"You can sit down, you know?" Clara pointed out to Danni as she paced the front room. She'd been unable to sit still for the past hour or so, and Clara was trying to mark the last of her homework for the following week. She was on top of it, as she always was this close to the start of the year, but Danni's constant fretting was very distracting.
"I know, I will," Danni replied offhandedly. She was just nervous. She'd spent the day telling Clara about her trip back to the past, but then she realised she was going to have to tell the Doctor. She wasn't sure he was going to react well to the idea that she went back to the Ponds without him. Especially without him.
Clara sighed, looking up at her and placing her pen down. "What are you expecting to happen? He'll be happy for you," she said.
"What if he's not?" Danni shot back. "What-What if he planned on taking me back? Or, maybe, he didn't want me to go back at all! Maybe there was some timey-wimey reason that I couldn't go back. And Mr Williams! He's not going to be happy that I took Mr Williams back. Not at all."
"Did you take him back because of the Doctor?" Clara asked her.
"No, I took him back because he deserved to be with his son and daughter-in-law," Danni replied quickly. "There's rules, though."
"And you care about the rules?"
"Of course not," Danni said. "But he does." Clara raised her eyebrow. "Alright, he pretends he does. I don't want him to get mad at me because we're getting back on track. I think we're getting each other more. His comments don't make me mad like they used to, and he's making them less as well. We're getting there. I was even thinking…" she shook her head. "I can't now, though. It's too much, he's going to need time after this."
Clara's attention peeked at this, and suddenly she had a deep, heavy feeling in the pit of her stomach. "What were you thinking?" she all but demanded. "Are you leaving?"
Danni paused in her pacing, her brows furrowing in seer confusion. "What? No, of course not. Well… not yet, anyway."
This didn't seem to stem whatever was concerning Clara, and so she walked over to sit next to her on the sofa. "I'm not ready yet, if that's what you're worried about," she reassured her friend. It didn't calm whatever was worrying Clara, but the teacher used it as an excuse to relax in her chair slightly. "I was just- I was thinking of spending the night in the TARDIS, that was all."
"Oh?" Clara asked. A slight smirk appeared on her face as they fell into familiar, teasing territory. "Feeling a bit lonely, Danni?"
Danni flushed and she hit Clara on the arm. "Not like that!" she exclaimed, before her blush deepened. "Well, maybe not. I'm not planning on it. I just thought that maybe I should start looking into moving back."
Clara nodded slowly. "You two do seem to be getting on better together," she admitted. "Do you feel like you are?"
"I think so," she replied. "I mean, I feel like we're learning each other better. Last week when we went to Ancient Rome, he didn't bring up me being part human once. Our species weren't touched on once, and even though he did get a little annoyed that I kept talking to the vendors on the market, he did say he was grateful for me being friendly when it turned out that one of them was trying to poison the bread supply and me talking to him managed to delay him enough for the Doctor to neutralise the poison."
Clara frowned. "The bread supply?"
"Apparently bread was a big thing in Ancient Rome," Danni replied with a big of a shrug. "There were even threats of bread fraud all over the spot. The government supplied the bread and people tried to take advantage of it. But because it was so available, it makes a good way of poisoning people apparently."
"Wow, you learn something new every day," Clara replied, although she meant it slightly more sarcastically than Danni, who nodded happily in agreement.
"I know. It's really great. I'm sure I've forgotten loads over the years, but I do love the fact that I see so much new-ness."
Clara smiled. "I know," she replied before, with a sigh, she turned back to her to her marking. "Are you still worried?"
Danni sighed. "I am," she said but with a little less anxious than before. "I'm just going to have to deal with the fallout. I guess it'll be a good test for whether we can get back together again."
Again, Clara didn't like the sound of that at all. Maybe Danni was right and she was picking up on a feeling Clara couldn't quite place, and maybe she was just worried about her friend rushing back to a man that had hurt her before she was ready.
Yeah. That was it. That was totally it.
The sound of the TARDIS materialising filled the flat and their conversation came to an end. "You know, I hope my neighbours don't complain about that noise," Clara commented. "It'd be very hard to explain the source of it."
Danni giggled, standing up and smoothing out her skirt. "What? Don't think they'll believe that a dimensionally transcendental time machine comes into your flat twice a week?"
"Nah, you know what landlords are like. It doesn't matter if he believes it, he'll just want extra rent for the privilege of having enough room. He'd probably be more concerned about the 600-year-old Time Lord I'm harbouring."
They both laughed again as the Doctor joined them in the room. Clara watched as Danni turned to her husband, her eyes lighting up even through her nerves, and Clara shifted in her seat. When had her sofa become so bloody uncomfortable?
"Danielle," he greeted, always the gentleman. "Are you ready?"
She nodded, bounding over to place a kiss on his cheek. She'd obviously taken him a bit by surprise as up until then their greetings had always been a bit more subdued than that, but she was just so happy to see him. Something about seeing the Ponds again, and Clara not being angry about her visiting past companions, had lifted her spirits in a way that even her worries couldn't contain.
"Very much so," she replied, before shooting Clara a look over her shoulder. "Don't wait up."
"Wasn't planning on it," Clara replied offhandedly, making sure to keep her attention on her homework.
Danni took the Doctor's hand and was pleased when he didn't pull away. "Got anything planned for us?" she asked him as they headed into the TARDIS. He held the door open – again, ever the gentleman – and let her in first.
"Nothing particular," he replied as he enjoyed how happy she was to be back in the TARDIS. He knew she missed the blue box terribly, and was hoping that it might bring her back even before they fully became husband and wife again. She shouldn't be with Clara, she should be with him, at home. Even if it was just as friends at first, she deserved to be in the best home in the universe and that just wasn't Clara's. "Do you have any suggestions?"
She shrugged. "Not so much a suggestion," she replied, "but I need a Halloween costume."
He frowned as he flicked a couple of switches, sending them away from Clara's flat. He liked to do this just in case they fell into another argument. He didn't want her to be able to run away so easily, and it had helped. They were forced to see the arguments through to the end, and they were both better for it. "A costume?" he repeated.
"Clara invited me to the staff Halloween Party," Danni explained. "I made a few friends when I worked there, it'll be fun, but I don't have anything to wear. I did think about looking through the wardrobe, but then I thought it might be a nice little trip out somewhere. I was telling River and…"
She trailed off, and the Doctor watched her go from talking animatedly like always to shrinking down into herself, almost in guilt. He stepped towards her, concerned about the shift in emotions. She very rarely went from so happy to guilty so quickly. She even sat down on the pilot seat, becoming the picture of a child being told off by a parent.
"Telling River and who?" he asked. His mind was quickly going back through his life, trying to find another point in which she went back to see a younger version of him. It hurt to think that she went back again, but he was sure forgetting it would be far worse.
She looked down at her feet, watching them dangle in the air. "River came to visit me," she started, deciding to explain everything from the start. "She'd found out that we were living apart and had decided to show me that I could live without you."
She glanced up at the Doctor to see the scowl on his face at that. "Yeah, I know, she got an earful for it," she promised him. "She took me to Luna University's orientation day first to see if I wanted to go back to uni. I didn't, but it was rather cool. I did this… I think it was called Moon Surfing. I went outside in a spacesuit, and was dragged along on the back of a moon buggy, you know like people do on the water? It was really fun."
He smiled slightly at her, although he was still very confused. "Who were you talking to?" he prompted.
Her eyes dropped again. "When she realised that university life wasn't going to tempt me away, she decided that I needed to see someone who'd left you behind. So she took me to Manhattan to see Amy and Rory." This was the part she felt terrible about, and she started to worry her hands in her lap. "I stayed the night. I was really nice, we talked about so much. And-And I took Brian Williams back to live with them."
The Doctor could have laughed with relief. She hadn't gone back to see his younger self, she hadn't been missing the man she was at all. She'd been to see her family, which made him wonder why she felt so bad about it. "You went to see the Ponds?"
She nodded. "I'm sorry," she apologised. "I know you don't like looking back, and the Ponds have always been… Well, we don't talk about what happened to them, do we? Not at the end…"
He watched her for a moment, his hearts tugging slightly at the way she held herself. He couldn't see her face properly with her hair covering it, but her who posture said that she was waiting for him to shout at her. "Did you think I'd be mad?"
She nodded. "I thought you might have wanted me to ask first," she clarified. "And I thought you might have been angry that I took Brian back as well. There are rules, but he was all on his own. He deserved to be with his family."
He walked over to her, kneeling in front of her. She knew he was surprised by his actions, after all it wasn't something he had done for such a long time. But he wanted to be at eyelevel with her, to be able to hold her face in his hands and make her look into his eyes so she knew he wasn't lying.
"I'm not mad," he promised. "They're your family, of course you should go and see them."
She blinked slightly. He was being honest, wasn't he?
"You're not mad?"
He shook his head. "I'm annoyed I didn't think of it first," he told her and she giggled lightly. "Unfortunately River got the pleasure of seeing you seeing them for the first time, but if it made you happy, then I'm happy too."
She grinned and chucked her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "I'm so glad you're not mad," she told him.
He nodded, letting himself enjoy the embrace, even as he frowned to himself. When had she become so scared to anger him? They never wanted to upset the over, but she had never been so shy about it should it have happened. And she had no reason to be worried over something like that. Had he done that to her?
That wasn't acceptable, not at all. He wouldn't tolerate her fearing him in any capacity, not again. He would show her that she didn't have to be scared of him. No wonder she didn't want to come home. No one wanted to live under those conditions. He just had to show her that she was safe with him. He'd protect her always. He would never frighten her again.
"Although, we may need to have a word about Mr Williams," he drawled. "That might have been a bit naughty of you."
She pulled back, but instead of fear on her face, he saw a sheepish guilt that looked much more 'her'. "I know," she agreed apologetically. "But he was on his own, Theta. And he gave us his blessing, he put his trust in us that we'd keep them safe and I broke that. I wanted to make it right."
He cupped her face with one hand. "You didn't break anything," he insisted, but her little shrug told him she didn't believe that for a second. It was hard to live lives as long as they had and not have some guilt, but it didn't mean that he had to be happy for it to be on her shoulders.
He placed a kiss on her forehead, stroking his thumb underneath her eye as he did, and even with them both disconnected from each other, he felt the contented burst that came from her.
He then stood up. "There is this mall in the 45th century that might just do the trick," he told her. "We can spend the day, if you like?"
She jumped up off the seat, shuffling her feet slightly. "Actually, I was thinking," she started and he watched her expectantly. "Maybe we could get the costume, but then spend the rest of the day on the TARDIS? Watch movies. I can cook, if you like?"
He hid his absolute glee at her suggestion, instead nodding as if the idea had never occurred to him once over the past six or so months since she had first left. "If you would prefer that, my Pet, I think it's a very good idea."
"And, maybe, if it gets late, I could stop over?" she asked nervously. His hand slipped on the control he was resting against, his eyes widening at the thought of her being on the TARDIS, if only for a night. It wasn't a step that he had expected yet. "I mean, my old room is… unless the TARDIS deleted it or something?"
"Your old room?" he repeated. Her old room was still full of the items that he had bought and 'borrowed' for her. Things he couldn't let her see, not all at once at any rate. She would get suspicious and he would have to explain just what he had done to get some of the things. "Of course it's still there," he reassured her as he played with the controls to clear most of the items away. "You can stay whenever you like, Danielle. This is your home too, whenever you're ready."
She smiled, leaning against his arm as they shot through the time vortex. She should have known he would be nothing but happy for her over seeing her family. How did she manage to misjudge him so badly yet again?
"I know, thanks sweetie," she replied quietly. "Do you think it would be too cliché for me to go as a nurse?"
"Not at all," he replied in a purr. "As long as it's not too short a dress. That's only for me to see."
~0~0~0~
Halloween Night
For a group of people who spent all week in a school, for some reason the hall had seemed like the perfect place for the night to be held. The decorations were made by the lower years' art classes, and the food had been made in the kitchen. The music was being played from the Music Department's equipment, so really the only thing the budget had to go on was the booze.
And, apparently, the teachers were really into their booze. Even Danny Pink was having a glass of punch or two, and from what Clara had told Danni, he wasn't much of a drinker.
Danni hadn't gone for a nurse after all. She had seen a very nice witches costume with a long red skirt and hat and she'd not wanted anything else. Clara had gone for a TV character that Danni hadn't ever heard of but had a lot of people pointing at her and going 'You're Daenerys Targaryen!'. Danni didn't even know what show she was off, but the blonde wig suited her and she felt like she had a sister for the evening.
Adrian had joined their little group near the beginning of the evening. He had come as a classic vampire, and looked rather dashing in the outfit. After the normal pleasantries he and Danni had fallen into yet another discussion of Shakespeare. Danni finally had someone to share the information she had learnt in the lecture River had taken her to, although she couldn't share all of it.
Adrian left her at the little table they had claimed as the base for the group to fetch them both a drink. Clara and Danny were in the midst of the teachers on the dancefloor, having a great time and Danni was thrilled for them. She was so happy that Danny Pink was okay with Clara still travelling with the Doctor, and with her living with his girlfriend. It wouldn't have mattered much if Clara had wanted it and Danny didn't, but it was always good that they weren't fighting about it.
She let her eyes drift over the hall, smiling fondly at all the lopsided pumpkins and bats. It made her slightly sad that the TARDIS would never be filled with the crafts of children. Or their children, anyway. If someone else's children wanted to make them crafts then she would hang them up with pride, like she had done when they'd lived in Christmas.
Her eyes were quickly pulled to the opening of the large double doors, a wash of alertness coming over her from years of war. She smiled slightly, eyes wide in surprise as the head that the man who stepped in wasn't a threat, but her husband. He wasn't dressed up – of course he wasn't – as his eyes swept over the room looking for her.
Their gazes met, and for a moment they just stared at each other in the dim light. She raised her hand to her lips, sending him a little kiss with a wave. She had no idea why he was there, but she was so happy to see him that she took a chance. She sent him a brush of happiness and grinned that she them felt it back a moment later.
She looked over at Adrian, feeling bad about leaving him with no one to come back to, but she couldn't just let her husband go with just a little wave. When she turned back, the Doctor had already slipped out of the room. She quickly jumped up, leaving her hat on her chair, and rushed out of the room.
He was already half way down the hallway and wasn't stopping in his progress towards the TARDIS when she caught sight of him. "Theta!"
That did catch his attention, and she jogged down to meet him in the middle. "You can't just stick your head in like that and leave," she scolded. "You didn't even say hello."
He raised an eyebrow at her in amusement. "I apologise, my Pet," he replied then nodded his head. "Hello, Danielle."
She smacked his arm. "Oi, cheeky," she replied. Her hand fell flat against the top of his arm before slowly running down to take his hand. "I'm sorry that we had to change date night," she said softly.
"You seem to be having a good time," he replied. He didn't want to tell her how disappointed he was, even though he tended to jump to her day. "Had a few drinks?"
She nodded. "What's a party without booze?" she offered as an excuse. "I think they're bringing out karaoke later."
He groaned. "Not that monstrosity!" he exclaimed. "What is it with humans and singing badly when drunk? If you want to listen to a song, why not just play the record?"
She giggled, although she did note the lack of 'you humans' that used to taint his speech when insulting the other species. He'd been doing so well, lately. "It's fun," she replied. "Not everyone has such a handsome, brilliant husband to show them the universe. Sometimes karaoke has to do."
He smirked at her, reaching out to grab her other hand. She really was quite tipsy, he could tell by the way her eyes kept dropping to his lips. "Handsome, eh?" he purred.
She took a step closer to him. He really was such a good job listening to what she had wanted, learning about her again. She hoped that she was doing just as well. "What do you want?" she asked lowly.
His brows furrowed slightly at the odd question. "Want?" he asked and she nodded, looking up into his eyes. His smirk never wavered as he pulled her closer, letting go of her hand to wrap his arm around her. "Just you, my Pet," he promised.
Danni wasn't sure when they started kissing, but her back jolted painfully as the sound of her backing into the lockers echoed in the empty hall. Her hands were in his hair, feeling the short curls and his hands were gripping her tightly.
They hadn't properly kissed in such a long time. They shared a peck or two over the last few months since she'd left, but nothing substantial, nothing like they both had wanted. The Doctor knew that it probably was the effect of the alcohol on her system, and he knew he was going to enjoy it as long as he could without taking advantage.
That, unfortunately, came all too soon when her hands started to go for his shirt buttons. He broke the kiss, taking hold of her hands in his. She panted lightly for a moment as he marvelled how small they were compared to his. He could hold one entirely in his own hand.
"Not while you're drinking, Danielle," he told her firmly. She groaned slightly, but had enough sense left in her to nod in agreement.
"Stupid Halloween party," she grumbled and he chuckled, taking a step away from her.
"I will see you tomorrow," he promised. With a kiss on the palm of her hand, he was off and she watched him go with the biggest grin on her face.
"He's my husband," she whispered to herself, starting to feel more and more like she was slowly getting ready to go back home again.
She watched his walk around the corner then turned herself, heading back into the party. Clara rushed over before the door it had even closed behind her.
"Where have you been?" she asked, looking concerned. She can't have been gone for that long, could she?
"Oh, you know, I needed some air," she replied with a bit of shrug. Luckily Clara was drunk enough to take her lie at face value and instead took her hand tightly in hers.
"You missed the start of the karaoke!" she exclaimed and Danni realised that the singing she could hear from the music was distinctly out of tune. "I signed us up next, though!"
Danni had no idea why all her friends seemed to like karaoke. In fact, as Clara dragged her to the stage to wait their turn, she was more than sure that Clara hated it.
Clara stopped by Danny Pink, but barely paid attention as she waited for the Geography teacher to stop butchering Journey, whereas Danni turned to the Maths teacher.
"Why is she so excited?" she asked him. "She hates karaoke."
Danny shrugged. "She's not stopped talking about it," he offered. "When you said you wouldn't dance she became obsessed with it."
Danni frowned. "Should I have danced with her?" she asked. "I wanted to give you two sometime alone. I didn't mean to upset her."
"I don't think you did," Danny replied. "I-I think her drunk… drunkenness has just decided to obsess over it."
Danni nodded, although she didn't look too placated by it. Danny felt the same, to be perfectly honest. He now realised that Danni was more than oblivious to Clara's crush on her, despite her husband and everyone else joking about it. But he wasn't oblivious, and he wasn't entirely convinced that Clara was either.
"Now, now, it's now," Clara said, reaching out to grab Danni's hand. She missed the first time, but took hold the second and pulled her up onto the small stage. Danni grimaced slightly as the teacher slipped on one of the steps.
"How much have you drunk?" she asked, but Clara brushed her off with a exaggerated wave of her hand.
"Not a lot," she replied. She handed Danni the other microphone. "Look-Look the words come on the screen. It's like you and River, remember?"
Danni just shook her head, amused at her. "Do I even know the song?"
"You'll get it," Clara told her. "Sing along until you remember it."
The music didn't sound anything like Danni would choose to listen to. Not that she had anything against pop music, but she wasn't one for listening to it and the song didn't ring any bells for her. "I don't know this!"
"Yes, you do," Clara dismissed. "Sing along! Maybe it's the way she walked, straight into my heart and stole it!"
~0~0~0~
November 22nd
Danni couldn't help but laugh as she stepped into the living room. Clara had, somehow, managed to decorate the room for her birthday without her realising. She was even sat on the sofa, present in hand as she waited for Danni to wake up.
"Happy birthday!" she cried and Danni smiled a giant smile, skipping over to sit next to her.
"Thanks, sweetie!" she replied. "This is fantastic, you didn't have to."
"No, but I did anyway," Clara replied. "It's the kind of person I am. Plus, it means you don't have to do it tomorrow, we can just leave it up."
Danni nodded in agreement. Clara had been very vocal about them both having birthdays so close to each other. She had wanted them to go out for a night out, then a meal and a movie. Danni had finally gotten her down to lunch on her birthday, and a meal out on Clara's. After all, she probably wouldn't be in the same time zone for her birthday.
Clara held out the present to Danni, getting straight down to business. Danni thanked her, but held the present in her hands for a moment as she looked it over. It was so nicely wrapped, she felt bad about opening it.
Not too bad, though, because soon she was ripping it open, chucking the paper onto the floor like a child to get to the goodies inside. She grinned in delight at the bedspread that Clara had bought her. "Oh, this is so pretty!" she exclaimed. "I was looking for a new one."
"I know, that's why I got you it," Clara replied as she reached down the side of the sofa, pulling out another one. "This is from me and Danny. He would give it to you himself, but, you know, he's not coming back until next week."
"Is his mum okay?" Danni asked as she took the present off her.
"She's being released from hospital tomorrow, but he wanted to make sure she was okay before coming back," Clara explained and Danni watched that fond, warm smile appear on her face whenever she talked about Mr Pink.
"You are so smitten," Danni teased as she opened the next one. She quickly pulled out the Little Mermaid figure from the box that she had unwrapped. "Oh, Clara, this is beautiful," she breathed, turning it slowly in her hands. It had such wonderful detailing, her tail covered in individual scales, she was just stunning.
"You don't have it?" Clara asked nervously. "You're so hard to buy for, and I thought that over the years the Doctor might have bought you every Little Mermaid thing under the universe's many suns."
"He's not one for buying me little statues like this," she replied. "He always preferred doing things rather than getting me things. He says I always ruin my own surprises."
"That's true," Clara replied and Danni shot her a look. "Oh, come on, you are terrible for trying to work out surprises. It's why I kept these at Danny's until a couple of days ago."
"I'm not that bad," Danni protested but shifted slightly underneath Clara's glaze. "Anymore. I'm not that bad anymore," she smiled at the little statue before jumping up off the sofa. "I'm going to put this in my bedroom before I break it."
"What did Jack get you?" Clara called after her as she nipped into her room. She placed it on her bedside table, positioning it perfectly so she could see it when she woke up in the morning without knocking it off during the night.
"He got me a Kindle-thing," Danni replied, picking it up. Jack had sent it through the post from Wales – Danni knew he was trying to move there – so she'd already opened it. She gave it to Clara as she sat down on the sofa again. "I'm still trying to decide what to read on it, though."
"You've such a thoughtful dad," Clara teased lightly. "And what about the man himself? When is he stopping by?"
Danni shrugged. "He didn't say. He asked me what plans I had for today, so I told him about the lunch and told him that I had nothing on afterwards. So, any time I guess."
The problem with not knowing when someone was coming, especially someone you were eagerly waiting for. Clara could tell all through their lunch that Danni was just wanting to go home, despite her best attempts to be fully in the moment and paying attention to their lunch. She couldn't blame her, though. She knew that seeing the Doctor was exciting for Danni, but it didn't mean she felt any less left out.
The afternoon went on much the same way, with Danni spending ten minutes doing one thing, only for her to drop it and start something else. It was adorable, and Clara did attempt to try and catch her attention, but like everyone else it just didn't work.
As the normal time the Doctor would normally pick her up for an evening trip came and went, Danni went from eagerly waiting to anxiously waiting in the blink on an eye. She sat down on the sofa, hugging her knee to her chest as she chewed her lip. Each small noise would make her jump, and each time it wasn't the Doctor, her shoulders sagged and she seemed to lose a little bit more hope.
The way she had been bouncing off the walls waiting had been a bit grating, but seeing her slowly fold into herself as she realised she'd been forgotten was much more angering to Clara. When the 10pm news came on, Clara was out of her chair and told Danni she would be back in a minute.
"Clara, what can I do for you?" the Doctor drawled on the other end of Clara's phone.
"Where are you?" Clara hissed as she turned her bedroom light on. "Honestly, if you have forgotten her birthday I swear to God…"
"Relax," he told her, infuriating her all the more. "Even you should know that Danielle's birthday is not until next Saturday, and I have it all under control."
"No, it's not," Clara snapped. "She's sat in the living room right now, upset because you are not here!"
"Clara, Clara, Clara…" he started slowly but she held her finger up in front of her as if they were face to face.
"No, it's not next week. It's now, and she thinks you've forgotten her. You've got two hours, get your arse into gear and get here!"
She hung up before he could answer and took a moment to calm herself down before she headed out into the hallway.
She smirked to herself as the sound of the TARDIS filled the air before she'd even made it back into the living room. Danni's eyes were wide and she caught Clara's gaze, looking so anxious and yet now so hopeful as well.
Clara nodded over her shoulder. "Go on, then," she encouraged and Danni rushing past her just in time for the Doctor to step out of those wondrous doors.
He didn't believe Clara until she had hung up on him. He hadn't really thought too much on her birthday because he had expected to have another week to work it out, but instantly he knew he needed to sort it, and for once he was completely out of ideas. He'd rushed around the TARDIS like a madman, grabbing the dress he'd bought for her a couple of years ago, but he had wanted to do something better.
He knew he'd made the right choice when he found Danni waiting for him when he stepped out of the TARDIS, her happiness written all over her face like she couldn't hold it in. All she had wanted for her birthday, evidentially, was him to show up.
"You took your time," she teased with a little bit of a nervously and he faked a look of confusion.
"I did?" he asked. "I'm pretty sure I am right on time. Maybe you've been getting a bit too excited about today."
Clara positively scowled in the living room, but she didn't make a move to correct him. She had thought he might have owned up to his mistake, but on the other hand it would just make Danni sad and she didn't deserve that on her birthday. So, she bit her tongue and tried to focus on the news.
Danni shook her head. "No, it's like, 10pm," she told him. "You're really late. Well, late for you."
He frowned. "Really?" he asked and she nodded. "Then I apologise, my Pet," he reached out, took hold of her hand and placed a kiss on the palm. "Happy Birthday, my Danielle."
She flushed happily. "Well… Well thank you," she stuttered. "Should we get going?"
He nodded, motioning to the TARDIS. Danni shot Clara a 'goodbye' over her shoulder and stepped into the TARDIS. Once again she was hit by the feeling of coming home, of being somewhere she felt safe and comfortable without trying.
"You know," the Doctor started as he stepped in behind her. "She always gets a little brighter when you're here."
Danni's eyes darted around the room. "Really?" she asked, not sure whether to believe him or not. The room didn't look any different to all of the other times she had been in it.
"She likes you," he replied. "She's not the only one." He chuckled as she batted at him. "I thought, for your birthday, we could stay on Earth," he continued as he headed up to the console. "I know you really like Paris, but I also know a wonderful place in the Maldives in the 24th century, if you prefer a change?"
She shrugged, heading up to him. "I'm happy with whatever you think," she told him honestly. "I know you wouldn't…"
She trailed off and he didn't try very hard to keep the smirk off his face. Her eyes always spotted everything in a room, her attention to detail could be impeccable on occasion, even rivalling his. And he knew that her gaze had fallen on the dress that he'd hung up for her to find by the hallway door.
"Is- Is that for me?" she asked timidly but he knew she was just restraining her hope that it was.
"I was wondering when you'd notice," he teased lightly. "You used to be better than that, Danielle."
She didn't take it as an insult, and he hadn't meant it as one. Instead she grinned and rushed over to the dress he'd known she'd love the moment he'd seen it in the marketplace. The first thing he'd bought her when she'd left him.
She let the fabric fall through her fingers, marvelling at the colour and pattern. "It's like stars," she breathed before reaching up to grab the hanger. "Give me a moment, I'll go get changed!"
He watched her as she darted off, his face falling slightly into a thoughtful frown. She seemed happy so far, but he still had time to mess this up. It had to be the best night she could ever want. He knew that she was starting to come around to coming home. He had to do everything in his power to trick her into believe he was the good man she thought him to be. He still hadn't found it within himself, but she saw it. It was the key to get her back, to be his wife again.
~0~0~0~
Danni knew she would find him in the console room, above the main platform in his favourite arm chair. He pretended he didn't like it, but she'd often found him reading a book there whenever they had spent their date night in the TARDIS, and now was no exception.
"I'm just heading to bed," she told him, catching his attention and motioning over her shoulder to show him the direction she would be heading in.
"So soon?" he asked, hopping out of his chair to head down to her. "You've only just got out of the shower."
"Yeah, but, you know, it was late when you picked me up," she reminded him. "I can't stay up as long as you, I need a rest."
He sighed, obviously reluctant to let her go, but it was just one of the many differences they had from each other. "I suppose you're right," he agreed. "We wouldn't want to exhaust you."
"Maybe next time my body will need less sleep?" she offered him. His eyes immediately darkened and she grimaced slightly as she realised that she probably shouldn't have brought up dying. "Sorry, being tired makes me tactless."
He shrugged it off. He didn't like to think of her using up any of her bodies, much like she didn't like the idea of him regenerating again. Even with their problems, neither of them wanted the other to die.
"Do you not want your present?" he asked and she frowned.
"I thought the dress and the Maldives was my present?" she replied.
"They were part of it, yes," he agreed, holding his hand out for hers. She took it, and he led her back up the stairs to his armchair. "I spent a long time thinking about what to get you," he told her as he sat down. A little tug of her arm had her sitting on the arm of the chair. "You're very hard to buy for. You want for nothing, yet you're always grateful for everything you get. It's rather frustrating to think of something that you actually would want in your life."
She frowned. "I'm not sure if that's an insult or not," she told him bluntly. "But I'm sorry?"
"That's alright," he replied, as if he'd accepted her apology and she shook her head in slight disbelief. "I've had so many ideas over the years, but I couldn't choose one. So…"
He picked up an ancient book from the table by his chair. It wasn't gift-wrapped, and the covers were plane and black, but scuffed from years of living. "It's not very elegant," he commented, turning it over in his hands as he contemplated giving it to her. She watched him battle for a moment with his own mind, then he handed it to her. "But I know you like that sentimental rubbish."
She shot him another look at the little jab, but took the book as her curiosity outweighed her annoyance. She flipped it open to the first page. It seemed to be a notebook. The pages weren't lined, and the first one said very little on it at all.
"November 22nd Number 1," she read off. "Take her to Far Enough, where the sands sparkles with green gems."
She looked up at him quizzically, but he wasn't giving it her anything, so she went back to the book. She turned the page, which felt a little brittle but still old. "November 22nd Number 2. Cover the house in roses and sunflowers, each with a little gift within the pot. Lead to the bedroom. Show her how much you love her, you idiot."
She looked back up at the Doctor. "What is this?" she asked softly.
"This was in my pocket," he told her. "On Trenzalore, when I knew I was going to die. I knew that, one day, you would have made it back and I wanted you to find it. Then I didn't die, so when I made my way back to the TARDIS, I brought it with me."
He reached out, turning a fair few pages. "This was every birthday I missed," he continued. "Every year I planned what I was going to do so that when I went back for you, we could do them all. Then, when I realised I never would, I wanted to write it as an apology."
He stopped on a page and she realised she was staring at him with tears stinging her eyes. She looked down at the page he'd stopped at. "November 22nd Number 194," she read out in a whisper. "I miss you. I wish you were here. Today I would have made you a cake, and you would have laughed at how messy I made the kitchen. Th-" she trailed off, her breath catching on the lump in her throat. She swallowed it away. "There's a young jeweller here now. You've never met them, and probably never will. I would have bought you the necklace in the window that shines like the stars you deserve. I love you. I miss you."
She once again raised her eyes to meet his, although he was slightly blurry as she felt herself starting to cry slightly. "Three hundred years and you wrote down my every birthday?" she whispered.
"He was an idiot for leaving you behind," the Doctor retorted. "But he wanted to make it right. There are some dark moments in this, but I don't trust myself to treat them properly. You're the only person I trust with them. Only you."
He gently used her hand to close the book so she was holding it between her hands, one on top and one underneath. "Look through it," he commanded gently. "Find the ones you would like, and we'll do them all. Not just on your birthday, whenever you want. Take your time then let me know."
She didn't know what to say. What he'd handed her felt so heavy, and he had no idea what it meant to her. Over the fact that he'd said that he trusted her with something so painful where he didn't even trust himself, he'd given her proof that she hadn't been forgotten. Words could be made up on the spot, but the age of this book was plainly evident and they were all about her.
She swallowed again, desperately trying not to cry. "I- I genuinely don't know what to say," she whispered. "You've- Are you sure you want me to have this?"
He nodded. "Only you, my Danni-Girl," he replied softly. She grinned, sobbed a little, then placed the book back on the table so she could hug him tightly. She moved off the chair arm into his lap, where he froze underneath her. He then, slowly and slightly gingerly wrapped his arms around her.
"Thank you, Theta," she whispered. "Thank you so much."
"It's nothing, my Pet," he replied. He could have held her all night, but he knew that he wouldn't have let her go if he had. So he allowed himself a kiss on her temple, savouring it for a moment. Then he nudged her off his legs and she stood up.
She immediately reached out and grabbed the book, cuddling it to her chest. "I won't let you down," she promised. "You're always safe with me."
"And I'll show you the same," he replied. "But for now, go to bed. If you will insist on wasting time sleeping, get it over with."
She nodded and leant down, placing a kiss on his lips. "Love you, Theta."
"Love you too, my Pet," he replied. She walked off without looking back, or loosening her grip on the book until she climbed into her old bed in her old bedroom. She knew she should have gone to sleep, but she couldn't, not until she'd read at least one.
"November 22nd Number 3. Sharks in the sky. We've done it one before, but she loved it."