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Clara stood leaning against the doorway, watching Danni as she slumped on the sofa, changing channels again and again, unable to find anything that would hold her interest for more than a minute. Clara knew what she was doing, she was trying not to look out of the window, trying not to see if the TARDIS had moved or if the Doctor was still out there. She was trying to act like she didn't care, but she was still wearing those red pyjamas that the Doctor had brought for her, and there was no sign of her changing out of them any time soon.
"You're staring." Danni called over and Clara nodded, not at all embarrassed at being caught out.
"I'm going out for lunch," she told her friend, "will you be okay?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" Danni shot in reply, changing the channel yet again. Oh my Lord, daytime television sucked.
"Because you've left your husband and are hiding out in my house?" Clara retorted and Danni nodded.
"Good point." She agreed, "Bring me something to watch back, would you?"
"I'm sure I can make that happen." Clara replied before hesitating, "You could come, if you want." She offered.
"Nah, I'm fine right here." Danni told her, "Who you going to meet? Boyfriend?" Clara snorted.
"I should be so lucky." She scoffed, "My friend Caty. She's just started a new job, I said I'd take her out for her lunch break."
"What's she do?" Danni called as Clara went to slip her shoes on. She considered a cardigan, but it was lovely outside and she wasn't sure she'd need it.
"Oh, she's a hairdresser!" Danni shot up in her seat, eyes widening slightly as she almost dropped the remote in her eagerness.
"What?!"
~0~0~0~
Thankfully, Caty hadn't noticed the big blue box casually parked in Clara's front garden. She had noticed the Doctor, though, who had been rather curious about the new person who had turned up anywhere near his wife. He'd practically interrogated the poor woman, and Clara had ushered her inside before he could scan her with his screwdriver. Although, by the end of their litter encounter, Clara had decided that it would have been easier to explain the TARDIS rather than the man waiting outside of it, wearing a full suit and bowtie and not breaking a sweat even in the boiling hot British weather, all while asking if she would mind if he 'checked her forehead for a zip'.
Even Clara didn't know why he was asking that. She wasn't sure she wanted to know, either.
Danni was actually dressed when they finally made it into the house, wearing the black skinny jeans and white shirt the Doctor had packed for her, which showed just how serious she was about this. She greeted Caty like an old friend, pulling her in for a hug and asking about how her new job was going. Caty had laughed in slight surprise, but as everyone else Clara had seen the Time Lords interact with, she just went with it.
"I'm sorry to bring you here after your first day, I'm sure you had lots of lovely things planned." Danni apologised but Caty shook her head.
"Not a thing." She admitted, "You've just saved me from the gym." Danni giggled as she sat down on the stool she'd moved from the breakfast bar. She'd cleared the entire area, a dustpan and brush waiting just off to the side.
"Oh well, I don't feel so bad then." She replied, "My hair's just getting entirely too long for my liking, and when Clara told me you were a hairdresser, I knew you would be perfect for the job."
"Oh, I don't know about that..." Caty replied modestly.
"Nonsense, you'll do fine." Danni reassured her and Caty nodded.
"I am pretty fantastic." She admitted and the three women laughed. Caty opened her small carry case her mum had gotten her for college, pulling out a brush that she started to run through Danni's hair, "What do you want doing?"
"I want it short." She declared, "Like, this short." She motioned to just above her jaw line, "Anything else is up to you." Clara smiled watching the pair, it was nice seeing Danni back to herself once again. She'd been worried about her, but she was talking to Caty like she didn't have a care in the world.
"I can do that." Caty replied, pulling out her scissors, "So, tell me, how did a man wearing a bowtie get such a good looking girl like you?"
~0~0~0~
Danni smiled as she looked in the mirror, fluffing the choppy ends of her newly cut hair. Caty had done a wonderful job, and now when she looked in the mirror she didn't feel like Ella was looking back at her. She'd not realised how much her hair had grown over the last four years - or was it five now, she wasn't sure - and she'd started to consider cutting it herself to get rid of the reminder.
It wasn't the first time she'd looked in the mirror since Caty had finished cutting it, in fact she'd only been heading to the kitchen to grab the trio another bottle of wine. Caty had decided to stay around for a glass of wine, and now music was playing loudly and they were on their third bottle. She'd not had a proper girly night since Amy, and she was actually enjoying herself.
"Danni, hurry up!" Clara's voice called from the front room, "Caty's finished my nails; it's your turn!"
"Coming!" She called back, but didn't move from the mirror straight away. It was just what she needed, the distraction she craved from her life at the moment. A girls' night in was easy, it was fun and required very little thinking. And yet she'd still had to stop herself multiple times from glancing outside. Today was Day Four, he should have gone by now, she was sure of it. She didn't want to look outside and see the garden void of the blue box, knowing he really had left her behind. Yet, she still couldn't see herself going out to him; she didn't want to hear him apologise again because it always seemed so fake, like he was trying to placate her. Her initial anger had faded, now she just couldn't see past his lie to a way where they'd be able to move on from it.
She sighed as she ran a hand through her hair, she obviously needed more booze if she was still thinking about it. She grabbed the bottle off the counter and rushed back in to the room, where a song she'd never heard of by Beyoncé, who she had heard of, had started playing. Caty and Clara were already dancing and they both cheered at the sight of the bottle. Danni grinned, pouring them all a glass of the red liquid and pushed her way into the middle of them.
"I'm thinking blue for my nails!" She told the pair over the music, making sure not to look outside. She didn't want to see him gone, and she knew he would be. Day Four was when he was leaving her, and she was going out dancing.
~0~0~0~
Danni stumbled up the stairs, heading to the bedroom to get changed for bed. Caty had gone home, trying to be sensible for her second day at her new job, but Danni's fingers were sparkly and bright blue. They kept catching her eye in the light in the hallway and she kept stopping to stare. The specks looked like stars, but she knew what stars looked like and it was also nothing like what was on her nails. Stars were a beauty unrivalled across the universe, and a beauty she had lost.
She made her way to the curtains to close them. Clara had fallen asleep on the couch, but Danni still needed it to be dark to sleep. She looked upwards into the sky, smiling sadly in her drunken haze. She'd never taken it for granted, she didn't think so anyway. Her hand gripped the window frame as she seemed to fall while standing completely still. All those places she'd seen, all those people she'd met. Beautiful sights contrasted by death and the terribleness that was also lurking in the dark. She was never going to experience that again. She was going to have to get a job, start again like she had going to do with Jack, except she didn't have him either.
"I've lost everything." She declared loudly, her eyes filling up with tears as she felt the despair crushing her chest. There was no one left, eventually Clara would go off with the Doctor, or even just get on with her life and Danni didn't have a place in it. She didn't have a place anywhere.
"Oh, I wouldn't say that!" She looked down and gasped, blinking in surprise as she looked at the driveway below her. The Doctor was stood in the middle, hands clasped in front of him as he looked up at her. Joining between the side of the house to the fence between them and the house next door were strings and strings of fairy lights, sparkling like the specks in her nail polish.
"You're still here." She replied, sounding more amazed than she might have done if she'd been slightly more sober.
"I'm not going anywhere, Danni-Girl." He promised with a smile, "And, tomorrow, if you're feeling up to it, you can come out and I can make it right. Until then," he waved his arms dramatically, turning in a circle, "I thought I'd do up the joint for you." He looked up at her again, hopefully. His hearts were pounding, he knew she loved fairy lights, and the fact that she'd been drawn to the night sky made him hope she'd love them just as much. He'd proven he'd not gone anywhere, maybe this was finally it.
"You took everything." She declared and his hearts sank as he saw her turn from slightly dazed to upset, "My whole life has gone, and it's all your fault." He stepped towards the building, like he was stepping closer to her, shaking his head.
"No, Danni, it's not like that." He started and she shook her head.
"Stay away from me." She told him, as if he was actually near her and he stopped in his tracks, head hanging slightly. Still too soon, and it still wasn't enough. He should have known better after hearing the small party she, Clara and their friend had been having.
He looked back up at her, trying not to smile at the sight of his wife, beautiful as she always was. He'd missed her face, more than he'd ever missed her ginger self but he just nodded, clapping his hands together, "Goodnight, Danni." He told her gently, turning and heading to the TARDIS, hoping that night he could get some sleep.
"Doctor-" He heard her whimper and he was quick to spin back around, but she'd disappeared from the window. She probably hadn't meant to call after him, but she had and it gave him a renewed sense of purpose as he practically skipped back to the TARDIS. He had no idea how to make it up to her, but he could work on that afterwards. He had to coax her out, and he suddenly had a fountain on ideas.
~0~0~0~
When Danni woke up on Day Five, the Doctor still hadn't left and she was so very surprised she actually found herself at the front door, hand on the handle to go and see why he'd not left. Her hand waivered, however, as excuse after excuse raced through her head. Maybe it wasn't him, maybe it was the TARDIS not letting him go and he was trying everything he could to fight the old box. One day wasn't much in the space of a Time Lords life, he might have lost track of time and hadn't even realised it's been five days.
What if, when she opened the door, she was just in time to see the Doctor flying away?
She shook her head and let go of the handle. Why would she even care if he went? That's what she asked him to do, wasn't it? She told him that she never wanted to see him again. She even remembered shouting at him through the window the night before, even if the exact details were a bit fuzzy. She didn't want him here, so why did the thought of him disappearing make her chest ache?
Clara stepped out of the living room, feeling a lot worse for wear than she had been intending to. The Maitlands were going to be home in a couple of days, and the plan had been to give the house a thorough clean before they made it home. However, all she wanted to do was curl up in her bed and forget this day ever existed. She made it to the hallway in time to see Danni sigh, her head falling against the glass on the front door, eyes squeezed shut.
"Stupid, stupid." She muttered to herself, banging her head against the door a couple of times, as if to knock some sense into herself.
"Either go and see him or stop banging your head on the door." Clara told her and Danni turned her head to look at her, "I don't care which, but I'm the one who'll have to clean up the smudge marks you're making."
"Why is he still here?" Danni asked her, "He should have flown away by now. It would have made being angry at him a lot easier."
"Because he loves you, idiot." Clara snapped as she headed up the stairs, "There's blue nail polish on the sofa. I don't want it there by the time I get out of my very necessary, long bath."
"Yes, mother!" Danni retorted, heading into the front room. She didn't either realise what she'd said until she reached the sofa, crouching down to try and spot the blue smudge. The word rang through her head, and suddenly she was a lot less angry at the Doctor and a lot angrier at River. She'd barely considered the bushy haired woman at all, after all it was Jack that had broken the news to her, and the Doctor who had found out and kept it from her. But River had a hand in it too, obviously. No wonder she'd always been so happy to see her, all this time she'd known, she'd probably been laughing at her.
Her hands clenched, River was supposed to be her friend. All those little references to her being her Danni-Girl now made sense. All those little jokes, the way she'd tell her she loved her more than Amy and Rory. It wasn't because she'd become obsessed with her like she had the Doctor back in her old universe, it was because she had always known.
She stood up, storming into the kitchen to find some cleaning products. Just as she'd began to calm down again, something would remind her and it just reinforced the notion that cutting them all out was the best decision she'd ever made.
~0~0~0~
The Doctor shifted the box he was carrying into one arm, using his slight reflection in the glass in the front door to sort his hair out. He checked his teeth, then nodded, pressing the doorbell for one, long ring. He moved the box again, shifting from foot to foot, impatiently waiting, hoping that it was Danni that opened the door.
It wasn't, but he should have seen that coming. He hadn't been expecting the large whiff of disinfectant that followed Clara appearing and he scrunched his nose up.
"What is that?" He exclaimed and Clara sighed, rolling her eyes slightly in exasperation.
"That is Danni cleaning the entire house." She retorted, "Angrily, I might add. In fact, I've never seen anyone clean so furiously before."
He frowned, concerned as he tried to see past Clara, "Is she okay?" He asked.
"Generally, no." She replied, "But I don't know where this particular bout of cleanliness has come from." She could see him trying to look over her shoulder, hoping for a glimpse of his wife, "What's in the box?"
Confused by the question for just a moment, he looked down at the package in his arms, "Oh!" He exclaimed and he handed it to Clara, "It's just some cakes and cookies. I thought she'd like them." Of course, neither woman had to know about the mess he'd made trying to make said treats, nor he'd be living off them from some time to come. The recipe just hadn't seemed right, so he'd doubled everything and, well, that was a lot of cookie dough. Even the TARDIS had refused to clean up after him, although she had given him the brilliant blue box and silver ribbon to wrap them up in.
"It'll make a nice change from the wine." Clara admitted, because she was not partaking in that again tonight. He looked away, guilty and she sighed again. They'd be the death of her, "I found her by the door this morning." She told him, "She wants to know why you're still here, I think she'll be coming out soon." The smile that broke out on his face was filled with such joy she couldn't help but grin back, "I'm having some of these."
"As many as you want." He told her, looking ready to dash away before taking her face his hands, placing a large kiss on her forehead, "Clara Oswald, you are a star!"
"Get off me." She retorted, batting at him as he dashed off, much more his childish self than she'd seen since they'd landed. She closed the door, heading to the kitchen where Danni was on her hands and knees, scrubbing the tiles with a vigour that had to be hurting her back.
"What did he want?" Danni asked.
"He brought you some cake." Clara replied, putting the box on the counter before opening it. She grimaced slightly; well, she couldn't say they weren't homemade. She grabbed a disfigured cookie, "I'm going to watch the Simpsons, you coming?"
"Gotta finish the floor." Danni murmured, "Don't get crumbs on the carpet! It took me ages to hoover it."
"That's because you've never used a hoover." Clara muttered to herself, leaving Danni to it.
After a moment, Danni put her scrubbing brush down, went over to the box and opened it curiously. She smiled at the mass of cake and cookies and picked one out, sitting at the breakfast island and munching at it happily.
~0~0~0~
"Don't turn on the light!" Clara started, her hand hadn't even made it to the light switch. Danni was pressed up in the window of her bedroom, hands on the glass as she stared outside.
"What are you doing?" Clara asked her and Danni turned around. Even in the dark, Clara could see how wide her eyes were.
"He's still here." She hissed, as if he could hear her. Clara nodded slowly.
"Yeah, he said he would be." She replied and Danni shook her head, looking back outside.
"It's not right!" She exclaimed, "He should have flown away by now. Why is he still here?" She pushed herself up even closer, "He must be up to something."
"Are you going to watching him all night?" Clara asked and Danni shook her head.
"Of course not." Clara sighed in relief, "Only until he disappears." Clara turned, heading downstairs to sleep on the sofa, deciding that if Danni didn't go out tomorrow, she'd drag her out instead. She couldn't take this anymore, they were children, the pair of them.
Danni barely noticed her leaving, her eyes and attention glued on the blue box. None of this made any sense. One day could be brushed away, five days was no different to four really. But Day Six was ending, and Night 7 had started and he hadn't moved. She barely moved from the window all night, one toilet break was all she needed and she kept the box of cookies by her feet to munch on. The morning came, Day Seven started and all he did was walk outside and sit on his chair, reading the morning newspaper like he always had. He'd been there a whole week now. A whole week, waiting. He really wasn't going anywhere, was he? Perhaps, just perhaps, she should let him say his piece? Then he could leave and she could get on with her life. Her life without him, just like she had been going to do in Wales.
"Danni, breakfast!" Danni jumped, Clara's voice floating up the stairs and she stood up, cracking her back.
"Coming!"
~0~0~0~
The Doctor shifted in his chair, the newspaper on his chest crinkling with the movement. He needed to find a better chair if he was going to keep falling asleep on it. Maybe a beach lounger, he and Danni had gone on holiday back when Donna had gone home for a couple of days, and she had fallen asleep next to him as they sat by a pool. He was sure she didn't know that he'd watched her, amazed as he was back in his previous body by how precious she'd seemed. Maybe he should tell her. He opened his eyes, giving up at trying to get comfortable for now. He blinked blearily through his glasses to find a figure staring at him. It only took a couple more blinks to see the blonde hair and he scrambled up into a sitting position. Danni stood just in front of him in the white sundress he'd packed for her, one hand rubbing the other arm as she looked at him with slightly furrowed brows. His hearts pounded anxiously in his chest as he stared up at her, quickly grabbing the newspaper and chucking it to the side.
"Danni..." He breathed.
"Why are you still here?" She asked, her voice not harsh, but confused. It still made him wince, though, because it implied that she didn't think he'd wait for her which meant he'd not done his job properly.
"Why wouldn't I be?" He asked in reply and she shrugged, not replying. He then realised she was stood up, and he wasn't and he quickly jumped off the chair, taking his glasses off with one hand as he motioned to the chair with the other, "Do you want to sit down?" He asked lamely and she shook her head.
"You should have flown away by now." She told him, "You only lasted four days with Amy and Rory, why are still here?"
"I'm not going anywhere without you." He said gently and she bit her lip, brushing her hair behind her ear. She looked uncomfortable, so he didn't reach out for her like he desperately wanted to, "Your hair looks really nice."
"Thanks." She replied quietly, playing with the ends nervously, "I didn't want it long anymore."
"It's really nice." He told her lamely and they fell into silence once again, "Danni, I-"
"I don't want you to explain." She interrupted, looking at the floor and he quickly closed his mouth, going silent, "I don't care why you did it, you still did it." He nodded, "But I can't see how we can move on from this." His chest tightened as she looked up at him, "I want to, but I can't see how." He took a step towards her, hand hovering in front of him. He wanted to take her hand, pull her close because she looked so distressed. Hearing her crying the last week had been agony, knowing she was getting drunk night after night because of his actions had been killing him. He didn't though, so his hand just stayed in limbo; if she wanted to take it, she could.
"I know I can't fix what I did." He told her gently, "I'd like to try and make it right, though. Do you think you can let me?" She chewed on her lip again, but he took confidence from the fact she hadn't said no. With the hand that had been hovering in front of him, he waved at the TARDIS, "If you come inside..."
"No!" She exclaimed and his hope waivered, "No," she repeated, quieter this time, "we'll go inside Clara's." He nodded eagerly and she turned on the spot. He reached out, grabbing her hand and she froze.
"I've really missed you." He told her honestly. She looked down at her hand, then snatched it back. She felt terrible immediately as he failed to hide the hurt he felt from her reaction and she nodded at the house.
"Come on," she whispered, "we'll use her bedroom."
~0~0~0~
The Doctor didn't know whether to stand or sit down, and even then he didn't know where he should sit. There was a normal bed he remembered being Clara's, so he guessed the blow up one was Danni's. She was downstairs talking to Clara, definitely about him but he had no idea if that was a good or bad thing. He was pretty sure Clara was on his side, or rather on the side of them getting back together again, but that didn't mean he wasn't wrong. What if Clara was behind her hiding from him for so long?
He shook his head; that was stupid. Stupid Doctor. It didn't stop him pacing back and forth though, wringing his hands nervously. This was his chance, his only shot and he had to get it right. He had to get her back, she was his Danni-Girl, his everything.
Danni appeared in the doorway and he stopped, staring at her expectantly, "She says the Maitlands won't be back for a couple of hours, so we're alright for it a bit." He nodded as she walked in, sitting down on Clara's bed.
"That's good." He replied simply, standing in front of her. Neither of them moved, or spoke until Danni rolled her eyes and patted the bed next to her.
"Stop pacing and sit down." She told him and he did, practically dropping onto the mattress and she bounced slightly. Again, they stared at each other.
"Erm, right." He muttered, reaching out for her hand, then thinking better of it, then grabbing it anyway. This time, she didn't snatch it back but she didn't look too pleased about the gesture either, "I realise that you're angry because of what I did, not what I kept from you." She nodded, "So, I think that if I told you everything else I've kep- not told you, then maybe you might be able to start trusting me again." He'd planned exactly what he was going to say, and still managed to stumble over his words. There would be no more lies, nothing else hidden. If she let him, he'd tell her everything.
She considered it for a moment, "How much have you been keeping from me?" He looked down at their hands.
"At the moment, I can think of three things." He replied, running his thumb over the back of her hand, "You don't have to make a decision yet, but maybe if I tell you, then perhaps you might be able to think about coming home." His eyes shot up, wide in slight panic, "Doesn't have to be as my wife, but at least back in the TARDIS. I tided the bedroom for you, and I'll sleep on the sofa in the entertainment..."
"Doctor." She snapped and he trailed off, "Get to the point."
"Right, yes, sorry." He nodded, deciding to go with the easiest of the three to talk about, something he really should have brought up with her from the start, "Time Lords are a psychic race. We have telepathic powers, the ability to communicate being one of them, and being able to sense when another Time Lord is near."
"Like you could with the M-Master?" She asked and he smiled softly.
"Exactly. Well remembered." She shot him a small grimace of a smile in return, "Well, as part Time Lord, you have these abilities as well to a certain degree, and you've been projecting your emotions." Her brows furrowed.
"What does that mean?" She demanded, but she didn't really care. Was he really telling her that he'd kept another thing about her from her? Seriously?
"It means that, when feeling particularly emotional, you'll cause the people around you to feel those emotions as well. And, when you're dreaming, another psychic being might be able to pick them up." Her mouth fell open.
"You've been watching my dreams?" She cried and he shook his head, scooting closer, trying to reassure her.
"No!" He replied, "Well, not intentionally. And not all the time. Just some of your more... intense ones." Intense? What the hell did that mean?
She gasped in realisation, "You mean 'about the Master', don't you?" She cried, "You've been watching my nightmares!"
"It's not like that, I pro- I swear." He corrected himself, instantly remembering how angry the word had made her last time, "And I can show you how to stop it happening again." She looked at him, brows furrowed slightly.
"The nightmares?" She asked timidly and he shook his head, giving her his most apologetic smile.
"I can't stop them." He told her, "But I can help you stop projecting." Well, that was something, she guessed. How could she have not even noticed? She'd just thought he was being extra attentive when he woke her up from her nightmares, maybe even being slightly loud so he'd noticed. She never really dreamt whilst being drunk, which now sounded like a blessing considering her new roommate. Last thing she wanted was Clara knowing about how she'd whored herself out. Or how, perhaps, that wasn't quite the case either.
"Anything else about me?" She asked.
"Nothing about you." He promised, "The other things are about me. Stuff I've not told, well," He ran a hand through his hair, "anyone, really." That didn't seem too bad, at least she wasn't being kept in the dark while other people were laughing at her about it, "And they're sort of linked. Maybe it's not two separate things, maybe they're one big..." He trailed off, seeing her becoming slightly annoyed, "right, sorry."
"What is it?" She asked and he sighed, wondering how to even begin.
"I've done many things in my life I regret." He started slowly, "The Time War..." Danni squeezed his hand, and his gaze fell back on her either though he'd not noticed he'd looked away.
"You don't have to tell me about the Time War." She told him, her voice gentle, "It won't do either of us any good." She was right, it wasn't like he could change what he did now. It was always on his mind, and yet he never seemed to think about it anymore. Why would he, when he had something much better, much more precious and beautiful to think about?
"You call me Eleven, because I'm the Eleventh body." He stated and she nodded, confirming the fact, "Well, between what you call Eight - You know, the one with the curly hair." She nodded, "And Nine, you know the one with-" He motioned to his ears and she couldn't help the small smile that spread on her face at the memory of the leather-coat wearing Doctor.
"The one who met Rose." She agreed and he pointed at her.
"That's him." He replied, "Between them two, there was another body. One I've never admitted to."
"Another Doctor?" She asked quietly, stunned because she thought she'd known all his faces. His eyes returned sharply to hers.
"No!" He snapped before grimacing at the fierceness of his reply, "No, he was not the Doctor. In any shape or form, that was not the Doctor."
"But I know all your faces." She insisted, "I've always known up to the end of the Ponds, I would know who he is."
"I've never corrected you, but there was another body. I can show you, if you like." He looked like he wasn't entirely happy about it, but if this was true, she had to know. She nodded silently and he gently pressed his fingers against her temple. There was a flash in her mind of an older man, with a white beard and moustache and a leather jacket, and then he was gone. She blinked in surprise, he'd obviously only shown her what he thought was the bare minimum.
"You were older." She whispered and he chuckled cynically.
"Not something you have to deal with now." He replied and she shook her head.
"I don't mind older." She told him and he seemed surprised at her answer, "I don't mind what you look like, as long as you are you." She frowned, obviously not happy she'd declared this while still being angry with him. He didn't point it out, but he still smiled back at her, "So, you're actually Twelve?"
Ah, "Not quite." He told her, "Do you remember when the Earth was stolen by Daleks, when Rose came back from Pete's Universe?" She nodded, "That regeneration I put off was still a regeneration, so I've actually regenerated twelve times."
"So that makes you..." She started, a feeling of dread falling over her. It didn't mean anything, did it? Nah, they'd changed that little tidbit well before she was flung into- back into this universe. She had nothing to worry about. Then why did her blood run cold at the sombre, almost remorseful look on his face?
"Thirteen." He finished softly, "This is my last regeneration."
"No, that's-that's" she stuttered, her thoughts all exploding at once, "old lore!" She pointed at him accusingly, "You told that boy with Sarah Jane you had, like, a crap ton of regenerations." He stared back at her, looking confused and she hearts pounded faster.
"Oh!" He exclaimed, "Clyde?" She nodded, "I told him that to shut him up, he was asking a lot of questions and I really didn't have the time to answer them all." Her mouth was slightly agape, he was talking with such a joking tone of voice; did he not understand what he'd just told her?!
"You can't leave me!" She practically shrieked, "You can't just die on me!" Her hands were shaking, her breath catching in her throat, "You don't get to do that! You're supposed to outlive me! And you're always trying to get yourself killed!" He looked panicked at her rambling; good! He should have been panicking, that's why she was now, "How long does a Time Lord actually live for? Your first body got pretty old, but was that just because he was your first body or-or-" No, no this couldn't be happening! He couldn't be just telling her this now. It couldn't be true, he couldn't just leave her! He was her everything, she was never supposed to see him die! The idea made her want to scream and cry in equal measure. It was like he was suddenly disappearing in front of her eyes. The past week, all she'd wanted was for him to be as far away as possible from him, now the idea shook her to her very core. Not her Theta…
He shot forward, pulling her in close and she clung to him, terrified he would fade away, "Hey, hey, hey. It's okay." He whispered soothingly, holding her tightly. He hated the fact that she'd had to be so upset for him to be able to hold her, but she felt fantastic. He shifted, letting her curl up into his side, burying his face in her hair for just a moment. His hearts swelled, he couldn't let her go again.
"I'm only on my second body," she continued, "that's another eleven. How am I supposed to catch up?"
"You're not." He replied instantly, placing a kiss on top of her head. He had known she was going to react badly to the news, even he felt a tight twist in his gut when he thought about how little time he might have left, which is why he never did. He wasn't ready to die, so he was going to have to be more careful, he knew that. He was getting rather good at it too, he'd been in this body for 300ish years now, and he'd only been wiped from existence once. And he'd had to fake his own death. Then there was the time he almost blew himself up in a submarine.
Okay, might be best not mention any of them right at this moment. He had plenty of time to improve, "I'm not going anywhere, its fine."
"No it's not!" She whimpered, "You're all I have left, you can't leave me too. Please, Theta, you can't." He shifted her so she was sitting up again, not too far away but enough so he could look her in the eye.
"I'm never leaving you." He promised gently, "But you're not alone." Her confused look was adorable and he tucked a stay piece of short hair behind her ear, locking it in place with the arm of her glasses, "You have a mum and a dad-"
"No I don't." She barked in response, confusion giving way to anger but he shook his head, trying to calm her down.
"-Who will always be there for you."
"They gave me up!" Danni exclaimed, "They didn't want me so much they sent me to another bloody universe!"
"And have spent every moment since trying to be in your life." He pointed out, "River adores you."
"I don't want to talk about River. I don't even want to think about her!" She snapped and he nodded slowly. Okay, so River was not the best route to go down.
"And you saw how happy Jack was to see you." He added and the small, pained scowl on her face just showed him she knew he was right, "He's still always going on about how he never got to properly walk you down the aisle at our second wedding."
She nodded, reluctantly agreeing with him, "But he lied to me." She whispered, "How can I trust any of you again?"
"I don't know about Jack, but I promise that I will never stop trying to show you that you can trust me." He brought her hand up, placing a kiss on her palm like he knew she loved and the faint blush that appeared on her cheeks had him squashing down a small smirk, "And I'm sure he'd say the same thing." She looked down at her hand, her palm tingling from the feeling of his lips. Her mind was racing; that was a lot of information to take in, especially in such a small amount of time. The pain she felt from thinking about how he'd lied to her was dwarfed by the idea of him dying, but it didn't mean the hurt wasn't very much real.
"Why didn't you tell me about River and Jack?" She asked quietly.
"Because you think you're like River, but you are not." He replied honestly, letting go of her hand to cup her face, "You are so much better, and brighter than she could ever have hoped to be. You are a good person, and your soul, everything that makes you my Danni-Girl causes anything that might come from her fizzle out into insignificance, because you are beautiful, inside and out and she can never change that."
"I don't want to be without you." She whispered and he placed a kiss on her forehead, pausing to savour the feel of her skin underneath his lips.
"You never will be." He promised. She didn't know what to do. She didn't want to forgive him, she didn't have it in her yet but she could already feel herself coming around to the idea of moving on from the lie. If his life now had an end date, which she wasn't admitting fully just yet, then she didn't want to miss any time she could have spent with him.
"I haven't forgiven you." She told him bluntly and he nodded, accepting that, "I need more time, and I need to know you're not going to do it again."
"I never will." He swore, but didn't say anything more.
"I need to go see Jack, don't I?" She asked, looking at him in the hopes that he would correct her, but he didn't and she went back to chewing her lip, "I don't want to, but I'm never going to get over this until I find out, am I?"
"Only if you want to." He quickly reassured her, "You never have to see him again if you don't want to."
"But I want to." She replied, "He's my - he was my friend. I've already lost that, I need to know why."