The Doctor paused with his hand on the front door, taking a moment to calm himself down, to gather himself before opening it slowly. The living room wasn't dark, but the only light came from the fire that Danni was sat in front of, poking at it with their fire poker as she sat in front of it on their rug. She barely glanced around, just enough to confirm it was him, then went back to looking at the fire.
He watched her sadly; she had been cut off from him now for a couple of days, having deliberately blocked him out of her mind. Their bond had only grown over their time on Christmas, and he knew she was trying to keep him from seeing what she was feeling. He couldn't miss it, though. She was devastated and she wore her hearts on her sleeve.
"How was it?" She asked quietly and he walked over, taking a seat on the floor next to her whilst trying not to show how much of an effort it was to sit down so low.
"It was really nice." He replied softly, "Everyone was there, but it was just a quiet service. Nothing fancy, just people remembering their friend." She nodded slowly.
"Did- Were they angry?"
He shook his head, "Definitely not. They understand, and everyone mourns in their own way."
"I will go say goodbye to him." She promised, "I will, just… just when I'm ready." He pulled her closer, placing a kiss on her golden hair. His lips lingered a moment longer than they normally would, taking comfort in the fact that she was still by his side.
"I know you will." He replied and they sat in silence, watching the fire crackle in front of them. He just wished he could see what was going on in her head, so he could reassure her, comfort her, show her that it was okay to be so sad.
"He was happy." She declared, looking up at the Doctor with shining eyes, "Johnny was happy, like John was when he died. They're all old and happy and well-lived."
"Yes, they are." He agreed, not saying any more so she could let everything she had been bottling up over the last few days out.
"And that's why we're here." She continued, "So they can die old and happy and well-lived. I just never thought we'd be here to see it." He agreed with her there. Neither of them regretted it for one moment, but even he had to admit he hadn't thought the war would go on this long. Periods of peace followed by periods of attack, over and over without seeming like there was an ending.
"That's what it's going to be like for me, isn't it?" She whispered, "I'm going to have to watch everyone die. Over and over again, everyone I meet, everyone I've ever loved. My-" She stuttered as the tears started falling, "My husband. I'm just going to have to stand there while they all die. I'm-I'm going to be on my own, and everyone is going to die on me!" He quickly wrapped her up in his arms as she started sobbing, devastated and afraid. She collapsed against him, clinging onto him like she was afraid he was going to disappear. Her mind opened, like she couldn't hold it back any longer and he was flooded with just how much she had been thinking about it, how terrified she was of not only him dying, but being on her own.
He laid them down on the rug as he shushed her, stroking her hair as he tried to soothe her worries, "I don't want that! Please, Theta, don't leave me." She begged him desperately, "Please, I don't want to live forever, please!"
"It will be okay." He promised, his hearts aching at the way she begged him, beseeched him to help her and he couldn't. The fact was she didn't even have to regenerate; the Master hadn't, but he couldn't bring himself to tell her how to stop living. There was no guarantee that she would even have the ability to stop it. He just couldn't, for one moment, think of her as anything but alive and out there, so he peppered her hair with kisses as he forgot the thought as quickly as it had come to him.
"You'll be okay, I promise. You'll meet wonderful people, see the universe, do great things. Imagine all you have to see, all you have to live. The people you'll save, the planets you'll visit."
He closed his eyes, imagining his wife stepping out of the TARDIS, maybe ginger again, maybe not. New grass under her feet, a friend by her side, just like him. He even tried to imagine her with someone else, someone decidedly not him, who wouldn't love her like he did, wouldn't be able to hold her in their heart like he could, but would try their best. Who she loved back, who she showed the universe to. Hand in hand looking out across somewhere she'd never been before.
"You will never tire of it, Danielle." He whispered softly, "And you will never see it all. All that beauty, all that majesty, and it's all waiting for you."
"I don't want it." She whispered in reply, breaking his hearts with her certainty, "I don't want it if I'm on my own."
"Danni," He started with a breath of a voice, "My Danni-Girl." He gently nudged her with his chin to encourage her to look up at him, "There is one thing I can promise you, even long after I am gone, and that is that you're never on your own. You have met some wonderful people, and there are a million more out there waiting for the chance to meet you. And each and every one will be there for you in a heartbeat. You will always be loved, and you will never be on your own."
She held his gaze as long as she could, trying to believe his words, but she could still feel the weight of it bearing down on her. With each death in the town called Christmas was just another reminder of all the ones she had to come. She wasn't even convinced they'd get back to Clara anymore. She couldn't see her friend if she closed her eyes, she could barely remember what anyone looked like. They all felt like memories and she so afraid of losing them all.
But no one as much as her Theta. Nothing scared her as much as the day he wouldn't come back to her, and that absolute fear had her hugging him tightly, crying into his shirt as she mourned everyone she had ever known.
He held her close, legs intertwined until she eventually exhausted herself into silence. Then he helped her up and took her to bed, staying with her until she fell asleep in his arms.
~0~0~0~
The one thing that had improved over their time on Christmas was Danni cooking. Thankfully, because there had been a time when she had be able to burn sandwiches if left alone for too long. She wasn't a master chef, far from it, but she'd made a lovely lamb stew with mash for their anniversary dinner and the Doctor had eaten every mouthful, and not out of fear of hurting her feelings.
He was pretty certain she hadn't cooked it alone, but he didn't ask her and she didn't say anything. She just took his plate away when they'd both finished, taking them over to their sink but not doing more than tidying up their mess any more than that, "Do you want some cake?" She asked him, "I think we might have some fruit cake left over."
He shook his head, motioning her over as he pushed his chair out from underneath the table. She walked over and sat herself down on his good knee, letting him wrap his arms around her happily, "How long has it been?" He asked her again and she smiled, knowing he just liked to hear her say it.
"Exactly four hundred years." She told him, "Four hundred years since I jumped into your life."
"Four hundred years." He repeated happily, placing a kiss on her neck. She giggled, so he did it again, "Happy anniversary, my Danni-Girl."
"Happy anniversary, my Theta." She replied and they sat in each other's arms, both thinking about the hundreds of years they'd been with each other. About all the good, and all the bad. Everything that they'd survived through, until the Doctor nudged her off his knee.
"Let's go for a walk." He declared more than suggested, "It's a lovely night. Not too cold."
"You always say that, and I'm always freezing." Danni retorted, although she happily headed to the living room where their coats were hung, "Is it actually cold out there?"
He paused, thinking for a moment. He did love to hold her close while they were walking, but he decided against cuddling up together at this particular moment. After all, it did make it pretty hard to walk, "Better grab your scarf as well." He suggested and she shot him a knowing look before wrapping it around her neck, not too tightly, and tucked it into her coat.
A few moments later they were walking down the street, Danni linking her arm through her husbands as she thought back on their time together. Sometimes she could barely remember their time together before Christmas, but sometimes it was as clear as day. She'd spent more of her life on the planet than she ever had travelling, but it still felt so temporary. As long as she wasn't on her own, though, she knew she'd be fine.
"They've done a nice job with the lights this year." She commented following the string of lights that led down the street above their heads. Soft white lights that started from one end of the main street of the little town and ended at the other, "I'm glad they didn't go with the multi-coloured lights again. They were nice, but I prefer these."
"I thought you did, Danielle." He replied simply, not commenting either way. He didn't tell her that he'd made sure the town had gone with the lights she liked best, decorating the streets how he knew she would love at Christmas time. He didn't tell her how the town had wanted to thank her for working at the school and helping keep them safe. And he certainly didn't tell her that he'd been planning this for the last seventeen years or so.
He just watched as the tinkling notes of a guitar being played reached their ears as they headed to the other end of the street. Her nose wrinkled adorably and she looked around the darkness as she tried to see where the music was coming from.
Wise men say only fools rush in.
"Is… Is that Elvis?" She asked, confused because she knew from experience they didn't have any music she recognised from her youth on the planet. In fact, she was pretty sure this was the song he had sung to her, although she did struggle to think back on it occasionally.
But I can't help falling in love with you.
She hadn't really noticed the wooden stage at the end of the street. It had been there quite a while now and was used by the children to put on plays during the school months. It was very nicely decorated with a few trees and lights, very much in keeping with the rest of the town's decorations. However, there was a young man sat on the edge of the stage she hadn't noticed until he'd started playing.
"Is that Paul?" She asked and he nodded.
"It would appear so, wouldn't it?" He replied lightly, "Must be practicing for something?" He continued to walk her closer, but she couldn't help but think something was very wrong.
"How does he know Elvis?" She asked, "Has something happened that I've missed?"
"I think it might have, yes." He agreed cheekily.
Shall I stay?
Would it be a sin?
If I can't help falling in love with you?
He stopped her in front of the stage, Paul smiling happily as he continued to play as he'd been directed. The Doctor turned her around so he was facing her, "Care to dance, Danni-Girl?" He asked and her face broke out into a giant beam.
"Did you do this?" She asked in disbelief, but he took one of her hands in his, pulling her slightly closer as he wrapped the other around her waist.
"Care to dance?" He asked in reply.
Like a river flows surely to the sea.
Darling so it goes.
Some things are meant to be.
"You are just too cute." She told her husband as they swayed to the music, "And always trying to one-up me. Can't just let me have one anniversary where I have given the best gift, can you?" He smirked, glancing over her shoulder to the darkness of the shadows around them.
"Oh, definitely not, Danni-Girl." He replied smugly as the children and adults of the town began to step into the light of the Christmas decorations, each one carrying a candle that flickered in the slight breeze.
Take my hand, take my whole life too
For I can't help falling in love with you.
She gasped, her head swivelling in shock and disbelief as she saw the rest of the town there to sing just for her. The Doctor just continued to watch her, though, not paying attention to anything or anything else but the woman in his arms. She'd really not suspected a thing, and it had been hard to keep it all from her. She normally could see straight through him when he was keeping a secret from her, but this time he'd outdone himself. He'd taught Paul the simple cords to the song from memory, and the rest of the town the lyrics. He'd timed it all just right so they could go out for a walk after the meal he knew she'd make him, and it wouldn't seem out of place for them to do so.
He'd had the idea one day, a seemingly normal day but he knew a genius idea when he had one. She'd mentioned an hour or so earlier how she'd missed listening to music like she used to. He'd reassured her that when the TARDIS came back for them, she could listen to all the music she wanted and that had been the end of it. Then he'd been fixing a small toy of a boy called Benjamin and it hit him like a bolt of lightning. It was too good for just any old anniversary, so he held onto it for years until the time was right.
She looked at all of their friends, their family of people who they lived with and protected, singing a song they had never heard of before and just for her. She turned back to look at the Doctor, who looked incredibly smug. It was so surreal, which was something given the life that she had lived so far. He'd done this purely for her. She leant her head on his chest, listening to his hearts beating.
"Take my hand. Take my whole life too." He sang along into her hair and she giggled to herself, so incredibly happy she just couldn't help it.
"Four hundred years." She whispered and he nodded, shifting his grip so she was cradled in his arms.
"Happy anniversary, my Danielle." He replied and she looked up, tilting her head back just slightly so she could meet his eyes before whispering her love for him in his head, making sure not to say his name out loud. Neither of them dared to even say it in their home, verbally or mentally, in case it was caught by the people waiting on the other side of the crack. It meant that he never really got to hear it from her lips anymore, but when they were far enough away, she always used in when she could. And the tightening of his grip on her proved that it had been a good move.
For I can't help falling in love with you.
The town cheered as they finished the song perfectly, every single of them happy that they'd remembered the lyrics properly as well as at the couple in the middle who were still dancing together despite both their singing and Paul's guitar playing finishing. They loved the couple, who were a legend and a friend in equal measure to each and every one of them. The Doctor and the school assistant, who looked after them in when they were in danger against the entire universe, and day to day as well.
"I think they're waiting for us to kiss." The Doctor told his wife and she nodded.
"Better deliver then." She replied and he caught a glimpse of her smirk before she pressed up onto her toes, kissing him to the cheers of the crowd around them.
~0~0~0~
Danni fluffed the ends of her hair as she looked in the slightly worn mirror that hung in their bedroom. She could see their bed behind her, the same one they were given when they'd first landed all those years ago, and it made her smile. She'd been told her attempts at making their house a home were… unique was the word people used when they wanted to be kind, but she only ever put things in their bedroom that meant something. The bed had been from an amazing act of kindness from her friend who had died hundreds of years ago. The mirror had come from the same act, just off a different person and even though she could have had a new one, she adored it too much to get rid of it.
She could also see her husband in the mirror, who was watching her with his feet on the bed, crossed at the ankles. She was wearing his shirt, but the room was being warmed by the fire the Doctor had built into it, so he was fine without it.
"I really think Mary did a good job this time." She told him, "She's getting better. I can't see anything lopsided at all, can you?" The Doctor swung his legs over the side, walking over and wrapping his arms around her from behind. She hadn't had short hair for a while, and Mary from the other side of the snowy town was training to become the hair dresser so Danni had let her cut off her long blonde locks, making it just above shoulder length. She snuggled back against him as he tilted his head, looking down at her.
"Definitely her best attempt yet." He agreed before turning to look at his wife in the mirror. In his arms, where she should be. With so very little to do during the down times of the fighting, they spent a lot of time together, just enjoying each other in a way they never could do when they were travelling. Days staying inside the house, just being together, and this was a perfect example of that. Her in his shirt – not just because of the fact they'd been intimate, but because it smelt of him and he knew she adored being surrounded by his scent, even when he was there. He nuzzled her hair, placing kisses on it while letting her feel the contented feeling he always had when she was in his arms.
A smile spread on her face, a lazy one as she placed her hands on his as she pulled his arms slightly tighter around her, "Definitely prefer my hair short." She told him, although up until a week ago she was telling him how much she was enjoying her hair long. She caught his errant amused thought and nudged him with her shoulder, "I do." She protested.
He looked up, ready to tell her how much he adored her hair no matter what it looked like – a sure-fire way of getting her out of the shirt – when he caught sight of them both in the mirror. His wife, blonde and as young as she'd always been, big brown eyes shining behind her glasses. And she was in the arms of an old man! He frowned, brow furrowing as he studied himself in the mirror. The wrinkles that were appearing on his face, his hair looking much duller than he remembered, the grey starting to overpower the brown. He still looked like him, but he was definitely aging while she still looked the age she'd regenerated at. When had that happened? When had he started to look less like her husband and more like her dad?!
Danni caught his look, felt his surprise and turned while keeping herself wrapped up in his arms, "What's wrong?" She asked.
"I'm old." He declared bluntly and she nodded.
"You've always been old, don't tell me you've just noticed?" She teased and he shot her a look before turning back his reflection.
"I look old." He replied, "Compared to you, I look old." She shrugged. She wasn't blind, she had seen him aging but she'd assumed it was just because he was on his last regeneration and she was only on her second.
"You've always been old compared to me." She replied, "A few grey hairs either way is never going to change that." He turned away from his reflection, leading her over to her bed so he could hold her properly. She immediately rested her head on his chest, closing her eyes as she listened to his hearts beating.
"So you're not going to leave me now I'm old and grey?" He asked with the tone of him joking, but actually feeling rather worried about it.
"What about you?" She retorted, "You've been stuck with me for over four hundred years? When the war ends, are you going to take off without me?"
"Of course not." He looked down at her, expecting her to look up and stick her tongue out at him, but she didn't, "Danni, of course not." He repeated, making sure that she knew.
"Even if I wanted to stay?" She replied quietly, "If I didn't want to leave." He knew she wouldn't, out of the both of them, it was actually her who was struggling more with being stuck. She was so much younger than he was, and she had so much to do. He'd had a long, adventurous life full of heartache and joy, and now had the woman he was going to spend the rest of his life with in his arms and there wasn't much else he wanted. If either of them were going to stay behind, it was more likely to be him.
"I'll come back for you." He told her, "Go out for little jaunts, bring you back presents and food. No reason why we can't to both."
"You never went back for her." She pointed out, "Mrs Doctor the first." His first wife, that was who she meant, wasn't it? Where had she come from? They never really talked about his life before her, and definitely not his life on Gallifrey. It hurt too much for him to look back on everything, and it was just a reminder to her of how little time she'd had him for.
She must be worrying about losing him again. He knew she always did, it was always on the outskirts of her mind, but sometimes she couldn't help but focus on it. It didn't always come out the same, sometime she would cry until she couldn't stop. Sometimes she would cook and bake for days on end. Once she painted the entire outside of the chapel they lived in, but that never happened again. Now it was coming out as her insecurity of his want of her.
"She was different." He told her, "I loved her, but not like I love you." He shuffled down the bed slightly, lying on the pillow so he could face her, "It's been over four hundred years, Danielle, you should know I'm always coming back for you."
"Four hundred years." She repeated in a whisper. When she'd first met him, she'd been under no illusions. She was human, she had a limited lifespan and being his companion was just going to reduce that further. Then she'd fallen in love with him, and she wouldn't have changed that for anything, but it wasn't looking good for her. To still be with him after four hundred years boggled all belief.
The corner of his mouth pulled up into a smirk, "I'd like to see you try to get rid of me, Danni-Girl."
~0~0~0~
Danni headed home from another day at school, tired and ready for her bed. The Doctor had been gone for yet another couple of days so she'd gone in to do some cleaning even though the school had actually been closed for the weekend. Not her best idea that year; it had gone particularly cold and the school was freezing when she was on her own. She'd wrapped up in her biggest coat with her scarf and mittens but she'd still felt the biting chill as she'd washed every table. But, at least it was sparkling now.
Jesse had rushed out of the trees, not like a child playing a game, but someone who was running away from something terrible. He kept glancing behind himself to check he wasn't being followed, and the moment she'd seen him trying to get away from something she was rushing over to meet him.
"Danni! Miss Danni!" He started crying out the moment he saw her, barrelling towards her. She reached out and took a hold of him, stopping him from running right past her when it became apparent that he wasn't about to stop.
"What did you see?" She asked him firmly, getting straight to the point.
"The grey men with horns!" He declared, panting with the effort he'd put into getting away, "Four of them, that way." He pointed back and she nodded, giving him a push towards the town square.
"You know the drill, Jesse. Ring the bell then head home." He nodded, giving her a salute before dashing off to complete his task. Danni, on the other hand, headed swiftly to her home.
Grey men with horns suggested Judoon to her – she should have asked if they looked like rhinos, no matter. The Doctor away stopping what she was sure was a small clan of some reptilian creatures she knew began with L - she wasn't as good at remembering names as she probably should be - which meant it was down to her to sort out the new attack. It was incredibly rare for two of the aliens orbiting the planet to descend at once, but occasionally they would join forces in the hope they could overpower the Doctor and his wife.
It never worked, but it was cute that they tried.
"Handles!" Danni cried out to the Cyberman head as she chucked her jacket on the back of the sofa, "How are we doing for ammunition?"
"I have developed a fault." He declared and she shot him a bit of a glare as she grabbed a pair of gloves, replacing the mittens she had been wearing.
"You only seem to have that fault when helping me, you know that?" She replied, "Did the Doctor stock up? You know you're supposed to keep track."
"He replenished the stock three days ago." He replied, a pause before the number of days as he calculated it for her. She patted him on top of his head as she dashed to the stairs.
"Thanks, Handles! Take the rest of the day off!" She told him.
"Thank you, Danielle." He replied as she ran up to the bell tower. There was already a gathering of townsfolk waiting for her, which was nice. She was always surprised when she could pull a crowd like her husband, but she could dwell on that later.
"Right, you lot!" She called down at them, looking over to where Jesse had first run out of the woods, "We've got a few Judoon on their way. You ready?" They all cheered and she nodded. She held her hands out in front of her, fingers pointed outwards as she used them as a guideline to divide the crowd.
"Okay, the middle is between Kevin and Steven." She decided, "Everyone on Kevin's side, you need to make sure they're focused on you and separate them as best you can. The rest of you, you're with me. Remember they won't hurt you while I'm still here to say the word!"
The townsfolk were quick to split up and her house was suddenly flooded with what was roughly twenty people. She was already setting up the giant slingshots that the Doctor had built them on a particularly dull day. She looked up as they started filing out onto the bell towers platform and she smiled at Kathryn, "I knew these would come in handy one day." She told the woman, "Right, we've got three of these, we need then all pointing over the side. And there are plenty of rocks out the back, we need them bringing up, quick as you can!"
Two men helped Danni strap hers to the wooden railings that stopped her and the Doctor falling off the edge when they weren't particularly paying attention to anything but each other. The other two were quickly put in place as the sound of the Judoons heavy footsteps began echoing in the quiet town.
"Judoon might be large, but they're a pretty basic species," Danni explained to them, "They're not particularly advanced in their weapons, but they come with a lot of armour, so actually fighting them is probably out of the question. But what they also come equipped with is an escape option. On their right arms there is a flap, under which is a teleport… reversal… thingy…" She shook her head, proper names weren't exactly important, "Anyway, we need to hit it. We need to fire at their arms, hit that flap and I'm hoping that the force will activate the buttons and send them back."
"You're hoping?" Kathryn asked sceptically and Danni nodded.
"It's a work in progress. Don't disrespect the plan." She retorted, "Start with the smaller rocks, work upwards, no point in wasting ammunition we may need later on. And make sure you aim before you let it go. Judoon are not fast, so you don't need to be."
"Why are they coming after you, though?" Kathryn asked as they all split up into smaller groups, each behind a different giant slingshot, "It's the Doctor they want."
"They want both of us because we both know the name." Danni explained to the young woman, groaning slightly as she helped a man called Thomas whose daughter was in her toddler group, "And we're each other's weaknesses. They think if they capture me, they can get the Doctor off the planet and they can blow it up."
"He wouldn't leave, though, would he?" She asked and Danni paused, uncertain if she should answer that question. She knew no one better than her Theta, and he'd done a lot less for people who were trying to hurt her. She remembered when he was going to blow up the TARDIS because he thought she was in danger. She wasn't entirely convinced he would stay behind to protect the planet if she was being used as a bargaining chip.
"It's not like we're going to find out, is it?" Danni pointed out, spotting the Judoon following a lovely couple whose daughter had just left school completely, "Here we go! Attack!"
~0~0~0~
It was always a wonderful occasion when a fight was over. Sometimes they celebrated all night long with parties and food and drink, sometimes it was just a cheer for all the people who had gone to support the Doctor in his mission to protect the town and planet. Husbands met wives, wives met husbands and children were just happy everyone was safe.
Everyone, that was, except the Doctor. Danni watched as, one by one, everyone who had gone out to stop the Sontarans who had landed return to their families. Her husband wasn't always the first one out, neither was he always the last. But he was always in the group and the fact that he didn't come out with the last of the townsfolk who had gone to help him had her worriedly rush over to Jacob, pulling her cloak closer together.
"Where's the Doctor?" She asked him, trying to sound less concerned than she was. That feeling wasn't helped by the very confused look on Jacob's face as he turned from hugging his own wife to look at the blonde.
"He isn't here?" He asked, "We thought he'd rushed off ahead to find you. It wouldn't be the first time."
Danni shook her head, "No, he's not back." She told him, "Where is he? Where's my husband?"
Mary, Jacob's wife, let go off her husband to wrap her arm around the obviously terrified woman, "We'll find him." She reassured her gently, "You know what he's like, he's probably back at your house. We'll ask around."
But as they did, as they ask every person who had come back from the victory, it became apparent that no one had seen the Doctor for a while. With each shake of a head and confused look, Danni's panic continued to rise until they'd asked every person who had gone with the Time Lord.
"They didn't capture him, did they?" Jacob asked as Mary continued to comfort the distressed woman at her side. Danni shook her head.
"You wouldn't have been able to come back if they'd won." She replied, "I think. Oh, I don't know! What if they do have him? We have to find him! If they kill him…" She trailed off, unable to even contemplate him being killed. He couldn't die, because that would be it and she would be on her own. And she'd have to defend the town without him. If either of them had to die, it really should be her. He was much more useful.
"We have to find him." She declared, "We need people to search. Split off into parties, each search an area and we'll meet back here." Jacob nodded, turning to the crowd who had also noticed something had happened to their beloved sheriff.
"The Doctor is missing!" He called, "We need people to look for him!"
~0~0~0~
Danni had refused to stay behind, bundling herself up in as many layers as she could without being too restricted before she, Jacob and Benji headed out into the snow, looking for her husband. She couldn't feel him on the outskirts of her mind, that warm fuzz that meant he was close by was absolutely nowhere as the snow began to fall faster.
"We're not going to find him anywhere if the snow picks up any more." Jacob called to her, "We should head back." She shook her head.
"Not until I find him!" She told him, "I know he has to be around here somewhere!"
"He could have wandered anywhere!" Jacob insisted, "It's just going to get heavier, we should start the search again tomorrow!"
"What, when he's frozen to death?" She snapped, "I know you don't believe me, but I know he's this way and I'm not going back without him!" With that, she turned from him and started off deeper into the forest.
Jacob turned to look at Benji, who had a look of concern on his face that he knew he was echoing. Danni was more than capable of looking after herself, no one in the town could dispute that, but it wasn't her safety they were worried about. If the Doctor, for one moment, thought that they sat back and let her wander off into the forest on her own during a snow storm, none of them could guarantee that he wouldn't leave the town there and then. It would take a lot to drive the Time Lord away from the town, but his wife's safety would definitely top that list.
"We better follow her!" Jacob told the other man, who nodded in agreement and the two rushed ahead.
Danni's eyes darted left and right, taking in as much as she could as she tried to spot anything out of the ordinary. The snow fell faster, making it harder for her to see but she powered on, calling out for her husband every chance she got. She might not be able to feel him, but something deep inside her told her that she was heading in the right direction. She took it as a good sign, after all if something really was wrong, she'd not have any feelings at all, right?
It was the flash of purple that caught her eye first. She screamed his name then rushed over, brushing the snow of his unconscious body. She placed her head on his chest, listening and crying in relief at the sound of the two hearts pounding underneath his ribs.
"Jacob!" She shouted, turning around as she called for the other men, "Benji, he's here!" Hoping they'd heard her but not wanting to waste them another though, she turned back to her husband. The snow had already begun to cover him up again, so she brushed it away once more. He didn't look hurt, although he looked rather pale with the cold. She checked him over the best he could, her hands continuously heading back to his chest so she could feel his hearts once again. He looked so.. So dead that she had to keep checking he was alive.
Both men skidded as they rushed down the slight slope to get to the couple. Being immediately able to tell that he wasn't dead by Danni's expression – both would have expected her to be completely inconsolable if he had been killed.
"His leg looks pretty battered." Benji pointed out, "Do we have anything to bind it with?"
"It's fine, just make sure not to bang it too much, he can heal himself." Danni told him, "Please, we just need to get him back home."
"We'd better take a side each." He told Jacob, who nodded in agreement. In unison, they lifted him off the ground, – they each took a side a lifted him off the cold ground. Thankfully they were just a bit taller than him so he dangled limply between them.
"Wait!" Danni cried just as they started to walk off. She quickly ran her hands over his jacket, patting every known pocket until she reached in one and pulled out the sonic screwdriver. She sagged slightly in relief, knowing that he'd not be happy to lose that, before motioning them both on. She clung to the cold metal like a lifeline as she followed, hoping he was going to be okay.
~0~0~0~
The Doctor wasn't quite aware of where he was when he woke up, but that was mainly because he really didn't remember going to bed. He didn't remember much after finding the teleport pad that the Sontarans had been burying into the snow to try and make repeat attacks easier. It was rather amusing to know they had less faith in their own attacks than he did.
He'd been climbing, he was sure, then… Oh, he must have fallen. Well, that was embarrassing. Still, it didn't explain why he was at home in bed rather than out in the snow.
He opened his eyes to find himself looking up at the ceiling, also something a bit off because he normally spooned up with his wife, even in his sleep. She felt so nice when she was pulled up against him, even if they were actually just sleeping. He always gravitated towards her.
He looked to his side and frowned when he spotted her curled up on a chair she must have dragged from the living room. She was dozing, he could tell she wasn't quite asleep but she wasn't quite awake either. She was also curled up underneath his jacket, how was it that she was always so adorable?
He rolled over, intent on gently waking her up to ask what was going on. Unfortunately, what actually happened was that his leg flared up in pain like it was trying to escape the rest of his body and he rolled back with a yell of agony that had her eyes shooting awake. She quickly scrambled off the chair as he clutched his leg, stumbling in her haste, and she was by his side in an instant.
"What is it? What did you do?" She asked quickly, her voice full of her concern.
"What's wrong with my leg?" He asked, "When did I break it?"
"I'm not sure you did." Danni replied with a slight grimace, "When we were bringing you back Benji fell down a small hill and you went with him. He might have landed on it."
"Well, that's just great!" He grumbled, "Last time I help him fix his barn!"
"He didn't mean it." Danni replied, "He was trying to help you get home before you froze to death." Suddenly, as if being reminded, the concern dropped off her face and he felt her anger before she smacked him on the arm, "What the hell do you think you were doing? You always wander off! I had to send a search party out for you! I found you unconscious is the snow, you could have died!" She continued to smack him a few more times, each one causing him to cry out in pain.
"I had to disable the teleport!" He insisted as he grabbed her hands before she could do it again. She glared down at him, cheeks tinted pink as her eyes burnt with her frustration.
"Then you take someone with you!" She snapped, "You can't keep wandering off, Theta! It's a wonder that you didn't get hurt any sooner." He could see it in her face; she was one step away from crying, and it was because she was scared. He can't imagine that finding him in the snow was anything but awful for her – he couldn't even bear to imagine it the other way around – so she was lashing out because it was the only thing she could do.
"It's fine, I'm okay." He promised gently and he felt her relax under his grasp, "It's just a broken leg, it'll heal soon enough."
She frowned, "I thought you could heal it. You know, like you did River?" He sighed, wondering the best way to word the reason he didn't want to. He was old, and on the last of his regenerations. His regeneration energy – which is what he used to heal River – was very much finite and he worried that he would be cutting off years that he didn't have.
"Danielle…" He started lowly, stalling slightly and he saw her face contort in the realisation of the things he was trying not to say.
"We can't have you thinking that you can just heal yourself whenever you feel like being reckless." She told him firmly, making up a lie so neither of them had to face the truth, "You'll still heal quicker than any human, you'll just have to suffer through it."
He nodded, trying to look chastised, "If you say so, Danni-Girl." He sighed like he was completely put out. He then tugged her hands and pulled her onto the bed, pulling her up so she was lying on top of him, a leg either side of his hips, "Does that mean you're my nurse?" He asked cheekily and she rolled her eyes.
"Really, Theta?" She replied, "You've broken your leg."
"And you're the only one who can make me feel any better." He replied, smirking slightly, "I'm bedridden, we could have fun with it."
"Oh, Theta." She sighed before leaning down and capturing his lips with her own.
~0~0~0~
The cane looked stupid. He normally was all for eccentric accessories, but the cane just looked ridiculous and he made sure everyone knew that he felt that way. Of course, he only lived with Danni and Handles so they were the ones who bore the brunt of his incessant moaning.
"It's not even sonic." He told her, "My other cane was sonic."
Danni pulled his jacket closed, making sure he was nice and warm before he headed outside for the first time since his accident. Two whole weeks of being housebound – which Danni was convinced he'd extended because he liked being waited on by her – had made him incredibly restless and she was determined to get him out for a few hours.
"Yes, I remember." She replied patiently, "But it's in the TARDIS, who we haven't seen for almost 500 years now. I don't think you're getting it any time soon."
"She could be back any day now." He pointed out.
"That is true." Danni agreed before wrapping an arm around his waist, "However I am not waiting for her. You're going out of the house."
"Anyone would think you're trying to get rid of me, Danni-Girl." He retorted, "I'm hurt."
"No, you're bored." She replied bluntly, "Benji is desperate to make up for hurting you, go help him for a while."
"But I look old!" He moaned and she let go of his waist to take his free hand, standing in front of him to make sure he kept his attention on her.
"Theta, sweetie, you are old." She explained as gently as she could. She watched him pout, "It's a good think that I like older men, really. I mean, you're ancient."
"You're not exactly a spring chicken yourself, you know." He grumbled.
"Yeah, but you're really ancient." She teased before smiling gently, bringing his hand up to kiss his palm like he did to her when she needed comforting, "The cane suits you." She told him honestly. He looked down at it, a thoughtful look on his face.
"Really?" He asked and she nodded, making sure he could tell just how sincere she was being.
"It really does." She promised, leaning up to place a kiss on his lips, "And you may be a bit greyer than when we landed, but you're just as gorgeous as you always were." He smiled, bringing her in for another kiss, pretending that her words made him feel better. But they didn't, and they were less comforting each time she said it. When he looked at them both in the mirror in their bedroom, as she slept soundly but he lay awake and always thinking, all he saw was a beautiful, youthful, perfect woman and the old man she lived with. He loved her with both of his hearts, and he couldn't deny the look of adoration in her eyes when she looked upon him, but he couldn't help but feel so guilty. She deserved someone who could match her splendour, and day by day it became more and more apparent that just wasn't him.