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Danni's head pounded, the couple of bottles of wine reacting harshly with her brain, as it always did the morning after. The sun was barely streaming in through the closed curtains, but it was enough to have her rolling over with a groan, squeezing her eyes shut. Oh, the wine had been a bad idea. Bad, bad wine. Never again, and this time she meant it. She was never drinking again. Even at Christmas, when there was a delectable amount of booze. No more drinking.
She reached out, looking for the patch where Theta would be lying if he'd come to bed with her, hoping he'd fetch her some of that delicious purple liquid that made all the bad feelings go away. He didn't always sleep with her, in fact he rarely did because he found sleeping a complete waste of time, but he never let her wake up alone with a hangover. And yet, when she groped for him, there wasn't even any bed for her hand to land on. Her hand fell into some empty nothingness, which wasn't right because their bed was huge. At the very least, she should have felt the slightly warm patch of bed where he'd been lying next to her, only to have gotten up after becoming too bored to sleep with her any longer. She gingerly opened her eyes, wondering what could have happened to their bedroom, and found herself in Clara's room, on a single blow up bed, Clara sleeping across from her.
The reason she had been drinking came rushing back to her, the pain of the betrayal hitting her in the chest and overriding the pounding in her skull. The reason he wasn't lying with her was because he'd lied to her, and the sudden reminder had her curling back under the blanket she was using as a cover. She squeezed her eyes shut again, but this time to stop the tears that were threatening to fall. She'd been drinking to try and forget about her husband, who'd looked her in the face and lied to her again and again. To try and forget her friend, Jack, who'd never once mentioned that she'd had a family in this universe after all. He'd let her believe she was human and ordinary, when all that time she'd been a mixture of Impossible Man and Time Lord. She wasn't ordinary, she was a freak. Not even a half-breed, she wasn't anything but alone.
~0~0~0~
Clara glanced out of the living room window, wondering why she felt so surprised that the blue box was still parked just to the side of the drive way, being ignored by everyone who didn't know it was there. Just in front of it sat the Doctor, on the same chair like had been when he had decided she'd needed guarding, back when they'd first met. She smiled to herself, it really hadn't been that long but it felt like they'd always been part of her life. Although, saying that, the Doctor did confirm they were at her mother's funeral, so many she had known them all her life.
He was reading a paper, his round-framed glasses perched on his nose and he looked just like someone's dad, so much so that she actually had to blink a couple of times to clear the image out of her head. He looked quite content to sit there all day, like he was taking advantage of the warm weather, but she knew differently. He wasn't moving until he saw his wife, but Clara could see this becoming quite the long haul for them. How would she explain them both to George? How did you explain them both to anyone? No one knew she travelled in time, mainly because no one would believe her even if she told them. Chances were that he wouldn't want one of her friends, who he'd never met before, stopping over with his children there. She couldn't exactly kick Danni out either, though, because where would she go? She sighed, deciding to worry about that nearer the time they'd come home, after all she might have gone before then. She headed to the kitchen, where Danni was sat at the breakfast bar, munching on some cereal.
"Is he still there?" She asked after she swallowed the mouthful she'd taken of the Shredded Wheat. Clara nodded, putting the kettle on. She was trying to sound nonchalant, like she didn't care either way, the nervous glance she gave Clara said otherwise.
"Still there." She confirmed, and Danni relaxed in relief at the news, "Are you going out today?"
"Nope." Danni replied, popping the 'p' before taking another bite, "I am surprised he's made it this long though. Good for him."
"It's only been a night." Clara reasoned, reaching into the cupboard and pulling out two identical white mugs, "He's a child, but that's not long at all."
"It is for him."
"He said he was going to wait for you." Clara pointed out as she made them both a cup of tea.
"When we stayed with Amy and Rory, he made it to the fourth day before he ran off. And that was when we were having sex." Clara jolted in surprise at the bluntness with which she said it, almost spilling the hot water from the kettle over herself, "I asked him to pick me up in four weeks, and he gave me five months. He won't make it past Day 4." Clara walked over, placing one mug in front of Danni and turning it so the handle was facing her. She pulled herself up onto the stool next to her.
"I don't think he's going anywhere." Clara told her, blowing on the top of her drink, "He said he wasn't going to go without you."
"Yeah, well, you don't know him like I do." Danni replied, "He'll get bored, then he'll leave." She pointed at Clara with her spoon, "Four days, that's how long he'll last."
~0~0~0~
The Doctor tried to be sneaky as he looked over the top of his newspaper, the front door opening becoming the focus of his attention almost instantly. Clara stepped out, pulling her handbag over her shoulder and he deflated, sitting back into his chair. It wasn't his wife, it wasn't his Danni-Girl and as much as he liked the other woman, Danni was all he wanted to see.
"Sitting outside for the day?" Clara asked as walked over. He nodded, straightening up the newspaper with a shake of his hands.
"It's a lovely day for it." He replied, "Did you know that some woman called Sinitta is very happy for a man called Simon Cowell?" Clara shook her head, smiling slightly.
"I did not." She replied.
"Well, she is." He told her, "And a dog drove a car. It's very interesting stuff." He looked at her over the top of his glasses, looking over her as if just noticing that she seemed to be leaving, "Where are you off to?"
"Shops. Danni wants me to pick her up some pyjamas." She nodded towards the newspaper, "Would you like some more reading material?"
"Yes, please." He admitted, "Something to do with dinosaurs would be stellar." She shook her head, telling him he shouldn't be saying that word. He agreed, "Is-er, is Danni not going with you? If you're buying her clothes, she might want to try them on."
"She doesn't want to come out of the house while you're here." Clara broke to him gently. He winced slightly, and she felt bad for making him feel that way, "I hope you have a way to fix this, Spaceman." She told him.
He looked up at the building, "I have no idea." He explained honestly, "I've not been the best husband, there's things I've done I regret. But none of them have been this bad before." And it was true. He'd left her at Amy and Rory's for far too long, but the moment she realised why he'd misaimed, she'd forgiven him. He'd treated her terribly when Rose had been there, but she'd understood. He'd killed her, she'd been terrified of his touch but she hadn't left his side. He wasn't sure if this was just that step too far, or the straw the broke the camel's back, but this seemed to be it for them. He wouldn't let it be, not while he was still here, he'd work out a way to fix it. He couldn't live without her by his side, especially now he knew what it was like for her not to be torn away from him with no notice.
Clara didn't know how to help. The whole situation was bizarre, but then again they weren't exactly the most normal of couples. Quite frankly, removing the 'alien' factor from it all, it was like something out of a soap opera, "I'll make sure to get you something more interesting." She told him gently and he shot her a soft smile.
"Thank you, Clara." He replied quietly and she placed a hand on his shoulder, rubbing with her thumb sympathetically before heading off. He watched her walk away for a moment, glad that at least Danni had a friend like her to look after her when he couldn't. He turned back to look at the house, sitting up straighter when he saw a ruffling of the living room blinds, a flash of blonde hair disappearing from view. Danni had been there, she'd been looking out and so must have seen him sat there.
He settled back into his chair, before shaking his head, standing up and folding the newspaper up so it wouldn't blow away. He had to talk to her, but he couldn't force himself on her, that would do more harm than good. One more message on her voice mail wouldn't be too bad, would it?
~0~0~0~
Clara put the carrier bags down outside the TARDIS doors, panting slightly, her arms aching in the temporary relief from putting them down. She'd thought she could make the trip on the bus, it was only a bit of food, after all. Of course, she'd ended up buying Danni a few pairs of pyjamas because she wasn't sure what the woman would like. Then, she'd gotten them both a new pair of slippers, because who didn't like slippers? Then, she'd stopped off at WHSmiths and bought the Doctor a few books and magazines about dinosaurs and other animals. After that, the milk and bread was suddenly incredibly heavy.
The Doctor hadn't been sat outside the TARDIS when she came back so she knocked on the door, to no answer. She pushed the door open, but there was no sign of the man so she walked over to the console, putting the carrier bag down in front of it so he couldn't miss it. Should she go look for him? What would she do if she found him? It's not like he wanted to see her, anyway. Well, that wasn't strictly true, his disappointed face every time he had seen her had not been because of who she was, but rather who she wasn't. It was still too early to convince Danni to talk to him, so she headed back out, groaning in pain as she picked the bags back up. Was she too young for one of those trollies her nanna had?
She paused at the front door, frowning at the small, yellow carryall that was sat her way. It had obviously been placed there so she would notice it, but she couldn't pick it up. She used her elbow to push the door handle down, grateful to find it open and she stepped in backwards, using her back to open it fully.
"Danni!" She called into the house and the blonde appeared a moment later, peering around the doorway to the living room.
"Oh!" Danni dashed forward, taking a few bags off Clara to help lighten her load, "You get enough food?" She teased.
"I didn't realise how much it was going to weigh." Clara explained, putting her bags down and heading back out to grab the bag, "I think this is for you." Danni frowned as she took it off her, turning it around in her hands.
"What's in it?" She asked and Clara shrugged.
"Help me put the food away, then we'll look."
~0~0~0~
They moved to the front room, sitting next to each other on the sofa, bag in between them. Danni opened it gingerly, pulling the sides apart with a finger on either hand. Even though both of them were pretty certain that the bag was from the Doctor, as he'd seemed to have disappeared into the TARDIS, you couldn't be too careful with mysterious bags that turned up outside your door. Fortuantely, the bag seemed pretty safe and the first thing she saw had her smiling slightly. She reached into the bag, pulling out a teddy bear wearing tweed, holding it under its arms as she held it aloft.
"Is that tweed?" Clara asked, her nose wrinkling in confusion, and Danni nodded.
"It's my Moo." She whispered, to which Clara pulled a face. That sounded like some sort of innuendo, "When I was a kid, I had this bear I called Moo. For my first birthday here, the Doctor recreated it but dressed it in his clothes so he'd always be there, even when I was with his past selves." She placed the bear to the side of them, propped between the bag and sofa.
"He wore tweed?" Clara asked.
"You seem surprised." Danni replied teasingly.
"I'm not." Clara told her, her brows furrowing slightly, "Surprisingly." Danni reached in again, pulling out three books in quick succession. Clara frowned, tilting the bag slightly so she could see it properly.
"How are they all in there?" She asked.
"Time Lord bag." Danni explained, "Bigger on the inside." She took a look at the three books, firstly her copy of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', one of her favourite Shakespeare plays. A copy of 'It' by Stephen King, and finally 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' by the glorious J. K. Rowling. All fantastic books, some of her favourites actually. He'd chosen well.
She couldn't think about him looking through the library, deciding what he thought she'd like best. He might have deliberated over it all night, or he knew her so well that he headed straight to the books without thinking. Had it hurt to pack the bag for her? Part of her hoped it hadn't as she'd never liked to see him hurt, but she didn't want to feel sorry for him so she went back to the bag. There was a small black bag full of underwear and socks, as if he'd just scooped up the entire drawer and dumped it in. She quickly chucked the bag aside, smiling slightly at the thought of him blushing like a teenager, regardless of the fact he'd probably seen her in every pair. There were a few dresses, a pair of jeans and a shirt, and then she saw them. At the bottom of the bag, the first thing he would have packed. She pulled them out slowly, her hands clutching at the red material of the pyjamas.
"Hey, he knew I was going out to buy you some pyjamas!" Clara exclaimed, outraged over the fact that she'd spent money on something Danni no longer needed. The blonde looked at her, seemingly not hearing her at first before smiling softly.
"When I jumped around, I didn't have any control over it," she started, "I was stuck going wherever and whenever the Manipulator took me. Other than the fact that I was terrified of landing in the middle of space and suffocating, there was this threat of me disappearing completely naked. Like I did on our wedding night." She pulled the pyjamas fully out, "These were the pair I kept in his room, regardless of when in his time line he was, so that I always had something to wear should that happen and I was close to his room." She was sure that his younger selves had never known about it. At least Nine didn't, because she was sure Rose-Ten would have berated her other keeping something in his room when she had no business being in there at all. Older Tens might have known, but he'd never brought it up until he was Eleven, when he would tease and brag about it in equal amounts.
Clara watched her tilt her head slightly, smiling softly to herself. This wasn't something that could just be fixed overnight, she knew that, but the pair moping on either side of a wall wasn't going to get them anywhere. They needed to talk it through, even if that involved shouting at each other until they were hoarse. Clara hated it when things weren't as they should be, she would at least get them talking again.
However, even she knew that it was too soon, and if she tried to push Danni she'd run from her as well, "How long did you jump for?" She asked.
"About five years for me." Danni replied, "It was over 300 years for him, though."
"300?" Clara exclaimed, "And he still fell in love with you?" Danni shrugged, "But you can't have been barely there!"
"I remember one time it'd been 27 years." She murmured, "It was longer than I had been alive, and I wasn't there much longer than two weeks. And he still looked at me like was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen." She had always known when she'd been gone for far too long, even if he rarely if ever mentioned it. He'd try his hardest not to let it show, acting the same as he always did. He'd take her away on fantastic journeys, show her amazing sights and it was all incredibly normal for them. But, at night, he'd always suggest she should go to bed. Any other time and he'd complain about her sleeping habits, but when he'd not seen her for too long, he'd take her to bed and watch her sleep. He had such a good memory, but 27 years was a long time, she was sure that he was trying to commit her to memory again. Like he'd forgotten her and needed to re-remember her. One of the things she had been worried about when she'd regenerated was him realising he'd only loved the idea of this time jumping, mysterious woman, but he hadn't. He'd still held her tight, and he'd still make that suggestion, knowing she was tired and he'd lie with her and remark over how it'd never get old.
She felt the tears beginning to collect in her eyes, and she sniffed, her hands grasping the pyjamas tightly, "We finally had a chance to spend a lifetime together, why did he do this?" She whimpered and Clara shot up, stepping around the pile of clothes to pull her in for a hug.
~0~0~0~
Danni sat on the blow-up bed, on top of the blanket that Clara had found for her, the only light streaming in from the full moon outside. She could have closed the window, or the curtains, but the found it such an effort to move that she just decided to leave it like it was. Even though she had her pyjamas on, she knew she wasn't sleeping any time soon.
Her legs were splayed out in front of her, her mobile phone sat in between them, screen dark. She knew, however, that there was a notification on there, a little symbol in the top bar to tell her she had a voice mail. It had been taunting her all day, every time it had rung and she'd ignored it, the screen would light up and show her that little shape that looked like an old cassette.
She quickly picked up the phone, dialling the voice mail, putting it on before speaker phone before chucking it onto the bed again.
"You have 7 new messages." The woman declared, "First message. Received today, at 10.37am." There was silence for a moment, then;
"Er-hm, yes!" She smiled, tears appearing at the sound of the Doctor's voice. He sounded surprised, like he hadn't been the one to call her, "Danni. It's, um, me! Well, obviously it's me, you can probably tell by the number, even though...that's not going to come up because this is a message." He let out a nervous laugh and she chuckled through her tears at how cute it sounded. She could almost see him shuffling on the spot, "I just..." There was a pause and she frowned slightly, "I just wanted to hear your voice." She let out a sob, her hearts aching at how sad yet resigned he sounded, "And to apologise again. I hope Clara passed my message on. Goodbye, Danni." She didn't delete it, or return the call at the prompt of the automated woman. Instead, she went onto the next message. Another one from the Doctor, this time it was him telling her how sorry he was. That, if she just answered the phone or came outside, he could explain why he had done it. She was openly sobbing by the time the third message started playing, and the fourth had her bringing her knees up so she could hug them as he told her again and again that he loved her.
"It's me, again." The fifth message declared, his enthusiasm waning somewhat, "Thought you'd like to know that your message is still the old you. Not that it's a bad thing!" He cried, obviously deciding that he'd said the wrong thing, "But you might want to have it in your new voice. Both are delightful, it's entirely up to you." There was a pause, "I would like to hear your voice, though. I miss it." And the message ended. She could barely see as she played the sixth, her eyes burning with her own tears as she struggled to breathe, but she was determined to make it through all seven.
"Hello, Danni." The last message started, his voice quiet, "Me, again. You'll probably be heading to bed soon, or you might be staying up and having a girly night with Clara. If you do, I put a bit of the hangover reverser in the front pocket of the bag." She glanced over at the bag he'd left her, where her teddy bear still sat. She couldn't bring herself to get it out, though, no matter how much she wanted to hug the soft toy. "Just so you know, I'm right outside. I meant it, I'm not going anywhere without you, and you always sleep better when you know I'm there. So, I'm here. I'm always here. Goodnight, Danni-Girl."
"End of messages." She picked up the phone, fumbling as she hung up and chucked it back down the end of the bed. Her sobs were coming hard and fast now, shaking her form as she leant back against the wall. She missed him so much, and he was just outside the door. She could just get up and run to him, have him hold her as she cried, take her to bed where he would lie with her until she fell asleep. The pain in her chest was slowly choking her, why had he done this? He always lied, and it had destroyed everything! How could she go back knowing that he kept something so important from her? All this time, she'd had a family here, even if it wasn't the one she'd left behind. Two years, and he'd kept it from her just in case she got mad at him. Nothing to do with her, it was so selfish! He didn't care about her, no matter what he said. She just loved him so much.
Downstairs, Clara opened the back door to take the rubbish out from the takeaway she and Danni had shared. After being exhausted from crying and the emotional toll of the day, Danni hadn't really wanted anything to eat, but Clara had insisted on at least trying. A takeaway always picked up her spirits, but it hadn't really helped Danni much.
In the driveway, illuminated by the moon above, stood the Doctor, leaning against the house. The window at the top of the house was open, and the sound that came out was obviously Danni crying. His leg bounced with an anxious energy as his fists were clenched by his side and she slowly walked over to him so she didn't startle him. She didn't condone his actions, but to see him physically struggling with the sound of his wife being so upset had her stand next to him, rubbing his arm in comfort. His knuckles were turning white, his face contorted in the pain the crying caused.
"Go up to her." He told Clara with a thick voice and she blinked, surprised that he'd said anything at all, "Please, she can't cry on her own."
Clara nodded, she'd been planning on going up soon anyway, "I hope you've got a plan to make this right, Spaceman." She replied.
"I don't." He admitted freely, "But I will do anything. Tell her, absolutely anything she can think of. I just want her back." Clara rubbed his arm again, wanting to hug him and shout at him in equal measure, "Clara, please." He beseeched and she realised she hadn't moved.
"Goodnight, Spaceman." She whispered sadly, placing a kiss on her cheek before heading inside to comfort her friend. The Doctor tilted his head, waiting until the bedroom light was switched on and he heard Clara sigh "Oh, Danni..."
"Goodnight, Danni-Girl." He whispered before he pushed himself off the wall, heading back to the TARDIS for the evening. He had to make this right, there was no other option.
~0~0~0~
The Doctor wiped his brow with the back of his hand, sitting up on his heels as he looked down at his handy work. He'd finally managed to link the console up to the Sega Mega Drive he'd found lurking in the storage cupboard he'd been sorting out, and it'd only taken him a few hours. He couldn't even remember where he'd gotten it from, but everyone loved a good game of Sonic. Such a curious little game, he knew Danni would love it if she came back.
When she came back. It'd only been three days, that was nothing in the grand scheme of things. Although, it hadn't felt like it. He'd tried to sleep it away, but with the bed being too cold without her, and the console being incredibly uncomfortable at the best of times, he'd had to suffer his own brain working overdrive creating every scenario he could come up with that involved her not being there anymore. The worst ones were where she chose to leave him, they were the ones that had his hands inching ever closer to the phone. Even now, he was shooting glances at the mobile that was perched on the console. He shook his head, grabbing the monitor and pulling it purposefully in front of him. He had to test the gaming console was connected properly, it wouldn't be any good to tell her it worked and it didn't.
He took a quick peek outside, the sun was going down and the light was turning that lovely red that came with dusk. Night number 3 was approaching, and fast. A moment of sheer panic rushed over him, he couldn't do it. Not again! He had to get her back, he couldn't survive another day without her! He dove at the phone, picking it up, it slipping out of his grasp like a bar of soap before he managed to type on touch screen. The other end quickly went onto voice mail.
"Danni!" He cried, looking around the room, "It's me, again. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He slumped against the console, his energy dissipating as quickly as it came, "I just didn't want you to be scared, that was it. Please, just tell me how to make this better. I'll do anything you want, please come home." He hung up before he could say something really stupid, bringing his hand down to slam the phone on the console in frustration. He stopped himself at the last minute, even the anger seemed pointless so he placed it down gently.
How was have supposed to tell her, though? She had nightmares about being like River, how was he supposed to tell her she was more like River than she ever thought possible? There was so much they still didn't know, and even though he could have gone to River and asked, he hadn't wanted to know if Danni didn't. For all they knew, the Silence had managed to get hold of her like they had baby Melody, or maybe someone else entirely. They didn't know that this was the first time she regenerated, or why she appeared more human in her last body. She'd grown up in another universe, but cross-universe travel had died with the Time Lords, how had she gotten there?
He knew nothing, so how could he have told her and comforted her? It would have broken her, and she'd still been healing. And it hadn't changed a damn thing in his eyes, so what was the point in upsetting her?
This was getting him nowhere. So, with a confidence that came with hundreds of years of practice, he took a deep breath and pushed it all down until he felt himself smiling. With a clap of his hands, he turned around and back to the screen, ready to test the Mega Drive. He turned it one with a flick of the switch, and the console sparked, sending him to the floor as all the lights disappeared. He blinked, watching the gaming console smoke slightly. How had he managed that?