"Three days!" Danni exclaimed, sitting down on the crates she had tried to transform into some sort of furniture, "Where is she?" She looked at the back of the Doctor's head expectantly, even as he continued to look at the crack in the wall that had kept them on the planet.
"I don't know." He told his wife patiently, "If you'd gone with Clara…"
"We sent Clara away, Spaceman." She retorted, "I don't need to be kept safe, I need to keep an eye on you." He turned around on the spot, smirking even as he tried to stay offended.
"I'm not a child." He replied, standing up from his crouch and walking over. She'd tried to make their temporary home inside the small chapel a bit better for them as they waited for the TARDIS to come back. The crates had been fashioned into a variety of makeshift furniture. A sofa that she was sat on, a table and chairs for them to eat at. They didn't have a bed, unfortunately, but she'd found a load of old sheets and he'd kept her warm whilst she'd slept. Quite frankly, moving from a box that had infinite possibilities to a chapel that didn't even functioning internal plumbing had been quite the shock for them both, but they'd survive.
"I need a shower." Danni complained lightly as he sat next to her, "Not even a bath, I'd kill for a shower right now. I feel disgusting."
"You look just perfect." He told her honestly and she nudged him with a shoulder.
"Stop it." She warned playfully, "You don't think she got lost, though, do you? Or stuck behind the shield. That was why we couldn't just fly down in the first place?"
"No, not now we both have our keys back." He told her, giving her a quick kiss on her hair, "She'll be back, she can't stay away from you, Danni-Girl." He watched her relax slightly at the sound of his name and they stayed cuddled in silence for a while.
"Why aren't they attacking?" She asked quietly, nervously looking at the ceiling of the chapel, "The moment they heard the message I thought we'd be under a barrage of bullets and bombs. It all seems too quiet." He could feel her nervousness, and he had to admit her was feeling rather anxious himself. There was a war about to fall onto this small town, a universe who wanted to stop his people coming back was going to descend onto Christmas if he didn't stop them. He had to protect the Time Lords, he had to make sure that he didn't let them down a second time. And he had to do it all on his own.
Well, not entirely on his own. He had a beautiful, strong, willing wife to keep him in check. To give him strength and to stand by his side. This wasn't her battle, he knew she was terrified of Gallifrey coming back, especially considering the man that saving it would bring back to the universe. In fact, she'd been offended when he'd told her he'd find a way to get her off the planet. Together or not at all, that had always been how it had worked, and she didn't want to change that. He'd never be able to thank her enough.
"Well, they're all scared." He explained, chucking his feet up onto the boxes that were currently a coffee table in front of the sofa, "They'll all be running around, making plans and strategies, waiting for someone to strike first. Eventually one of them will get too impatient and they will start the attacks." He tightened his grip on her slightly, marvelling the feel of her against him, solid and warm. She had now spent more of her life by his side than without him, but he was still trying to catch up to the three hundred years he'd lived with her barely there at all. Stealing moments, forever waiting for her to join him again and vainly trying to hold onto her when she finally did. Even now he needed to remind himself that she was still there, and the thought to always snuck up on him when he least expected it. Right now he should have been worried for her safety, but he was just worried that she might be taken from him again.
Danni sighed before jumping up off the sofa-crates. She turned to him, one side of her lips pulled up into a smirk, "Well, we'd best prepare, then." She declared, throwing herself wholeheartedly into the adventure once again, "They're coming? Let's throw them a welcome party."
He just stared for a moment, backlit from the crack on the wall that was terrifying her. He wanted to do this, wanted to protect the town and his people and she was taking it in her stride. He stood up, eyes dancing over her face as he pulled her up against him, hands clenching on her hips.
"You are incredible." He murmured before dipping his head, capturing her lips for a moment, "My Danielle." He pressed his forehead against hers, smirking slightly as he attempted to bring her closer, "You know, it's been five days…" He pointed out and her mouth fell open at his cheek.
"We don't have a bed." She replied. In reply, he wrapped his arms around her, lifting her up. She squealed, wrapping her legs around him as he held her up.
"So?" He murmured before kissing her again.
~0~0~0~
The first attack wasn't as bad as Danni had been expecting. The Sontarans were the first down, something that Danni hadn't been expecting, but then again the force field was preventing any technology from being brought down onto the planet. Beings like the Daleks and the Cybermen were going to need to find ways of being brought down onto the planet without being detected.
Quite frankly it had been a pitiful attempt by the Sontarans. The Doctor had managed to drive them away with a handmade flame thrower that Danni had help point at the clone creatures. She felt a bit bad, they reminded her of Strax, but they were attacking the village and that meant they had to be stopped.
The attacks started trickling in slowly after that. The Slitheen were next – well, they were actually Raxacoricofallapatorian but who wanted to say that out loud all the time? – and they were pretty easy to drive away. The duo who had taken over Christmas's chapel were slowly becoming local heroes, not that either of them minded. They were just happy to help.
Cybermen, Ice Warriors, Judoon, even the Daleks all attempted to break down the defences the two Time Lords had put in place, and each attempt was thwarted.
Above them the Papel Mainframe sat, always watching and always waiting for the stalemate to waiver enough for them to rid the universe of the only way the Time Lords could get back and continue their war across the stars. However, it never did. Christmas was protected by the Doctor and Danni and nothing would make either of them leave.
~0~0~0~
"Just put it in the front room!" The Doctor her Danni call as he made his way up to their new home. The TARDIS didn't look like she was going to be joining them any time soon, and slowly Danni had started doing her best to transform the chapel into somewhere semi liveable. He could understand it, and he really did appreciate it. It was starting to look nice, but none of that explained the group of people outside his new temporary house.
"Danni?" He called as he made his way through the gaggle of people, who all greeted him happily as they moved in and out of their house. Danni appeared in the doorway, a huge grin on her face that seemed to brighten at the sight of him. She dashed down the small steps and chucked her arms around him. He caught her easily, "What's going on?"
"Isn't it amazing?" She replied happily, "While you were looking at Gerome's shed, I was talking to Haley. Somehow I managed to tell her we didn't have a bed, and then half an hour later this happened." She grabbed his hand, "You have to come see!"
He let her drag him into the house, enjoying her being so happy as he started to notice the little things the people of Christmas were carrying. A picture frame, a small stool, but that was nothing compared to what was already in the chapel. They were obviously old pieces of furniture, but they were actually furniture rather than boxes and crates. There were a few beat up chairs, and a mattress propped up against the wall.
"What is going on?" He asked her again, this time with a happy laugh in his voice.
"Apparently they didn't want their sheriff and his wife going without a bed." She replied, "So, by the time I'd made my way back home, Haley had been around to a few houses, and then people started just turning up with stuff for us!"
A young man, perhaps 20 or just a bit younger, walked over to the couple with a chair in his arms, "Where do you want this?" He asked them.
"Oh, just put it with the table, Theo." Danni replied, "Thank you so much."
"It's just a chair, Mrs Fielding." Theo replied with a joke in his voice, heading over to a small circular table the Doctor hadn't even noticed.
Haley, the woman Danni had been slowly becoming friends with, walked into the house and smiled at the couple, "Ah, there you are Doctor." She greeted, walking over, "I hope you don't mind me sticking my nose into your business, but the town is so grateful for your protection they wanted to help any way they could."
"And we're so grateful." Danni replied for him, "It's going to make everything so easier, isn't it sweetie?" She looked up at her husband, eyes shining with joy and he placed a kiss on top of her head before clapping his hands together.
"Come along, let's get all this moved." He declared, "Danni-Girl, you get the tea made, we're going to need quite a few mugs."
"We don't have any mugs, sweetie." Danni replied.
"You do now!" Someone called from the doorway, carrying a box of what she guessed were cups and she nodded, giving her husband a salute.
"Tea on its way!" She cried, rushing over to take the box off. He watched her run off before turning to Haley.
"You rather love her, don't you?" She commented fondly and he nodded.
"And the bed will make it a lot easier to." He slapped his hand onto his mouth; that truth field still got him occasionally.
Haley just chuckled, the field was making conversation in the town much more honest and full of little tidbits people didn't quite want to share with everyone else. They'd all become used to knowing more than they should, and knowing when they should comment and when they should leave it alone.
This was one of those times she knew she should leave it completely alone.
"I think the Graysons may have a bed frame for you." She told him and he nodded, letting his hand fall from his mouth as he motioned for her to lead the way. She nodded her thanks and walked out of the small chapel, now house, first, "I'm sure you and your wife will be quite satisfied with it."
"Oh, Haley." The Doctor exclaimed, surprised and amused by the woman in front of him, "I'm going to have to keep my eye on you, aren't I?"
~0~0~0~
The Doctor held Danni's hand as they walked up the stairs that led to the bell tower above their home. It was the perfect vantage point, and he'd made a point of going up there every morning while Danni slept on. However, he decided it was now time for her to see the spectacular view he enjoyed every morning. The months had flown by, which had surprised him whilst living in the correct order, but he'd fallen into everyday life quite well.
Danni had flourished, though. She'd made friends, had spent her time decorating up their new home and helping out around the village when she could. She'd fought by his side, and slept soundly of a night without a care in the world. She missed some of the comforts of the TARDIS – he knew she wanted a television more than anything – but she was otherwise happy and healthy and it still stunned him.
"Theta…" She breathed, surprised at the small set up he'd created. Blankets covered a couple of chairs they'd received in gratitude off the people of Christmas, candles dotted about to illuminate the darkness that would only be broken for a few minutes per day.
"Sit down." He encouraged gently, picking up a blanket and, with a flourish, wrapped it around her shoulders like a cape. He knew she felt the cold more than he did, and even he could feel the bite in the air. She gratefully pulled it around her.
"You are too sweet for your own good." She told him as he sat down on the other chair. Between the two sat Handles, who had been left behind as well when Clara had taken the TARDIS away. The Doctor carried it everywhere, a bit like a child and a teddy, but Danni was starting to mind less and less each day. She was started to mind being stranded much less as well, she was rather enjoying being a bit ordinary.
She knew that if the TARDIS reappeared, they'd be off tomorrow. The Doctor was settling into living in Christmas a lot more than she'd thought he would, but that didn't mean that instinct in him had gone anywhere at all. And she'd be sad to go, but she wouldn't look back. Neither of them would.
She sat down on his lap, and even though he'd obviously brought the chair for her, he wrapped his arms around her waist. She shuffled the blanket so it was covering both of them, "I would have come up without the candles." She told him lightly, "You know I've wanted to come up here for a while."
"Well, you're the one who needs to sleep all the time." He teased her lightly and she leant her head on his shoulder. For a while they looked out into the sky above, waiting for that moment when it would turn orange as the sun rose.
"I miss looking out at the universe." She told him quietly, "And I miss pointing out into the sky and deciding that's where we'd go next. I miss the new stuff."
"I know." He replied sadly, apologetically, in reply, "If I could…"
"I know." She interrupted, "And I know you have to do this, and I don't mind that. I just miss it, that's all."
"I'm sure the TARDIS will decide to show her face soon." He declared, seeing the first flickers of light on the sky above. He sat a bit straighter, "But, for now, watch this." And she did, with her breath caught in her chest, like it did when she saw a new planet. The sun rose, illuminating the village beautifully and she couldn't believe all the different golds, oranges and reds that filled the air. The permanent snow on the ground reflected the light, shimmering like glitter. The whole planet looked like it had come alive, and even when the sun set a few minutes later, it still seemed so bright.
"See?" He murmured in her ear, "The universe is magical, no matter where you look at it from." She nodded slowly, relaxing back into his arms.
"We can't let them destroy it." She told him and he smiled at her simple but heartfelt declaration.
"We won't." He promised in no more than a murmur, pressing a kiss on her neck
~0~0~0~
"Theta!" Danni cried as she dashed in. The Doctor looked up from the book he was reading to see his wife stumble into the room. She pulled her big coat off and hung it up on the coat stand that was currently being propped up by a couple more books. He really needed to get that fixed.
"I'm guessing she had the baby?" He replied teasingly, seeing her kick her shoes off before all but diving onto the sofa next to him, "Was it a girl?" He had guessed it would be a girl from the moment Margret had told them she was pregnant. He knew it would be, and he'd waited nine months for her to tell him that he had been right all along.
"Nope, a little boy." She told him, "Such a cute little boy! With a load of soft hair on his head and a pair of lungs on him that would rival Amy on a bad day." Oh, so much for his intuition. He was certain he was better than that. She wrapped an arm around his, hugging it close, "Oh, you should have seen them, Theta. One big happy family." He put his bookmark into his book before putting it on the arm of the sofa, leaning back so they could snuggle up in front of the fire.
"Did they have a name for him?" He asked her, stroking his fingers through her hair.
"John." She replied and he looked down, surprised and she met his gaze with a tilt of her head, "Oh, they chose it completely on their own." She explained, "I didn't even mention your alter ego or anything, but isn't it fitting? The first human born under your protection, and his name is John? It's…" She sighed happily, "Oh, he was absolutely perfect." He pressed a kiss on her head. They'd been over and over it, how they couldn't have children, how they both felt responsible for it even though it was neither of their faults. It didn't make any sense to go over it again, and yet he still felt like he had to apologise for it. Because she should be a mum. She loved children so much, no one deserved that love more than a child.
"I know that look." She declared with a knowing look on her face, as if she could hear his thoughts, "No thinking like that, Spaceman." She shifted, climbing onto his lap, "You know I love you, and that's all that matters." He shifted his hands, holding onto her hips, smiling softly but guiltily.
"Danni-"
"Plus," she interrupted, her smile turning into a smirk, "Doesn't mean we can't try, does it?" She quickly pressed a kiss on his lips, "You never know, we might end up with our own little Time Baby. Until then, let's enjoy each other."
"You are perfect." He told her honestly and she nodded.
"Don't forget it." She told him, "You're never going to do better than me."
~0~0~0~
Danni!
His mind rushed over her name over and over again, calling out for her even before he broke through the doors and into Haley's front room. He called for her, shouted for her, screamed for her in his mind, but it wasn't until he saw her on the floor by the fire, unconscious but wrapped up in blankets to warm her up that he let it fall from his lips.
"Danni." He breathed, terrified as he fell to his knees next to her. He stroked her hair off her face – it was sodden from the snow, how long had she been lying there – before he quickly pulled out his screwdriver and scanned her.
A small wave of Cybermen had managed to break through the force field that was there to keep them safe. It had been the first time they had seen the robots in about seven years, and it had taken them too much by surprised. Danni had been by his side, then she hadn't been. That wasn't unusual, the enemy thought separating them was better than keeping them together, and they normally were right. He'd called out to her, much like he had moments ago, and she'd replied and he'd not thought much about it after that.
Then all the Cybermen were destroyed. He was celebrating with a couple of the men who had helped him fight off the robots when he realised she'd not turned up. He called for her again, but she hadn't replied. That's when he'd started running.
A young boy called Greg had found him, telling him through panting breaths that Danni had been taken to Haley's and that she was unconscious.
Thankfully that's all it seemed to be. A gentle tilt of her head showed that small cut that would quickly heal over time, "What happened?" He demanded, not angrily, but forcefully as he straightened her head out once again. Just unconscious, she would be fine. But she should be dead. Or captured, but definitely not on the floor in her friend's house.
"She was attacked from behind. Stephan caught it in before the monster had hurt her any further, but she was already unconscious before he had got there." He nodded. That made sence. The Cybermen wouldn't just leave his wife in the snow. And in the middle of an attack, moving her anywhere but out of the way would have been foolish. It was a dark part inside him that sneered that they should have saved her before fighting more, but he knew that it wouldn't have been possible.
"Danni." He whispered again, this time giving her a gentle shake. She didn't respond, so he tried again, "Danni, talk to me."
"Pissoff." She groaned in one long word and he laughed in relief, leaning down and pressing a kiss on her forehead.
"Never." He retorted, "What did you think you were doing? Wandering off while Cybermen were there? It could have ended so much worse."
She opened one eye, squinting as she took him in, "I didn't go wandering off, you did." She told him, "I didn't move, you rushed off through some trees." He paused, thinking back on it. He last remembered seeing her in a small clearing, and he'd heard something to his right… He turned on his spot on the floor, imagining running off through the trees before falling back onto his heels in shock. He had. He'd run off and left her to get attacked.
"Do you think you can sit up?" He asked gently instead of apologising again and again like he wanted to. She nodded as she leant up, groaning in pain as her head spun out horridly. She felt him place a hand on her back as she squeezed her eyes closed. All she remembered was being in a clearing then something incredibly heavy slamming down on the back of her head. She'd fallen onto the snow, then nothing much until she saw Stephan hovering over her. Then nothing until she'd heard the Doctor calling for her. The Cyberman she guessed attacked her must have really have done a number on her.
"That's going to hurt in the morning." She grumbled, opening her eyes to find herself surrounded by concerned faces. She couldn't help but smile slightly at the thought of all these people being worried at her, it did make her feel loved after all. She turned to her husband, who had that look of relief that she okay and the start of the guilt she knew would follow it, "Was I out long?" She asked.
"Not too long." Haley replied, nodding to her own husband, "Stephan brought you here the moment he could. It took a while to warm you up, though." Yeah, she could feel that. She pulled the blanket they'd kindly wrapped her in tighter around her shoulders, a sight the Doctor didn't miss.
"Right, let's get you home." He declared, standing up before helping her to her feet. She felt a bit wobbly, so she was thankful for his help, but she knew he'd do it even if she wasn't hurt. He had always worried about her too much, "Thank you for looking after her."
"Of course, we wouldn't have done anything else." Haley replied, rubbing Danni on her arm. They all had learnt for past experience to not touch her too much when the Doctor was worried and close. His instinctive reactions had been the cause of a couple of enemies demise; and poor George had received a bruise that hadn't faded for weeks, "Please take care of yourself, the cut on your head was pretty deep. I wanted to clean it, but I was worried about what it might do to you, with you not being human and all."
Danni smiled, "It's fine, I'll heal up pretty sharpish."
"That's enough nattering." The Doctor admonished pointedly, "I'm sure Haley will come around and you two can catch up when you're up and running again." Danni rolled her eyes but the pair said their goodbyes.
The Doctor quickly lead her home, making her sit on the sofa as he sourced all their blankets to wrap her up warm. She always felt the cold more than he did, and he can't imagine lying in the snow would have helped that at all. He tried not to think of it as he made sure she was wrapped up properly, chucking a few more logs on the fire before finally taking his place next to her. He tilted her head, taking a better look now they were on their own. She wouldn't have had a clue how close she would have come to being taken, or worse, converted as she'd laid there. She would have been happily oblivious to the danger she was in, which he wasn't sure was better or worse. She wouldn't have been scared, but she wouldn't have been fighting to save herself either.
The gash wasn't too bad, the Time Lord side of her already fighting it away, but he could help speed it up. He raised his hand, starting to focus when her head turned sharply to look at him. Her eyes lost focus for a moment, the sign of a bit of a concussion, but she fell back into a glare almost instantly, "Don't you dare, Theta." She warned, "It's just a cut, it'll heal on its own."
"It's just a couple years…"
"A couple years I'd rather have with you." She snapped, "Stop it, now." He wasn't happy about her suffering for even a moment, but he lowered his hand once again like she instructed.
"You're going to have to stay up tonight." He told her quietly, "Just in case something goes wrong. I'm sure it won't, but I want to make sure."
"That sounds good to me." She replied, "We can watch the sunset together." He smiled softly, before wrapping his arms around her. It was rather hard, considering just how many layers he'd wrapped her in, but he still held her as close as he could. She shrugged her arms out so she could hold onto him too, trying but failing to keep her own fear at what happened away from him. She'd never been a fan of the Cybermen, and when he'd been taken over by the Cybermen – oh, so many years ago now – it had only cemented the idea that she hated them in her head. And she'd almost become one of them.
"I have to stay behind, don't I?" She whispered. He slowly let her go, keeping his hands on her arms, rubbing his thumbs comfortingly, "Because you're going to worry about me now, aren't you?"
"I almost lost you." He whispered, his hearts speeding up at even the thought of her not being by his side anymore, "I'm not going to let that happen."
"And so I become a distraction." She finished, "A bigger distraction, anyway. I don't want you to get hurt because of me." She looked down at the blankets there were wrapped around her. It was a surprise neither of them had been hurt thus far, it was bound to happen eventually. If it had been the Doctor, the outcome would be the same, because he was the clever one. He was the one who thought up the plants and saved the town, so if she became a hindrance worrying about him, she'd be a danger then too.
"I'm sorry." He replied, "I know you just want to help, but I need to know you're safe." She nodded.
"I'll find something else to do." She told him, "Maybe help out at the school or something. I can keep an eye on the children. Make sure John's getting the education he deserves." He chuckled.
"A school teacher, eh?" He teased lightly, "Taking a lead out of Miss Oswald's book?"
"Well, if she can do it, I might stand a chance." She retorted, "Do you think she'll be mad?"
"Oh, furious." He said. They'd had this conversation a few times over the years, "But once the TARDIS decides to come back, we'll go pick her up the moment after she landed. She'll just be angry we sent her away, but she won't know how long."
"Good, I don't want her to think we abandoned her. Not after what she did for you." The Doctor agreed, Clara had sacrificed herself for them and deserved better than to just be abandoned. However, that was the way it happened.
"We can watch the sunrise again." Danni commented and he smiled, holding her tightly as his mind drifted from their friend back to the woman his arms. He'd almost lost her, she'd almost died and if she'd be converted, there would have been no regeneration. No new Danni, no old Danni.
He pressed a kiss into her hair, whispering his love to her in a tongue she had only begun to understand. He needed to keep her by his side always, and that was exactly what he planned on doing.
~0~0~0~
The school bell rang, tolling just like the one that hung above her little home, and the four children in the class all turned to Danni and the teacher expectantly. The school only had thirteen students, divided up into three classes depending on their age. It probably wasn't the best way to learn, but considering there were only three teachers in the village, it was how it worked for them.
Danni helped with the under sevens; three boys and a girl, Jessie, who was John's youngest daughter. She'd watched him go from baby to boy and then to young man and she'd loved every second of it. Now he had two girls and a boy of his own, and Danni loved them all to pieces.
"Okay, off you run." Miss Thompson laughed and the children scrambled off the floor and headed to their coat pegs to grab their coats. They adored their time at school, but every child would always like the chance to go play out in the snow, even if it was there every day.
"Jessie!" Danni called after the young girl, who turned around with big brown eyes staring at the teacher's assistant, "I told your dad I'd walk you home." The girl beamed rather than frowning at being walked home by a grown up and the moment she'd shrugged on her slightly too big coat, she was over at Danni's side, helping her tidy up the toys of the day.
"Daddy said I can give you my picture today." She told the blonde excitedly.
"You drew me another picture?" Danni asked, putting just the right amount of excitement behind her tone as such an honour required.
"Daddy said it would help cheer you up while the Doctor's away fighting monsters." Jessie explained. Danni paused for a moment, her hand hovering above the wooden toy chest the Doctor had made the school. Miss Thompson, a lovely woman who adored children, walked over to the pair and gently placed a hand on Jessie's arm.
"Why don't you help me stack the chairs for tomorrow?" She suggested, pulling the girl away before she could argue against it.
It had been over ten years since Danni had bowed out of fighting the attackers of Christmas. Ten years of watching the Doctor save the day from the side lines. Sometimes it would unavoidable and she had to step in and help, but the majority of times she was left watching and waiting. She still wasn't used to it. Every time something awful descended on the snowy village her hearts wouldn't stop racing until she saw her husband safe once again.
And it wasn't very often he would disappear into the woods that surrounded them, either. Very often the attacks would happen either in the village or just outside so she could keep an eye on him. But, sometimes, the monsters played a long game and she could not see him for a couple of days until he swaggered out of the woods with that cocky smirk and a story to tell the children.
She knew that was why John had invited her over. To keep her occupied, because the whole village had seen her slowly fall apart each time he vanished into the trees. One time she'd paced around the outskirts of the town the entire night, resulting in some incredibly sodden clothes and a two week cold that could have been avoided if she'd just gone home. She couldn't help it, though. She worried about him not coming back. She worried about never seeing her husband again.
She was right; John and his wife Gemma tried to get her to stay for dinner, but Danni had politely declined before heading on her way, drawing in hand. Jessie had drawn her the Doctor fighting off the Terileptils that had attacked a few months previously. She'd promised to put it on their wall in their living room, and she intended on keeping it. The children loved to draw for them, and Danni didn't have the hearts to take them down, so their living room was slowly becoming a bit of an art gallery. Neither of them minded, and on days like this when she didn't know where the Doctor was, she could look at them to remind herself of all the times he did come back.
The front door opened just as she was getting down off the ladder after pinning Jessie's picture near the ceiling. She froze on the spot, holding her breath until the Doctor walked into the living room, obviously looking for her. She grinned so happily, her whole body aching in the relief at seeing him again and she rushed over, chucking her arms around him. He held her tightly, burying his face in her hair and she automatically knew something had gone wrong. Whenever he came back, he greeted her in one of two ways. He'd catch her as she hugged him, spinning her around before kissing her soundly, or he hugged her close as if he was never going to let her go. The former meant victory, the latter meant loss.
"Who was it?" Danni asked quietly.
"Joseph." He murmured in her hair and she closed her eyes, pained at the loss of another friend. Not many had been hurt or killed during their time there, but unfortunately it did happen from time to time.
"Poor Haley." She whispered, thinking of her friend and how she was going to feel at the death of her son. Haley wasn't as young as she once was, but then again only the Doctor and Danni were these days. She needed to go see her, but not for a while. The family needed to grieve, and she wasn't going to interrupt that.
The Doctor didn't say anything for a moment, holding her close as he lamented over his failing. He'd allowed Joseph to come along to help, which meant the death was on his hand. He was there to protect them, each one that he lost was no one's fault but his own. He just held his wife in his arms, taking the comfort he could feel her offering and wrapping himself up in her. He didn't know what he would have done without her here on Christmas, but he was glad he never had to find out.
"Come have a look at this." Her voice commanded gently, pulling out of his grasp to take his hand. She walked him over to the wall of drawings, pointing at their newest addition, "Jessie drew it for you, isn't it brilliant?"
"She's really improving." He agreed, allowing her to distract him from the horror of losing another one of their friends, "You can almost tell it's me now."
"She even got the right colour for your hair." She agreed, "She told me to tell you that she's already started on one with the Cybermen, but she didn't like the purple she coloured them in with so it will be a while."
"Oh, you definitely need the right colour purple." He replied seriously, because who wanted an off-coloured purple Cyberman? Especially with Handles here to judge the picture, it just wouldn't do at all.
"Go on, then." Danni told him, nudging him slightly, "I'm sure the children are waiting for you to tell them what a superhero you've been today." He smirked. The children did love to hear his stories, as did his wife, who he'd caught with that look of awe on her face that travelling with him had always brought out. However, they would have to wait.
He pulled her up close, smirking slightly as he spun her around and pressed her against the clear wall next to the pictures, "They'll have to wait." He murmured, "You know the rules, Danni-Girl."
She rolled her eyes, "Horny old man." She teased as his hand ran down her side to her thigh.
"Only when it comes to you." He replied, lifting her up as she squealed. She giggled happily as he pressed his lips to hers once again.