moment I'm letting you get away, Danielle, you've got another thing coming." Jack promised passionately as he ran out of the house after her, "I'll follow you across the universe if I have to, and I have."
"I don't want you to!" Danni screamed, "Just leave me alone!" She felt trapped, because so much was making sense already and she wasn't even accepting what he was saying as true. Ella had been her all along. She'd liked spaghetti bolognese, but then again so did a lot people. Her mum died a long time ago, but that meant nothing at all. Maybe she'd managed to pick the face up subconsciously, maybe she did just happen to look like Ella. It was a big universe, it can't be uncommon for people to look like each other, right?
The Doctor looked them both over, eyes narrowing as he came to realise that the reason his wife rang him so upset seemed to be the American man stood in front of his front door. Jack was looking at Danni pleadingly but determined, whereas Danni seemed to becoming increasingly upset as she screamed at the other man. He could feel it rushing off her, the panic and devastation mixed together and before she had even decided to run to him, he held his arms out for her. She clung to him tightly, body shaking and he turned his attention to Jack, the anger he felt at seeing her so upset setting in his features, "What's going on?"
"I want to go." Danni whimpered before Jack could answer and the Doctor nodded, placing a kiss on her head. He pulled back, cupping her face and wiping her tears away with his thumbs. He shot her an encouraging smile.
"Okay, why don't you go get into your pyjamas, then we'll watch something animated?" She nodded, shaky smile in return and he gently ushered her into the TARDIS. He watched her head into the hallway before turning, leaning in the door frame as he looked over Jack, "What did you do?" He asked calmly, but with an edge to his voice.
"Look, Doc, after I've talked to her, I'm sure we can explain everything." Jack replied impatiently, trying to see around the slightly smaller man, "But you need to move."
"After the way you upset her, do you really think I would let you in, Captain?" The Doctor asked, "Tell me what you did." Jack sighed in defeat. He'd normally just push past the Doctor to get to Danni, but that probably wasn't wise considering the circumstances. He needed to get her back on side, if only so he could explain properly.
"Look, I didn't mean to just blurt it out!" He defended, frustrated because his daughter was right there and he had to make sure she forgave him, "I told her that she's mine and River's daughter, and if you let me in, I can explain it to both of you."
The Doctor shook his head, "Do you have any idea what you've done?" He asked, "She's only just stopped being scared of being like brought up to be a weapon like River was, you've probably scared her right back into that again." Jack looked at him suspiciously. There was no exclamation of surprise, no laugh of disbelief. That acceptance was all wrong.
"How long have you known?" He asked.
"A couple of years." The Doctor replied, sounding very indifferent about the fact he'd been keeping the secret from his wife, "Not long." A couple of years? Just how long had it been since Danni had regenerated? He had heard stories from when she first regenerated, how she hadn't trusted Clara and how she'd been terrified of her own shadow. Was this still it? And what exactly was the Time Lord in front of him doing to help her? He was supposed to love Danni, that's what everyone had been telling him for centuries. If he was keeping her in the dark about her family, though, about the people who cared for her most, when she was the most frightened, perhaps he had been right all along.
His anger flared and he glared at the Doctor, "And you didn't think to tell her?" He exclaimed, "You didn't think that while she was here it might come up?!"
"I had hoped you would have had a little more tact." The Doctor replied, his throwaway comment enraging Jack further, "How did you manage to become a Time Agent? Your interrogation skills must have been atrocious."
"I know what you're doing." Jack warned, pointing at him threateningly, "Putting your responsibility onto me, in case she reacted like this. Then you can sweep in and save the day. Have her think you didn't know so she doesn't get angry at you."
"And why should she be?" The Doctor defended, because he wasn't wrong. He didn't want to hurt her again, he'd already destroyed her past with his own actions, how could he possibly do it because of someone else? His own eyes narrowed at the man in front of him, who was trying to thrust his own guilt onto him, "How long have you known she's your child, Jack?" He accused, not realising he was doing the exact same thing, "How long did you keep it from her?"
"Only while she was Red." Jack snarled, "And only because she told me to! You're doing this to make yourself look better. 'Oh, did the mean man keep a secret from you? I'll look after you'." The Doctor made to take a step towards him, but stopped himself. He did not want to give him any room to push past. He'd just upset Danni further, and he could never stand to see her cry.
"She's my wife!"
"She's my daughter, Doctor." Jack retorted, "You can't keep me away forever."
"If she wants to see you again, I'll bring her back." The Doctor told him, "Until then," He smirked as he waved at the TARDIS, "I have a sports car, do you still even have your space hopper?" With that, he stepped out of the way and shut the door in the impossible man's face, who seemed angered and baffled in equal measure. He struggled with the fact that he couldn't believe Jack would have been so stupid to blurt it out, and not being surprised for a second that he had. She'd come so far, she'd been feeling so much safer in herself, secure in the belief that she really was okay and even though he knew her parentage changed nothing, he also knew that she wouldn't see it like that. He wouldn't try and convince her Jack was lying, there was no point now, but he'd have to help her see that it really didn't change anything.
He turned around and saw her standing there silently and his hearts froze in the realisation that she had heard everything. He could see the anger and betrayal she was feeling fighting in her features, the way her lips would purse together then relax, like she couldn't work out whether to shout or stay silent.
"Danni-"
"When did the scan finish?" She interrupted him sharply.
He held his hands up in surrender, stepping closer in the hope that he could talk his way out of the mess he suddenly found himself in, "Danni, I can explain..."
"What did it finish?!" She shouted and he came to a halt. He didn't want to anger her, that's why he hadn't told her. She hadn't been ready to hear that yet, she'd only just be able to accept Clara as not a threat to him, who she only feared through a projection of her own worries about herself. She'd only stopped fearing herself.
"It never started." He reluctantly admitted, "It was always the results. They've both travelled in the TARDIS, it would have been the first thing she checked."
"Is that why you always correct me when I'm talking about my mum and dad?" She demanded, "Because you knew. You knew all this time and you just didn't bother to let me in on the secret?!"
"No!" He protested, "It wasn't like that! You were so scared of being like River, how could I tell you? I just wanted you to be okay, I promise!"
"Your promises mean nothing!" She screamed back and he winced, feeling her words like knives, "You promised me you'd not marry River. You promised me you'd never let go of my hand and you promised me the moment you knew anything about why I regenerated you would tell me! Every promise you've ever made to me you have broken."
"I meant them." He insisted desperately, walking over, "I've not done very well in keeping them, I admit, but I meant every single one. I still don't know why you regenerated, I only ever knew they were your biological parents. I don't know the whole story, but we can find out together." He looked at her hopefully as he held his hand out to her, hearts pounding in his chest. She had to forgive him, it didn't matter that he didn't tell her, at least now she knew and they could work it out together. They'd go to Jack, hear the story then go to River. It didn't change anything, she was still his Danni-Girl. He still loved her, and as long as she loved him, nothing else matter. But she just stared at his hand in disgust before batting it away.
"Every time I trust you, you hurt me." She spat, "It's like you can't help but lie to me!" Her hands clenched at her sides and he looked physically wounded at her words. She didn't know what to do, in such a short amount of time her world had gone from being barely being held together to crumbling to the floor. All of these people lying to her, who else had known? Was this some commonplace knowledge spread across the universe? Or was it a dark secret that no one knew?
Her parents had known. They'd known she wasn't their biological daughter, but had they known just where she was from? They'd never told her anything, she'd never suspected anything! She looked so much like her mum growing up, people were always commenting on it. Did they know she might regenerate? Or had she supposed to have been just a normal human baby they chose to love and share their lives with?
Everyone lied! Everyone lied to her and she couldn't see past it. And the Doctor; she met his eyes, and he looked so heartbroken, like he didn't know what to do and it just angered her further. This was all his fault! He kept it from her, had her find out from some brush away comment from the man who was apparently her biological father!
Another thought hit her. Maybe this was a joke. What if, all along, he'd just been playing the long game? He knew she'd never willingly leave him, maybe this was the way he was trying to get her to. If that's what he wanted, she'd leave. She could go to J- no, she couldn't. Or River either, not anymore. Martha would try and convince her to give him a chance to explain, because she was so annoyingly reasonable and she didn't need that right now. She wasn't in the wrong, here! Rose, Donna, even Amy and Rory, there was no one left!
Except one, "Take me to Clara." She demanded and he seemed surprised. Good.
"What?" He asked, confused by the sudden request. He hadn't told Clara, he hadn't told anyone, why would she want to see their companion?
"I want to go to Clara's." Danni replied slowly, "She's just a normal, ordinary human, yeah? Even Emma said so!" He nodded.
"Perfectly normal." He quickly confirmed, hoping his compliance would calm her down.
"Then she's never lied to me!" She shouted in reply, "She's just an ordinary girl and you," She pointed at him, "All you do is lie to me! You tell me you love me, you tell me all this... this bullshit and then you rip my entire life from underneath me! And every time I'm still surprised!"
"I just wanted you to be okay." He insisted, "You're not like her."
"Yes I am!" She screamed, "And you think so too, otherwise you would have told me. You think I'm here to kill you, just like she was!"
"I don't." He promised, keeping his voice soft and level compared to hers, hoping that his calmness would help her find her own, "I think the opposite. I think they gave you up to stop someone turning you into a weapon like she was."
"Bullshit!" She screamed, "I don't believe a word you say. Take me to Clara, now!"
"Danni, please!" He begged.
"Now!" She screamed and the TARDIS groaned as the time rotor began moving up and down. The surprise from the sudden activation had the husband and wife turning from each other to look at it.
"How did you do that?" The Doctor asked, amazed and Danni glared at him.
"It's because she actually gives a crap about me!" She snapped, storming up to the console, "Thanks, sweetie." She told the time machine. The monitor swung around to her on its own, the TARDIS showing her some Gallifreyan. Danni frowned, the symbols never made any sense to her, if that was what the TARDIS was going to display in now, perhaps she should at least attempt to learn it. After all, the last few months she'd been showing them more and more Gallifreyan. The countdown had been in Gallifreyan.
She gasped, the pieces falling into place as the TARDIS shuddered, coming to a stop, "She's been showing the countdown for months!" She exclaimed, turning back to the Doctor, who looked so incredibly guilty, "She's been trying to get you to tell me, hasn't she?"
"I should have." He admitted, "I just thought you weren't ready to hear it. I didn't want to be the one to make you scared, again!"
"Oh my god," she breathed, "you just didn't want me to be angry at you." Her face hardened, "This had nothing to do with me at all! You were just worried about yourself!"
"That's not true!" He protested, frustrated because it wasn't entirely false and they had both pointed it out. He hadn't wanted her to hurt, but he also hadn't wanted to be the one to hurt her again. He already had to live with the fact that he'd been the one to kill her, he couldn't have her hate him for this!
"I can't believe you kept this from me!" She shouted, "It's not your choice what I know about my life!"
He regretted it the moment he retorted, "You did from me." He watched her tense, her back straightened and he shook his head, stepping forward, hands, "I didn't mean that." He promised, "I didn't, Danni-"
"Fuck you." She snarled, shoving her way past him and out of the TARDIS. He shook his head, rushing out after her. The day outside was warm and calm, it seemed really anticlimactic compared to how much rage and hurt seemed to be flowing through her.
"Danni!" He cried as Clara opened the front door, stepping out slowly, a confused look on her face. The Mailands had gone away for a week away, at her suggestion as something nice to do in the summer holidays to try and get back some more normality. It was just a caravan site, nothing fancy but they'd enjoy it. Of course, that meant it was the weekend and not Wednesday, and yet she had still heard the TARDIS engines. She stepped out of the house at the sight of the Doctor staring at Danni, obviously panicking tremulously by the way he looked a step away from tears, hands trembling. Danni, on the other hand, looked murderous, all that anger aimed at the Time Lord.
"Please, Danni, I didn't mean it." He beseeched, reaching out to her, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have kept it from you. Just- Just come back to the TARDIS." He waved behind him, "I'll make this right! I'll figure something out!"
"I'm not going anywhere with you!" She screamed back, "I know it took a bit more than chucking me out of the TARDIS, but you got your wish! I don't ever want to see you again! Take your blue box and fly away!"
"No!" He cried and Clara was over to the pair as the Doctor dashed towards Danni. Even she could see that was not a smart move and she barely got there in time to get between the pair.
"What the hell is going on?" Clara asked, but was ignored by the pair apart from the fact that Danni's hand hadn't connected with the Doctor's face, still hovering and waiting to smack him.
"I'm not going anywhere." He swore, "Not without you, not again."
"Then you'll be here a long time." Danni retorted, "Because I am never going with you again. And I can promise you that, 'cause I don't break them!" She didn't wait for an answer, storming straight into Clara's house without another word. The Doctor made to follow her, but Clara shook her head, putting a hand on his chest to stop him. She felt the two hearts under his ribs beating wildly, which unnerved her slightly because she sometimes forgot, not that they were alien but the fact that they weren't human.
"I wouldn't." She warned him and he barely spared her a glance. His eyes were trained on the house, the heartbreak sitting unabashedly on his face. He looked completely destroyed, "Spaceman, what did you do?" Clara asked gently.
His head snapped to her at the quiet use of the nickname. Various companions had all picked it up from Danni, and the reminder had his chest tightening. This was such a stupid mistake, and one he could have avoided easily if he hadn't been such a coward. He wasn't losing her over this, he refused. He also couldn't bring himself to tell Clara, so he removed her hand from his person and it limply dropped by her side.
"Tell her I'm not moving." He replied, "Tell her I'm not going anywhere without her." Clara watched him turn, completely lacking his normal flare, and he headed back into the TARDIS, the box's front door closing with a pathetic click.
She found Danni on the staircase, hands clenched in the front of her hair as she obviously tried to stop herself from crying. Still having no idea what had happened between the two, Clara slowly walked up a couple of the steps until she was at eye line with Danni, "What happened?" She asked gently. Danni looked up, eyes fill with angry, betrayed tears and Clara pulled her in for a hug as she started sobbing.
~0~0~0~
Clara walked down the stairs after setting up an airbed in her room for Danni to sleep on. Even with the rest of the family out of town, it wouldn't have been right having her sleep anywhere else. It was lucky she found it, really, because she had already been trying to work out how to make a comfortable mattress out of sofa cushions and that didn't really seem practical.
Danni had explained what had happened, and Clara couldn't blame her for being so angry. She couldn't even imagine finding out her parents weren't biologically hers, and while she was sure it wouldn't change how she felt about her mother or her father, finding out that so many people around her had known all along and had kept it from her would have been infuriating. Then, to find out that her husband had known and not told her... well, she would have kicked him out rather than leaving, but she could see how being around so much stuff that would just reminded her of the betrayal was probably too much to bear.
Danni had already started on a bottle of wine by the time she entered the front room, and seemed to be quite the way through it judging by the trickle of red liquid that came out as she poured it. There was a glass waiting on the coffee table for her, which was nice but she wasn't a massive fan of red wine so she just nursed it as she sat next to Danni. The television had some reality show on it, one of those singing one's Angie seemed to like but Clara couldn't stand, but Danni didn't seem to be watching that either.
"Don't you just want to go and confront them?" Clara asked before she managed to engage her inner filter, "I mean, if I found out that my friends were actually my parents, I'd be banging on their doors, demanding an explanation."
Danni took a rather large gulp of wine, "Of course I do!" She exclaimed, "But the only way I can get to them is through him!" She motioned to the window, where the outline of the blue box could be seen in the dusk, "He's the only time travelling man I know who isn't Jack, and I'm not exactly about to call him up and ask him for a lift, am I?" She took another swig of wine, but it wasn't affecting her as quickly as she would like.
Her whole life had just crumbled underneath her feet, and here she was drinking booze and watching bad telly. It all seemed so- so inadequate. The universe wasn't ending, people were going on with their daily lives. Poor Cheryl was singing her heart out for her chance to sing in front of the Queen but there was no chance she was going to make it to the semi-finals. She felt completely decimated, and yet the universe didn't care. Just like it hadn't with Amy and Rory, or with her Clara, and all it did was make her want to drown herself in alcohol until she was blind drunk.
She sighed as she let her arm fall back onto the sofa, wine glass now empty. She caught sight of her wrist, of the brown band around it and her frustration flared at the sight of it. It was all down to the stupid present on her arm. It was supposed to be a toy! She placed the glass onto the carpet and fumbled slightly with the straps, clumsily but decisively taking it off before holding it out to Clara.
"Can you do something for me?"
~0~0~0~
Clara knocked on the TARDIS door again, glancing behind her to make sure Danni wasn't watching. Last thing she wanted was for the other Time Lord to be angry at her as well, but she had already started on the second bottle of wine so she was pretty sure she was safe. She didn't hear the footsteps, but the door swung open as an eager Doctor flung it out of the way. She tried not to be hurt as his hopeful face fell in disappointment, after all he was probably hoping it was Danni, but he did force a weak friendly smile to try and hide it, which was nice of him.
"Ah, Clara." He greeted tiredly, "What can I do for you?"
"First, I want to say that what you did was cowardly." She started and he grimaced, not at being told off but at being reminded, "You don't hide things like that from people you love."
"Duly noted." He replied, glancing over her shoulder, looking for the blonde and her heart twanged in sympathy, "Was that all?"
"No." He looked back, trying to seem patient, "I wanted you to know that, because I also want you to remember that she's very angry, so don't read too much into this." His brows furrowed slightly, then she held out the manipulator and his face fell, "She wanted me to chuck it away, into the 'big bins' outside so she wouldn't be tempted to get it back, but I don't think what she wants while still so furious is actually how it's going to be." His hand hovered out in front of him, fingers dancing as he looked at it. She'd only just told him the week before how it made her feel like herself, because it was what brought them together. Even the reminder of him was hurting her. He took it gingerly, before his whole hand clenched around it.
"Is she coming out?" He asked Clara and she shook her head.
"Not tonight." She replied, "She's getting drunk." He winced before nodding.
"Okay." He smiled again, nodding at her, "Thanks, Clara." He left the companion outside, closing the door and running a hand through his quiff. The console room stretched out before him, it hadn't felt so empty since she'd fallen- since he'd chucked her out of the TARDIS. That was his fault, it was all his fault.
With a roar of grief, he pulled his arm back, chucking the damned manipulator as far as it would go. He heard it crash against something metal as he fell back against the door, sliding down at hot tears poured down his face, all caused by him.