Danni stretched out into the bed, sighing happily as she slowly woke up. The bed was obviously not on the TARDIS, nor was it her bed at Clara's, nor was it Clara's bed. But she knew where she was. For once she woke up with some sort of idea of where she was.
She was in the Ponds house.
Well, she was in the Williams's house, as she should call it. Much like the Doctor she found herself calling them the Ponds more than the Williams's, although unlike the Doctor she did try and correct herself when she realised what she'd done.
The Williams's spare room wasn't very big. There was enough room for a single bed, a wardrobe and a mirror. It had one small window that sat above the bed and that was about it. For the small space they'd made really good use of it.
In fact, it was supposed to be River's room. She didn't stop with her parents very often stating the fact that she spent long enough in one place as the reason. But, when she did, Amy and Rory had wanted a room just for her. Danni had tried to get her to use the bed, but she wouldn't give in and Danni had been so tired when she'd woken up propped up against her grandfather that she hadn't fought against it for long.
She sat up and smiled softly to herself. The whole thing felt incredibly dreamlike. Even the early morning light streaming in through the windows gave the room a surreal feel. As she chucked her legs over the side of the bed, her eyes scanning for her clothes, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was at her grandparents' house. The she actually had a family home to go back to, and one that was set in time and space. No more jumping around with River, or trying to find Jack across the cosmos in whatever form he happened to be in at the time. Her grandparents lived in New York, in the early to middle 20th century, and that was where they would always be.
She quickly got dressed so she could head down for breakfast. The visit was just a short and sweet one, and she had to get back before Clara noticed she'd gone. She knew River could just drop her back the moment after she left, but it was always a worry that she'd be missed.
She opened the door out into the landing to see Tony mid-step. He froze in surprise and alarm just outside her room and she shot him a confused look. "Are you alright?"
He quickly nodded, catching himself and trying not to look like he had been doing something he shouldn't. "I was just… uhh…"
"Were you waiting for me?" she asked with a faint smirk on her lips. The way his eyes widened said just that and she chuckled slightly.
"Mom said I wasn't allowed to wait," he told her. "I was just walking past in case you woke up, is all."
Danni shot him a smile. "And I did, so no harm done," she replied. "Come on, she better have cooked me something good."
"Oh, she has," Tony quickly replied. "It's better than what she normally cooks me. Says it's your favourite."
Danni's eyes lit up. "Pancakes?" she asked and he nodded. "Oh, excellent. Come on, maybe we get your dad to make some as well!"
She grabbed him by the hand and practically dragged him down the stairs. Rory used to make her pancakes when it was her birthday, and while they may not have been anything too special, the idea alone gave her that wonderful nostalgic warmth that had her craving some.
"Dad has to go to work," Tony replied slowly and a little unsurely. "His shifts are really messed up lately."
Danni shook her head. "Nah, he'll have time," she replied with the entitlement that came with six hundred years of life. "It's not every day that your granddaughter comes to visit from the future."
They entered the kitchen/dining room to find Amy at the stove making the pancakes that Danni had guessed, while Rory was sat at the table reading a newspaper while sporting a pair of glasses of his own. "Pancakes?" Danni called out like a child.
Amy glanced over her shoulder, catching sight of her son holding Danni's hand. "Didn't I tell you to leave her to sleep?" she scolded.
"I did!" Tony protested, walking over to the table. "I was… I was just going to my room and she came out of hers!"
"It's true," Danni added as she sat down next to Rory. "You really need some curtains in that room if you want me to stay over again, Pond. I'm used to sleeping in rooms without windows, it's too bright."
Amy nodded. "On it," she replied. "Rory, fit her some curtains."
Rory looked over his newspaper at his wife, a look on his face that said that he was used to orders being given to him like that, but that he still wasn't sure he appreciated it. "Yes, dear."
"Melody never asked for curtains," Amy told Danni as she walked over with the first plate of pancakes, placing them in front of her son. "I think she likes the daylight."
Danni nodded. "I can see that," she replied, neither of them mentioning the cell that River spent most of her time in when she wasn't out in the universe. "You remember the rooms on the TARDIS, though. They only have windows if you ask for them, and Clara's room is in the middle of the building so she doesn't have any either. Trenzalore was the same as well."
"Mom and dad said that the TARDIS liked bunkbeds," Tony said as he tucked into his pancakes, covering them entirely with syrup.
"No, the Doctor liked bunkbeds," Danni corrected. "The TARDIS just likes to prank people when she can. Once she turned your mum and dad's bed into bunkbeds while they were still asleep."
"I remember that," Amy laughed. "I woke up on the top one."
"I woke up on the floor," Rory grumbled. "After falling out of the bed. You didn't even wake up."
Amy shrugged. "I've always been a heavy sleeper," she offered as an excuse, but she shot a wink at her son that said that she had known all along. Tony giggled and Danni leant closer to Rory, a grin on her face.
"It runs in the family," she told him. "When I was ginger I slept like the dead."
Amy walked over with a plate of pancakes for her husband. "Once, she fell asleep outside Vincent Van Gogh's house on a bench," she told her son. "We were with the greatest painter, and she fell asleep."
Rory frowned. "I don't remember that," he told her.
"That's because you didn't exist, dear," she replied, placing a kiss on his temple before moving towards the stove again. "How many pancakes do you want, Danni?"
"I would love three Roman ones please," she replied cheekily. Rory looked back down at her to see her looking expectantly up at him. He made a move to protest, after all he had work soon, but eventually just sighed and stood up.
"Three?" he repeated and she nodded, a bright smile spreading across her face.
"Thank you, grandad!" she exclaimed as he made his way over to the stove. Amy quickly took his seat and she and Danni raised orange juice glasses, clinking them together.
"You know Amy makes the exact same pancakes?" he asked as he poured the first ladle of batter in the pan.
"Yeah, but hers aren't Roman, are they?" Danni pointed out. He rolled his eyes, but didn't say anymore, just quietly grumbled to himself.
"Why would dad be Roman?" Tony asked, talking with his mouth half-full. Amy shot him a pointed look, and he finished the bite before continuing. "I thought dad was English."
"He is," Danni agreed as the living room door opened and River joined them at the table. "He was also a plastic centurion for a little while. Did you mum and dad never tell you about when he was erased from history?"
He shrugged. "I remember that story from when I was little," he replied. "But I didn't like it too much. Too much kissing."
"I'll agree with that," River said as she sat down next to Danni. "Have you got any coffee?"
Amy nodded, standing up to make her daughter a drink, a mirror of the day before. "We weren't as bad as you," she told Danni. "You were the ones snogging while we were trying to save those dinosaurs."
Danni shook her head. "Not true, I think you find I was the one being kissed! He was doing it to confuse me, remember?"
She smiled softly to herself at the memory of running around a spaceship, still not completely clear on the life she'd been bound into. Eleven had been in an incredibly teasing mood, one she would learn came from the fact that he'd begin to see her less and less as he got older. "Huh, I've not thought about that in a long time," she commented quietly.
Amy glanced over, seeing the melancholy look on her face and recognised it from long ago, on the face of another Time Lord. She took a look at her son, who was watching, bewildered, but had finished his breakfast. "Go get ready for school, Tony," she ordered lightly.
Immediately a pout appeared on his face. "But mom…"
"Now, Anthony," Amy said with a warning in her voice and he sighed, standing up.
"Fine," he grumbled, leaving the room. Amy wrapped an arm around her granddaughter.
"You still miss him, don't you?" she asked gently. Danni shrugged.
"I miss all of him," she replied softly. "I won't even stop. It's been over 500 years since I've seen Nine or Ten, and I miss them deeply. I just spent so long with Eleven…"
"Do you think, that maybe it's missing him that's causing some of… you know…"
Danni quickly nodded. "Oh, I know it is," she replied. "But, I got help with that," she glanced over at River, shooting her a grateful smile that it seemed she didn't understand yet. That was a pity. "And I'll always miss him. But I'm moving on, and I love the Doctor as much as I always did."
She sighed heavily. "What really hurts me is how much he hates himself," she said softly. "Whenever one of us brings up Eleven, I can see it in his eyes. He hates the man he was, and it hurts. It hurts because we have five hundred years together and he obviously didn't like any of it."
She cleared her throat, realising just how dangerously close she had come to tears. "But, I don't want to talk about it," she declared. "It's sad, and I'm going home soon."
Rory placed her pancakes in front of her. "You're too good for him," he said bluntly and she started giggling.
"You would say that, you're my granddad," Danni pointed out and he nodded, sitting down next to River now that his chair had been stolen by his wife.
"I am, and you are," he replied. "But, having lived with him without you for a while, he loved every moment of his life when you were in it. If he didn't like any of it, it'll be that 300 years when you weren't there."
Danni smiled at him, genuinely touched by his blunt statement, and Amy reached over the table to kiss her husband on the lips. "That was actually very sweet," she told him.
"Thanks," he murmured. "Your surprise is hurtful, genuinely hurtful."
Amy kissed him again as Tony came rushing into the room, barely dressed. "Eww, stop it," he exclaimed.
"Yeah, listen to him," River added, grimacing. "The niceness in here is vomit-inducing."
"Be nice," Amy told them. "The pair of you. Get your shoes on, Tony, you're going to miss your bus."
"Can't I stay off today, mom?" he whined. "Danni's here, and Melody too!"
"No, you can't," she replied. "We've talked about this all morning. Get your shoes on."
"But mom."
Rory watched as his son stomped his foot down. "Tony, don't whine at your mother," he told him and Tony shot him an annoyed look. "She won't let me take the day off, you have no chance."
Amy smacked her husband on the arm. "Both of you get out of the house!" she snapped. "Now, before I get cross!"
Both Tony and Rory shared a look, and then the boy was running to his shoes, slipping into his shoes whereas Rory turned back to his wife. "Even me?"
"Yes, even you," she retorted. He sighed and stood up, walking around to wrap his arms around her from behind.
"Have a good day, dear," he told her. He then moved to River, giving her a quick hug as well. Danni, however, stood up and wrapped her arms around her grandfather.
"It was good to see you, Danni," he told her honestly. "Make sure you come back soon."
Tony's ears perked up before Danni could even reply. "Come back? Are you going?"
Danni nodded, letting Rory go to get ready. "I have to get back, sweetie. I'll be back, though."
"But you've only been here an evening!" he protested. "Why can't you stay a little longer?! My friends haven't even met you yet!"
Knowing that he really wanted his friends to meet her was incredibly touching. "I know, I'm disappointed too," she explained. "But I didn't even know I was coming here, it was a very happy surprise, but I'm glad it happened. But, all my stuff is at home. I have no clothes or anything."
She didn't mention the fact that she really wanted to get back to her date with her husband, who she was missing more and more as they'd talked about him. Or Clara, who was probably going out of her mind with worry.
"When's your birthday?" she shot out of the blue and Tony frowned slightly in confusion.
"September 15th, why?"
"I'll come back September 15th," she told him. "And I'll stay for a couple days then, okay?"
This seemed acceptable, because even though he didn't want her to go, his eyes lit up at the idea of a birthday visit. "And you'll meet my friends?"
She smiled. It was times like this that she felt more like the Doctor than herself. She wasn't used to being the one people wanted to see, so when she was she really enjoyed it. "If you want me to, sure."
"Tony, school bus," she reminded and the young boy nodded, now all the eager to go to school.
"I'll see you then, Danni!" he exclaimed before dashing out of the house, bag bouncing on his back.
"He's so cute," Danni told the two parents. "He's going to be a murder of a teenager."
Rory groaned. "Don't remind us," he said before wrapping an arm around her shoulder. He placed a kiss on her hair. "Be careful and take care of yourself," he told her. "We'll be expecting you in the morning."
She shrugged him off. "Yes, grandad," she groaned teasingly.
"I mean it," he warned. "Bring your Christmas list."
Danni watched him, a tilt to her head and frown on her face as he headed out after his son. Something about that idea settled uneasily in her stomach, and it didn't completely disappear when she finally was able to sit down and finish her pancakes, tucking into them as if they were the best meal she had ever eaten.
"You don't have to go straight away, though, do you?" Amy asked, trying to sound like she didn't care but coming across like she was desperate for her not to leave.
Danni smiled at her. "No, not straight away," she replied softly. "You still have to tell me about the last ten years, after all. What did I miss?"
~0~0~0~
Amy had to give her one more hug before she left. Perhaps it was to make up for the fact that she never got a proper goodbye that day in Manhattan, but Danni could tell she was doing it properly this time just in case Danni didn't come back.
She was rather hurt by the assumption that she'd forget about her, although she could understand it considering the gap that had been between the last time Amy had seen her. She might not be a frequent visitor, but she was going to make sure she saw all of her family more often.
Amy held her by the top of the arms, looking over her with eyes that had spent a decade wondering what she looked like in person. "If you're not here on September 15th, I'm coming looking for you," she warned Danni like it was a threat she could keep.
"You can't keep me away," Danni promised.
"And bring the Doctor next time," the red-head continued. "I want to see if he still likes me."
Danni rolled her eyes. "Of course he will," she dismissed. "Why wouldn't he?"
Amy couldn't think of a proper argument to that, but she still leant in closer, with an unsure look on her face. "Will I like him?"
Danni smirked. "You'll love him," she promised. "He's Scottish, now."
They had talked about regeneration enough over the years they had known each other for Amy to understand what that meant. It meant that, between impossible girls and impossible wives, the Doctor had never forgotten her and a weight she had carried for a decade was lifted off her shoulders.
"So, no more waiting, eh?" Danni said softly. Amy shot her a look.
"Oh, you know I'm too good at it," she replied. They giggled together, then Danni took hold of River's hand. The archaeologist looked down at her surprised at the contact, or rather the familiarity that Danni was offering her.
"I expect you sooner than September, Melody," Amy told her daughter, who looked distinctly unimpressed at the stricter conditions, even though they all knew she loved being mothered by Amy.
"If I'm not busy," she retorted. With a little wave off Danni, they were gone, appearing instantly and yet sixty years later in Clara's flat.
"There you are, ten seconds after you left," River told her, checking her vortex manipulator just to make sure she had landed properly, although there was no reason to assume that they were anything but on time. She could drive, after all. "Little Miss English Teacher won't even know you've been away."
Danni nodded vaguely, her eyes darting around the room even though she wasn't looking at anything at all. "Yeah, that's great."
She didn't let go of River's hand, either, and while she wasn't complaining, she also was rather concerned about it. "Danni, what is it?" she asked, her own eyes looking for the threat that Danni was obviously trying to plan around.
What she didn't know was that there was nothing wrong with the flat at all. Danni was looking around frantically because she was planning, that was true, but not around a threat. She had seen the Pond family at work, and even in the short amount of time she had seen and interacted with them, she knew that they were happy, and settled, and that they had moved on from their time with the Doctor and Danni, in the TARDIS.
But there was something missing. She had been trying to put her finger on it, but hadn't found it until Rory had mentioned Christmas Lists. It had hit her then, and she knew she had to do something about it. There was someone missing from the Williams family home. Someone with no other family, who had given their blessing for Amy and Rory to continue the life that had ultimately torn them away from them.
She looked back up at River. "I need you to take me somewhere else," she told River, who nodded instantly. "I need you to take me to Brian Williams."
River cocked her eyebrow in confusion at the request – she thought Danni would have had enough of family gatherings at that point – but lifted her vortex manipulator to do just that.
Danni, though, placed a hand on hers, stilling her input of co-ordinations. "The day after Amy and Rory left for good."
~0~0~0~
Brian Williams wasn't a complicated man. He liked his walk in the morning to get his morning newspaper, and he liked to spend the rest of the day tending to his flowers. He'd retired with more than enough money and pension to not have to worry about his bills, and his wife had left many moons ago, so he didn't have to worry about keeping anyone entertained. It was just him, his flowers, and his golf.
So, when someone knocked on his door, he knew it was just going to mess with his day. But, he was polite, and he liked people so he opened the door all the same. On the other side was the bushy-haired woman Amy and Rory had introduced them to as his granddaughter and their childhood friend, and a blonde woman who he'd never seen before.
"Ah, Melody," he greeted, keeping a smile on his face although their relationship made his head hurt slightly. "Do come in."
He stepped out of the way, motioning them inside. "Your friend may join you as well," he clarified, just in case she thought she had to stay outside.
The blonde shot him a warm smile as River stepped into the house. "Thanks, Brian," the archaeologist said. "This is Danni Fielding, by the way. My daughter, the Doctor's wife, etcetera."
Brian looked at the blonde with a frown. "But you look nothing like her," he told her and Danni nodded.
"You're definitely not wrong, Mr Williams, but it's true," she replied. This was always tricky, and another reason she knew that the Doctor didn't like going back to see people when he regenerated. How do you explain to someone you have a new face?
She shuffled slightly on the spot. "I can log onto my emails, if you like?"
He looked her over for a moment. Melody seemed to think she was Danielle, and he'd seen a lot of strange things since meeting the Doctor and Danni. Dinosaurs on a spaceship, little black boxes on earth, his son and daughter-in-law visited so many different places and brought him pictures and gifts. Changing faces really didn't seem to be too far a leap.
"No, it's fine," he told her happily and he motioned her inside too. "So, you're Melody's daughter?"
Danni nodded, slightly unnerved by the way he took it in his stride. "It would seem so," she agreed as she followed him into the kitchen, where the table was already laid out for his next meal. "It makes us family."
He paused for a moment as he poured some water into the kettle. "I guess it does," he agreed, before finishing his task then walking over to the table.
"Just one big happy family," River drawled and Danni shot her a look.
"Something like that," she said with a bit a bite in her voice. "Would you like me to make the tea, Mr Williams?"
"No, I am on top of it," he said in a tone that said he was very happy with his job so far. "I hope you are not hear for Rory and Amy, I haven't seen them for a while."
Danni and River shared a look as River realised why there were visiting Brian. Not that she had anything against the man, but she didn't feel the same about him as she did with Amy and Rory, she didn't feel like she missed a childhood with him as her grandfather. Really, he was a stranger to her, only known to her as Rory's dad. She would have never visited him without Danni, but she'd just assumed that she'd wanted to see more family now it had been opened to him.
But that wasn't it, was it?
Danni shifted slightly. "That's why we're here," she said lowly, guiltily and Brian looked a bit bewildered as a sense of dread fell over him. "There's something you need to know."
And so Danni explained. She explained about the book that Melody had written, and the Weeping Angels that had taken Manhattan. How Rory had sacrificed his life to save the world but had survived, and about how they'd lost them both at the end.
"So, they're in the 1950's?" Brian and slowly, cradling the cup of tea that Danni had made for him once he'd become too stunned to make it.
"They're very happy together," Danni replied. "They didn't die, they're living and they're happy. Rory because a doctor, Amy's a writer."
"But you have a time machine," Brian pointed out. "You could just go pick them up, right?"
Danni shook her head. "We saw their gravestone, it said they'd died in the past, at a good old age. But, it meant that it was set, we couldn't change it."
Brian sat back in his chair, his eyes closed for a moment. "The Doctor said he'd bring them back safe."
"And he tried," Danni defended and River snorted in derision. "No, he did! He begged Amy to not let the Angel touch him, and if she hadn't he would have found a way eventually to save Rory too. It's just…" she sighed. "Amy knew that, if she went back in time, she'd be with Rory always. The Doctor would have tried, but there was no guarantee that he would have. She just wanted Rory."
Brian didn't say anything for a while. She expected him to shout, or to tell her to get out. She wouldn't blame him, either, but he just took his time to process what she said.
"I'm never going to see them again," he stated and Danni shook her head.
"Not exactly," she replied and both River and Brian looked at her in confusion, although River's look was tinted with suspicion.
"What do you mean?" she asked Danni slowly, but Danni didn't look at her.
"I'm here to offer you something," she told Brian. "I'm offering to take you back to them."
"Danni, wait a minute…" River started as Brian sat up straighter.
"You can take me to them?" he asked, looking ready to stand up and grab his suitcase.
"Before you make a decision, I want to explain it to you," she started. "There are some things you should know."
"I just want to be with my son," he told her. "Him and Amy are my family."
"I know," Danni said. "That's why I'm here. But you need to know everything, you need to make an informed decision," she watched him want to protest, which was the most energy she'd ever seen come from Brian Williams. But then he settled and she shot him a smile. "First, it's permanent. You won't be able to come back. Amy and Rory are stuck in the past, and you will be too. Secondly, it's going to be in New York. No more England."
He nodded. "Fine," he said impatiently.
"Thirdly, it's going to be a decade after they landed," she continued. "I can't go back further than that, because that's when they first see me again and you weren't there. That's a whole decade of their life that you have missed, in which they would have grieved knowing you and their life now. There may be awkwardness, because they weren't going to see you ever again."
"I don't care," he said. "They're safe and I want to see them again."
"Lastly, I'm not taking you now," she told him apologetically.
"Why not?" he demanded.
"Yeah, why not?" River asked.
"Because, you've only just found out what has happened," Danni explained. "Because it's raw, and you're hurting, and I understand. But it's not a decision to take lightly and I don't want you to make a rash decision that you'll regret."
"He's my son," Brian insisted.
"And this is your life," Danni countered. "This is your home, those are your streets. The people outside are your neighbours, your friends. You need to be sure, and…" she sighed. "So, in three months, I will be back. Take your time, think it over, and if you still want to go back then I will take you."
There were many emotions in the air. Hurt, anger, sadness, determination. Danni could feel them all coming from Brian Williams even if he didn't show them to the outside world. So, she stood up from her chair, motioning to River with her head.
"It was good to see you, Mr Williams," she told him honestly. "And I am truly sorry for what has happened. We'll see you in three months."
With another nod of her head, she and River left, stepping out into the Leadworth street and watching the residents walk by without a care.
"This is stupid," River told her. "People die and disappear all of the time, are you going to reunite them all?"
"Of course not," Danni snapped. "I mean, if I could I would, but it's impossible and not everyone wants to be reunited. But he's family, and he deserves better than what I gave him."
"What you gave him?" River asked. "What did you do?"
"I sent Amy back in time," Danni reminded. "The Doctor wanted to save her and Rory, but I cemented their deaths by telling her to go to Rory. The Doctor promised to keep them safe, and I'm the one who broke that for him. So, this is me fixing it."
River watched the guilt almost crush her, her shoulders sagging and her head dropping forward, her eyes downcast. "I didn't really think about it. I was too busy worrying about my own life, like I always am. I don't think about the mess I leave behind. I want to clean it up, I want to fix it."
River sighed. She wasn't too happy with messing with history like this, however once again she could never say no to Danni. Plus, it was only Brian Williams. "Well, it's more than you husband does," she commented and Danni shot her a dark look that she ignored. "What do we do?"
"Well, you take me three months into the future," she explained. "Where we'll do as he asks."
~0~0~0~
It took Brian Williams two days to get his stuff in order. He'd never been one for material sentimentality, so he'd packed up what little he had into a couple of suitcases, and then he'd waited.
It turned out that he'd be rather thankful that Danni had given him those three months. As he walked down the street to the shops in the morning, he was more attentive of each step. He took in the small little village, and the greenery, and the people he passed. His flowers seemed to take on brighter colours, and his games of golf were faster than ever.
But, as he waited the morning of that day, three months later, he'd never been so sure of anything since Rory had been born and he knew that he had a son to nurture, to love, to help grow in a way his flowers could only mimic. And, when the front door opened and Danni walked in with his granddaughter in tow, she could see his mind was made up.
And she smiled. A big grin spread on her face and they hugged. He told her how grateful he was for the opportunity, and she told him how she'd visit often.
She looked at the two suitcases he had at his feet. "Is that all you want to take?" she asked gently and he nodded.
"One with my things, and one full of money," he told her.
She shot him a weak smile. "Mr Williams, you know that it'll be 1954, don't you?" she reminded him, wondering if she needed to give him more time. "You won't be able to use any dollars from now."
"Very true, Danielle," he replied with a nod. "However, I wasn't idle while you were away. I had a tidy little nest egg, and it seemed a shame to waste it. I scoured the internet using this search engine called 'Google' and found as much money from the era as I could. It wasn't much, but I managed to get a few thousand dollars. It doesn't seem a lot, but it's all in different notes and coins and wouldn't fit into my other suitcase."
Danni didn't really know what to say to that, but River let out a little laugh. "Well, aren't you full of surprises Brian?" she commented, holding her arm out to him. "Are you ready?"
He nodded, picking up his bags and taking a firm hold of his granddaughter. Danni didn't move, though, and he frowned. "Are you not coming, Danielle?"
She shook her head. "You're already a bit overloaded for her to travel with," she explained. "I'll just complicate the matters. But, I'll see you in September."
He nodded once. "Very well. Ready when you are, Melody."
He didn't even take one last look at his house, and he was gone. Danni felt her lip wobble slightly, tears appearing, but she blinked them away. They were happy tears, but still rather bittersweet. She'd torn the family apart, and this was the only way she could apologise. She remembered the pain of being torn from her home without a choice well, and it still hurt after all these years, after all the good and bad memories she had to drown it away. She wouldn't have wished that on anyone, and she'd done it to her own family.
River appeared only moments later and immediately looked concerned. "Are you okay?" she asked and Danni nodded.
"I'm fine," she promised. "How were Amy and Rory?"
River shrugged. "No idea," she replied bluntly. "I didn't stick around to find out. Dropped him at the front door and told him to explain everything to them."
"River!" Danni scolded. "That's horrid, you should have stayed."
River took hold of her hand. "Why?" she asked. "There would just be a lot of crying and talking. I had enough of that when I took you back to see them, I didn't want a repeat."
Danni rolled her eyes, and a moment later they were back in her living room. "River, you can be so cold sometimes," she told her. "He's your grandfather."
River shrugged and Danni knew no amount of arguing would change her mind, that River had already moved over the experience and was onto her next adventure. "I'm never going to convince you to leave that man fully, am I?" River asked and Danni shook her head.
"Sorry," she said, as if she meant it. "I'm glad you tried though. I really had a good time. We should do it again, Mels."
Watching River's face light up in happy surprise at the nickname was both sad and very happy. Danni reached out and hugged her tightly. Somewhere, somehow along the line, Danni had started to think of her as a friend again and she was rather relieved. "Thank you, Little Melody."
River hugged her back tightly. "Don't mention it," she replied, letting her go. "I mean it, don't mention it. I want to tell the Doctor just so I can see the look on his face when he realises I did what he never could."
"River," she warned and she laughed, disappearing in a flash a light without saying goodbye. Danni shook her head with a sigh. "You always were so dramatic."
~0~0~0~
Clara Oswald hadn't rushed home from her boyfriend's flat the morning after a wonderful date and an even better night. She wasn't worried about leaving Danni on her own all night, of course she wasn't. Danni was a grown woman, there was no reason at all to feel guilty.
She had just fancied that quick stroll back to her flat. She definitely wasn't out of breath when she stepped in and she most certainly didn't need a moment to lean against her front door before her knees gave way and she fell to the floor in a puddle of sore muscles and lungs.
She caught her breath, calmed herself down, and headed into the living room to pretend like she'd been there all night – so, you know, Danni wouldn't feel bad about being alone. She froze, though, as she saw Danni and River hugging. Her friend hugging the one person she'd sworn she would never forgive, before she disappeared in a flash of light.
"Danni?" she asked unsurely, not having a clue about what she had just witnessed. Danni turned around and smiled at her.
"Clara!" she exclaimed. She seemed mildly confused by her, before a smirk appeared on her face. "Good night?" she teased.
Clara immediately blushed but headed for her bedroom like she'd not been caught sneaking in the next day. "Yes, thank you," she replied. "I'm going to have a shower, then you can tell me everything that happened while I was away."
"Only if you do the same for me!" Danni called after her.
"Piss off!"