Four Months Later…
"Jack," Danni groaned. "I know what I'm doing. Honestly, you think I'd been attacked by a Dalek or something by the way you're going on," she flopped onto the sofa in the living room. "It was just a Blowfish, you know that they're not a big deal."
"You're going to get yourself killed!" Jack ranted down the phone at her. She hadn't been expecting him to call, nor had she expected the lecture. She didn't even know that he knew what she was doing with UNIT, which meant that someone was keeping tabs on her. She suspected Kate, and she suspected it was part of the conditions he'd put on them having his vortex manipulator. "I've told you, UNIT are just using you because you're part Time Lord and…"
"And they think that I'm more indestructible than they are," she finished for him in a slow tone. It was always the same argument. "I can take care of myself, you know? In fact, you're the one who is always going on and on about how capable I am!"
Clara's bedroom door opened and she stepped out in a very nice black dress. Danni smiled at her and mouthed 'Date night?' Clara nodded and did a little twirl to show Danni her full outfit. Danni nodded in approval, giving her a thumbs up as she did.
"You are capable," Jack replied. "But you're just running whenever they call now, Danni, and they're going to get you hurt. I know you're missing life in the TARDIS, but this isn't the way to replicate it."
"Honestly, Jack, I'm fine," she retorted. "I can handle a couple of calls a month from UNIT to help them. If I didn't, I'd never leave the house."
"I've told you, we can do it together," he argued. "If you just come to Wales…"
"Jack, I'm not moving," she interrupted before they had the same argument again. While he had been very supportive since he'd first come to visit, she had found that his resolve on giving her space had waned somewhat. "I like living with Clara, I want to live with Clara. I thought you would be all in favour of two young women shacking up in the city."
Clara let out a snort, ignoring the way her heart raced at the suggestive grin Danni shot her way. "I have a boyfriend, remember?" she called out loudly so Jack could hear.
"And I have a husband," Danni replied dismissively. "We'll make it work."
"Danni, you know that's not what I'm trying to…" Jack growled. "At least can you let me know if you're going out hunting self-serving, murderous aliens?"
"I'll try," Danni replied. "You know sometimes you don't have time to stop and make a phone call. But I will let you know the moment I can, promise."
"Alright," Jack grumbled, obviously not too happy about the suggestion, but knowing from experience she was right. "If I find out you've not rung me, I'm going to ground you until you're seven hundred."
"Yes, sir," Danni giggled. "Love you, Jack."
"You too, Danni-Girl."
Danni hung up and grinned at Clara. "You're looking particularly sexy today," she complimented and Clara nodded in agreement. "Should I expect you back before tomorrow?"
"I shouldn't think so," Clara replied. "We're going out to that new Thai restaurant, and then back to his place for a movie or two," she smiled at Danni, though. She still felt bad about leaving her on her own for the night, even as they'd settled into a routine. "I'll be home for your date night tomorrow, though."
"That's good to know," Danni replied with a little amused grin. Clara was still treating her like she was so fragile, and Danni didn't mind at all. She found it rather cute, really, because she was the ancient alien and Clara was practically a baby compared to her. It really did make her appreciate how the Doctor felt when his companions did the same to him.
Clara checked the time, then quickly dashed to the door to put on her coat and shoes. "I've got my phone if you need me," she called over her shoulder.
"I'll be fine," Danni said. "Say hi to Danny for me," her eyes lit up and she turned on the sofa, looking over the back at Clara with mirth dancing in her eyes. "Tell him when you're kissing. Completely throw him, it'll be hilarious!"
"I'm not doing that," Clara replied shortly. "You wouldn't mention me to the Doctor, would you?"
"Where do you think I got the idea?" Danni replied. "Me and Eleven used to do it all the time. Try and get the other one to break by making them think of other people."
Clara frowned, looking at her. "Please don't tell me that's actually true."
"Of course it's not," Danni lied. Clara didn't look too happy with the revelation so she decided to spare her feelings on how her name would always get Eleven to demand she stop saying it. She never pulled the 'Clara' card often, but it always worked.
"Good," Clara replied slowly, shooting her a suspicious look before deciding that she really wanted to believe her. "I'll be back in the morning. Don't burn the flat down."
"Yes, mother!" Danni sighed and Clara left. She rolled her eyes and then slowly climbed out of the chair. Really, why did everyone think that she couldn't look after herself? She was six hundred years old, she wasn't a child. Child at heart maybe, but not an actual child.
She quickly dashed into her bedroom with a grin on her face. If she was going to spend the night on her own, it sounded like a fantastic excuse for a pyjama and duvet night on the sofa. She could catch up on some shows, watch a couple of movies. She didn't have the selection she had on the TARDIS, but she was sure she'd find something.
She chucked her bedding over her shoulder, walking into the living room, jumping a mile into the air at the sight of someone on the armchair. She narrowed her eyes in a glare, ready to tell whoever had broken in that she was very angry and very armed – a lie but they didn't need to know – when she saw the bushy hair and boots.
She untensed slightly. "River?"
River grinned at her. "Danni," she greeted happily. "Loving the pjs."
Danni glanced down at herself. There was nothing wrong with the set she was wearing, was there? She wasn't one for sets normally, she just liked comfy trousers and t-shirts, but this one had little birds on it and seemed rather cute. "I like them," she replied as if River had actually insulted them. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, it turns out that you've finally left your husband, and forgot to tell me," River explained and Danni grimaced in guilt.
"Ah," she said. "Yeah, I did kind of forget to ring you."
She hadn't done it on purpose. She wasn't as angry as once had been at River. She still wasn't completely comfortable with her the same way she was with Jack, but the hostility she once held for the archaeologist had faded. But River wasn't in the 21st century so she'd not even thought to contact her. In fact, she realised with a guilty pang, she'd not contacted River since their trip to Eleven.
"Sorry," Danni told her honestly. "It's been a crazy few months, I'm still trying to settle in."
River smiled at her. This body, much like the one before it, and a few after it, wore every emotion on her face. It changed her expression like a wave, the confusion disappearing to sadness and River couldn't help but feel happy that she'd elicited such a response from her daughter. This Danni went through many different fazes with her. This meant that she wasn't with an angry Danni, and it meant that she would come with her to make up for not calling her. Some mother-daughter time with her Danni-Girl.
She stood up and walked over with a little bit of a saunter. "That's why I'm here," River told her. "I figured that living with Miss Impossible Goody-Goody…"
"Hey, she's my friend," Danni snapped but River didn't bat an eyelid.
"Everyone would be trying to get you back with that heinous old crone," another glare from Danni. "I thought I could offer you the balance that I know the other people in your life won't offer you."
Danni frowned. "Balance?"
River held her arm out to her daughter, the one with the vortex manipulator on that she'd used to appear in her living room. "I'm going to show you what you can do on your own," she explained temptingly. "You don't need a TARDIS to travel the universe, after all."
It was tempting. Fighting aliens alongside UNIT was one thing, but she'd spent five hundred years in one spot, and now she hitting five months at Clara's, she was getting restless again for something new. Somewhere far away, with new faces, and new food, and new experiences that got her hearts racing and the adrenaline pumping. Even her one date a week with the Doctor was slowly becoming not enough to satisfy her wanderlust.
"I knew that," Dani replied, but she took River's arm. "Alright, show me what you've got."
River grinned. "You're going to love it."
~0~0~0~
The square they'd landed in was full of people. The sound of the crowd wasn't too loud that Danni couldn't hear River, but enough to be a constant background noise of people talking as they went about their lives.
Around them stood large, mainly glass buildings with a lot of people coming in and out. The sky was full of stars, but it was obviously daytime. Artificial lights lit up the area, illuminating the hustle and bustle. There was a statue of a woman in a fountain in the middle of the square, once again surrounded by people.
"Where are we?"
"Luna university," River replied as she watched Danni absorb her surroundings. She knew she was showing her something she'd never seen before, and she was going to enjoy it. "September 27th 5132. Orientation day 1."
"You've brought me to university?" Danni asked as she looked around. Now that she knew where she was, she could see it being a university. A lot of groups of young people, carrying bags and books, but a lot of them heading towards the building behind the statue.
"Well, you always talk about how you never got to finish your degree," River replied as she started walking Danni towards the main building with the rest of the budding students. "You could come here for a couple of years. You're more than smart enough to pass any of the classes, and you'll have a great time. Time travel is just starting to take off. You still have to be incredibly rich, but that's what your father is for."
"River, I've told you, I'm not mooching off Jack if I can help it," Danni replied. "You've tried to get me to come here before, and I said the same then."
"What else has he got to spend his money on?" River retorted and Danni shot her a look. She rolled her eyes. "Look, all I'm saying is give it a shot, you don't have to commit to anything today. I just want you to go in with an open mind."
"I just don't think it's for me," Danni replied unsurely as they headed up the stairs to the building. "I've done university before, I don't need to do it again. I'll just be repeating myself."
"You're sounding just like your husband," River pointed out bluntly. "Be your own person for once, you might just like it."
Danni's eyes widened in shock as they stepped into the giant convention hall. Lines upon lines of stalls stretched out in front of them like mini streets, and all the other available space was filled with students and professors, all asking questions and socialising. It was like some sort of festival, and the atmosphere was full of excitement.
"Hello there!" a very cheery young woman skipped up to them, a badge hanging around her neck that declared her a part of student union. "I'm Jasmine, head of the sporting societies. Have you just landed?"
Danni nodded, smiling at her enthusiasm. "Only been here about five minutes," she replied. "I'm Danni."
"Alright, Danni and," she glanced at River. "Mum?" she asked unsurely and River quickly nodded before Danni could correct her. "Alrighty then. I would start going down this lane first," she motioned to the aisle directly in front of them. "That's the faculty aisle. You can pick up a few leaflets, sign up for a couple of introduction lectures this afternoon. Everything down there will help you find your majors. Then when you loop back, you can see what we have to offer. You don't have to sign up to anything today, or even this week, but it's good to get a feel for them, because some do fill up fast."
She held out a handful of leaflets to them. "These are maps and times for talks and things. All of them are optional, but they can be quite useful. Are you the first to come to university in your family?"
"No, I graduated from here a few years ago," River offered in a drawl, hoping to get rid of the interfering girl who was taking up her time with her Danni-Girl. "I'm sure we'll be just fine."
Jasmine wasn't deterred, though. In fact, at that news, her eyes lit up. "A Luna alumni? Oh, you're going to be just fine then! But, if you need any help, I'll be here all day for the next five days. Just come find me."
Danni smiled at her. "I'm sure we will," she replied before grabbing River's hand. "Come on, mum."
"She must have put something in her coffee this morning," River commented as they walked away. "No one should be that peppy when manning the door to a student's fair."
"She's probably just excited at all the new faces," Danni replied. "And I'm sure there are plenty of new students who are very happy to see a friendly face."
River shot her a look. "You've always been too nice. She was annoying."
"You think everyone is annoying," Danni countered.
"Not true," River said. "I don't find you annoying."
Danni raised an eyebrow, shooting her a challenging look. "Oh? And who else?"
River took a moment, thinking over everyone she knew as they headed towards the first stall. "Mum and Dad can be alright on occasion."
Danni snorted. "Oh, don't let Amy hear you say that," she said. "You know she'd smack you into next Sunday."
"I have a vortex manipulator, I'd just jump back again," River replied as they stopped at the stall. They both looked up at the banner 'Sport and Physical Education'.
The two women looked at each other, before laughing at the mere thought and heading to the next one. "I know I run a lot," Danni replied. "But can you imagine me trying to kick a ball? Sometimes I trip over nothing."
"You get that from your grandfather," River replied. "Rory always had limbs that were too long for his coordination. It's a wonder he ever grew out of it."
"I'm six hundred years old," Danni pointed out. "I'm not going to grow out of it unless I regenerate out of it."
The next stall was 'Astrophysics', and Danni was pleasantly surprised to find that she actually understood some of the posters and things she was hearing. It was always nice to know that she'd picked up something up from all her travelling in space. She might not be able to pull it up straight away from her memory, but there was a lot that sounded right to her, and lot that she knew was wrong, and it made her feel rather smart.
There so many majors and departments, and River was determined to get her to look at all of them. She knew Danni would be resisting even the idea of doing something on her own, even if she was living with Clara. The Doctor had ingrained himself so deep in her head that River had seen how hard it was for Danni to break away from him. She just wanted Danni to consider doing this. It would be a good experience. Hers had been – well, up until the end anyway, and she couldn't really remember it.
When they came across the 'Archaeology and Anthropology' stall, River smirked slightly to herself. This was where she could show off her own connections.
"Professor Mars," she greeted the old man who was manning the stall. His eyes immediately lit up in recognition and he made his way over to the bushy-haired woman and her blonde companion.
"Dr Song!" he almost laughed, very enthusiastically shaking her hand. "I didn't think we'd see you around these parts for another few years at the very least."
"Well, I'm just here for a flying visit, showing my daughter around," she clapped her hand on Danni's shoulder. The man's brows furrowed as he looked at Danni, and the blonde's head tilted sideways as a result of her own confusion. "Danni, this is Professor Mars, one of the people who tried to teach me."
"I think we did a rather good job," he replied. "I seem to recall you were pregnant when you finally left us? Have your brought them today?"
River nodded. "Oh, I was," she replied. "This is her."
He looked at Danni warily and the Time Lord realised that River was messing with him completely with her. She grinned, nodding eagerly.
"That's me. Her one and only child," Danni replied. "She had me just after she graduated as a doctor."
"And… how old are you?" he asked her.
"Oh, roughly six hundred," Danni replied simply. "In fact, I think I'm six hundred my next birthday. It's very hard to keep track," she glanced up at River as the man tried to work out exactly what was happening. "I'm going to look at the Classical Reading stall. Coming?"
River nodded and smiled at the man. "It was lovely to see you again, Professor Mars. I'm sure I'll see you again."
"That was mean," Danni told her as they left the man, who watched them leave trying to work out just exactly what they had told him. "You could tell that he wasn't sure if we were joking or not."
"He was always a grumpy old fart," River dismissed. "Put me to sleep on more than one occasion, and hated to be proven wrong. He deserved to be confused once in a while."
"You're really selling this to me," Danni murmured pointedly.
"Were you ever going to consider archaeology?" River asked without waiting for an answer. "No. So it doesn't really matter if we confuse an old man, does it?"
The Classical Reading stall really caught Danni's attention, just like River knew it would the moment she had mentioned it. The two young people behind the wooden table were lightyears away from the stuffy professor that she'd had to deal with when she was at university.
Danni was listening to them intently, taking the offered brochure that they'd handed her as they went over what she could expect if she chose it as a major.
"Lectures are always at proper times," the first young man started. "The lecturer, Professor Botha really doesn't like morning lectures. She says that no one's brain can be creative before 11am."
"I'm inclined to agree with her," Danni replied. "Do you have a reading list?"
The other young man handed over a piece of paper. "This is a sample from last year," he told her. "You won't get the real one until you start, but there are some staples on there."
She quickly looked over the list, reminding herself she was just trying to be interested. There was an awful lot of people in the convention hall, a lot of eager faces and some not-so-eager people with pushy parents. All of them about to start a journey into their own lives, but she still felt like she'd already been it. And, as much as she liked seeing her friends and family where the Doctor wouldn't look back, she didn't want to do the same journey twice.
However, the book list was fantastic. Harry Potter seemed to have lasted the test of time, with Prisoner of Azkaban on the list. There were a few books she hadn't heard of – Killers of Sweden by Kurt Van Gray sounded very interesting. The list seemed rather long for a year, along with studying and actual real life, but she could see herself giving the list a look over when she was back on the TARDIS.
Her eyes scanned for the name she was looking for. Agatha Christie; awesome. She had no idea who Kath Opier was. But she grinned when she saw William Shakespeare was listed.
"What is the Shakespeare section like?" she asked the pair.
"Why don't you find out yourself?" the first young man replied, holding out a tablet to her. "Professor Botha is holding an introduction to Shakespeare this afternoon," he shot her a smirk. "I'll be going."
Danni quickly signed up, missing the look he was sending her that everyone else noticed. He deflated slightly as he realised he was being completely rejected, and River rolled her eyes at him. Why did all these silly little people always think they had a chance with her Danni-Girl?
"Can I keep this?" she asked the pair, giving the reading list a little wave.
"Sure," the second man said. "In fact, take this too," he handed her the leaflet for the course. "Classical Reading is more than just reading books, it's about the appreciation of people their stories behind it. A lot of our students minor in Creative Writing, so be sure to check out that stall and the society as well."
"I will, thanks um…"
The man smiled. "Professor Shakespeare," he replied and Danni's mouth dropped in happy surprise.
"No way!"
"Was I destined for anything else?" he retorted, waving his hand at the booth. She giggled, shook her head, and her and River headed off to the next stall.
"It does look rather interesting, doesn't it?" Danni commented quietly, her mind and eyes on the leaflet she'd been given. "They have a whole module dedicated to 34th century literature. I didn't even know that the 34th century was particularly interesting."
"I think that was the year that Wang Li released that young adult series that created a religion," River replied thoughtfully. "We excavated one of the temples that they built. Honestly, it only lasted for a century or so, but their philosophies were quite ingenious. If I could have chosen the cult that had kidnapped me, I would have chosen them."
Danni shot her a look for the blasé way that she talked about her childhood, but didn't comment on it. "They created a religion around a young adult novel?"
"It was the entire series," River replied. "People find comfort in many different things. They didn't fight with anyone, and there was no sacrificing. It's one of humanities least violent religions. It was probably why it only lasted a hundred years."
"That's a shame, I would have liked to see that. For all the travelling I do, it's rarely on Earth," Danni commented in disappointment.
"We can always go have a look," River said. "We can call it a field trip."
"If I actually decide to take the course," Danni pointed out. "I'm still not committing to anything. I don't particularly want to go back to university. I'm still trying to work out my marriage, and if that works, I'm going with the Doctor."
"Yes, yes, your wonderful husband who you left to live with a teacher. Sounds like a safe bet, right?"
"River," Danni snapped, this time losing her temper. "You don't have to like him, but I'm trying my hardest with this. I'm considering this like you asked, so just…" she sighed. "Just stop it, okay?"
River looked down at her, seeing the sad look on her face, and knew this time it was because of her and not the Doctor. She never wanted to hurt Danni, but she also didn't want to mollycoddle her to protect her feelings.
"You can do better on your own than you think you can," River told her.
"I'm doing just fine on my own," Danni retorted. "I've been working with UNIT, and I've got plans to go to a Halloween party with Clara and her friends. Christmas is just around the corner, and I'm really getting into day time television. It might not be travelling the stars, but I'm having fun."
River stopped in the middle of the path between the stalls, turning to her daughter and placing a hand on each of her arm. "Danni, I mean this in the nicest way possible. But you're dull."
Danni looked positively outraged. "I am not dull!"
"Yes, you are," River replied. "You're dull. You've stepped out of the TARDIS and onto a sofa. What happened to the Danni-Girl who wouldn't take anything else but the extraordinary? The red-headed woman who told the Silence that they were ugly? Who came with me to shoot Hitler?"
"I shot you instead, remember?" Danni pointed out quietly, and still feeling rather guilty about that. She'd been angry, and upset, and tired and still coming down from the drumming, but River had forgiven her so quickly and she'd always felt bad about it.
"So?" River retorted. "She wouldn't be sat around waiting for the Doctor to show up, to give her some… some ration of excitement, watching property programs in her pyjamas. She'd be looking for adventure herself. She always ran into everything head on."
"She didn't have a choice," Danni said forcefully. "She was strapped to a manipulator and shot off into situations she didn't have a choice in. And you know what she did?" she pointed at her chest. "You know what I did? I made the best of it! That's what I'm doing, River. I'm making the best of it. Don't you think I want to be travelling in the stars? Don't you think that being stuck in one place is driving me mad?"
River turned her around. "Look where you are," she said. "You're in the stars. You're on the Moon. The human race is spreading out into the universe, and if you're here, you can be a part of it."
Danni grimaced slightly as she felt a bit idiotic about not realising she was on the Moon. Suddenly the floor felt a lot harder, and lot less welcoming than it had just a moment before. It was because of the Moon that she was here in the first place.
But she was on the Moon, with it populated and bustling with life. It had been saved because of her, even if it was only because she'd given Clara the strength in her decision. Her memory was tainted by the wound in her marriage, but it was pretty awesome to see how it thrived in the future. Investigating wouldn't be too bad, would it? It'd just be like walking around a new planet.
"How about we check the societies out?" Danni suggested instead. "I want to see what activities they have to offer in the future."
River nodded, an idea already forming in her head as they made their way through the crowd. "Yes, let's do that."
~0~0~0~
River was very happy to watch from the side-lines as Danni bounced about in a spacesuit outside. She had never really been able to put her finger on it, but spacesuits just made her feel uncomfortable. It didn't matter the shape or style, there was something floating around in her memory that said she really should stay away from one.
Not that she wanted to spoil Danni's fun. Quite the contrary, in fact. She wanted her to have as much fun as was possible on the Moon at a university orientation day. Watching her hold onto a rope on the back of a moon buggy, being dragged like she was water skiing was obviously agreeing with her. She couldn't hear her, obviously, but when she went zooming past the window that looked out onto the surface, River could see her smile even with the helmet on.
If the Doctor was here, she knew he would be saying how dangerous it was. He wouldn't have let her out to do it, and he would have convinced her that staying back was a good idea. Either that, or he'd encourage her past the point of safety. She was all for giving Danni the ability to do what she was capable of, but either way she never felt like Danni was safe in his hands. Either he'd get her killed – or kill her himself – or he'd keep her locked away and she'd never get to shine in the universe.
She hadn't brought Danni to the university under the impression she would be able to convince her to take up a course. She hoped she would, and if Danni chose to stay River would pull the few strings she had within the university to ensure she got the classes she wanted, and the best dormitory. They'd just charge it to Jack because, no matter what Danni said, she knew that he would be outraged if she didn't let him pay for it.
Jack was another one who acted like they had Danni's best interests at heart, when River knew it was all his own selfish want. He wanted Danni to himself, his only daughter who would live along with him. He acted like he wanted her to be happy, but it was all in secret. The two men were very selfish, and made Danni believe that they were looking out for her best interests and not their own.
That wasn't to say that River didn't want her to be happy, but she didn't hide the fact that she wanted her to be happy with her mother. She knew best, and she wanted Danni to see that. Danni had been everything to her when she was a child. She'd saved her from… well, she didn't really remember what she had saved her from, just the fact that she had saved her. Then, when she'd grown up alongside her parents, she'd grown up on stories about the red-head who had climbed out of the police box and helped fight the voice on the other side of Amy's wall. This was the human she had learnt was tethered to the Doctor and still was alive and kicking. She was amazing, and Melody Pond had wanted her as her best friend.
Now she was her best friend. Danni Fielding, time jumper and 'prisoner' of the Doctor was her best friend. And now it could stay that way. Danni loved the Doctor, and if he made her happy then River would begrudgingly step down and let her be happy. However, if she had the chance to get her away from him then River was going to jump at it.
Danni rushed in from the outside, her helmet underneath her arm and River made sure to grin excitedly back at her when she skidded to a stop. "That was amazing."
"I thought that when you waved at me," River teased lightly as they headed back to the stall to give the spacesuit back in.
"Steven said that they get together once a week on a Sunday, and that there is a fee but that's only to cover insurance and the more people who sign up, the less it'll be," Danni rambled excitedly, much to River's surprised. "And if you have your own spacesuit, it's even cheaper for you. I can get my hand on a spacesuit easily, I have my own."
River didn't really know what to add for that. Danni seemed suddenly rather enthused about joining the society. Maybe she was actually really was considering staying here after all. Danni would really flourish under a university setting. Maybe she'd apply for another degree. She'd always liked to read books, they could do the same classes.
"And he also said that if I was enjoying the Zero-Grav Sports Society, that I should totally take a look at the E. T. Sports Club. Apparently they tend to work together, and it's not that expensive either."
This wasn't just enthusiasm, this was enthusiasm about sports and River knew she had to seize this chance before it slipped through her fingers. "We can have a look later if you like," River replied. "We've got to get to that Shakespeare lecture, remember?"
River didn't think it was possible for her to get more excited, but her eyes lit up and she didn't look anywhere close to her six hundred years. She looked like she was in her early twenties, like she'd done when she'd first come back into her life.
"This is so fun!" she cheered, all but dragging River away from the stall. "Which way do we have to go?" she asked.
River pulled them to a stop and turned her around. "This way."
~0~0~0~
"Oh my God," Danni repeated yet again as they left the lecture room. "I mean… Oh my God."
"I'm glad you enjoyed it," River murmured, annoyed that she'd just spent two hours of her life listening to a woman drawl on about a dead guy. Being an archaeologist meant that the lives of the dead tended to fascinate her, even if she'd only really taken the course to find out more about the Doctor and his wife. But she liked to get stuck into the finding out of the information, not being told it from behind a desk. Maybe she wouldn't come back to university with her after all.
"That whole bit about Shakespeare's revival in the 27th century had so much more behind it!" Danni continued. "I really wish I'd been able to ask more questions about it."
"Someone else had to get a chance to talk, sweetie," River replied. "You were the only one asking anything."
"I can't help it," Danni replied. "I love to learn, and you don't get anywhere without asking questions. I'll have to see if she has any more lectures I could go to."
River wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close. "You'll be able to go to loads when you start the course."
Danni looked up at her, confused. "I'm not taking any course," she replied.
"But, you've been enjoying yourself!" River protested. "You… you made me sit through that stupid lecture!"
"It was a good lecture," Danni protested. "And I have been enjoying myself. It was a nice reminder of what I left behind. But, look at it," she waved at the students wandering around. "They're all starting their journey. This is the first stop for all these people, but I've already made it. I went to uni. I may not have finished, but I did it. I went on my journey, I don't want to go back on myself."
River watched her look over the area with a smile on her face. "I enjoyed university, but I'm done with it. It was nice to remember where I've been, but it's not me anymore," she turned back to River. "Plus, I'd definitely be stuck in one place. I don't want that."
River sighed in exasperation. "I wish you'd told me that before the lecture," she grumbled. She needed another plan, another way of showing her that she could still do it on her own. If this wasn't the way, she needed something else. Something more convincing, that would show her that life after the Doctor, even a stationary life, would be better than a life with him.
She grinned to herself. "Alright," she replied. "University was a bust, I hold my hands up to that. But," she held her arm out to Danni. "I'm not over yet. Want to see what's next?"
Danni could never resist a tease of a special trip, so she quickly took hold of her arm, not another thought for Luna University. A flash of light they were gone, and a flash of light meant that they had landed.
Danni frowned at the street they had landed on. Her instincts immediately said that they were on Earth, and the wide streets said they weren't in Britain. She frowned as she looked around. The street was quite full of people, although they didn't seem to have noticed the two magically appearing women, but there didn't seem to be too many cars.
"Where are we?" she asked River, who just nodded towards the house they'd appeared in front of.
"Go see," River replied. "I'm not going to hold your hand and direct your experience."
Danni rolled her eyes. "I'm not a child," she snapped, a little annoyed. "I enjoy spending time with him, you're just going to have to deal with it."
Not if River had anything to do with it. She watched Danni walk up to the inconspicuous front door on the house, ready for her world to be turned upside down. The perfect way for her to not be dependant of the Doctor was to show her that a life could be lived after him.
Danni reached up, rapping her knuckles against the wood three times. Nothing happened for a moment, and she considered knocking again but heard footsteps as she raised her hand.
"Rory, did you forget your keys again?" A voice called that had Danni's hearts freeze and her eyes widen. Everything seemed to slow down. The accent was Americanised, but there was definitely a strong hint of Scottish in there.
The door opened and the red-headed woman on the other side seemed surprised to see her there. "Oh, sorry, I thought you were my husband," she said, not sounding sorry at all.
"Amy?"