The lights were turned off, candles dotted around the room. The television was set up ready, blu-ray player just waiting for the command. Clara sat next to Danny, curling her legs up underneath her as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
"I still cannot believe you've never seen Terminator," he told her. "What kind of deprived lifestyle have you lived, Clara Oswald?"
"I'm the one with the time-traveller living with her," Clara pointed out. "Just because I've never seen a movie about a robot doesn't make me deprived. I've actually met robots. I've met Cybermen. They almost killed me," a smug look appeared on her face, "but I beat them."
"At least most people have heard of the Terminator," Danny retorted with a cheeky smirk, "Terminator is a cinematic masterpiece, no one's even heard of Cybermen."
"Still doesn't change the fact that my robots are real, and yours is Arnold Schwarzenegger," she retorted, turning her head to shoot him a cheeky smirk. Danny dipped his head down, ready to kiss his girlfriend, when the bedroom door opened. Her flatmate walked out, holding a mug in her hand.
"Clara, I was think..." Danni started, falling to a stop when she spotted the two staring at her in surprise. Danny really wasn't used to Danni walking in on them, even on something as innocent as kissing, whereas Clara's chest tightened in horror that she'd upset her friend.
Danni, on the other hand, first felt complete surprise at the fact the Danny Pink was in their flat, the embarrassed that she'd not noticed he was going to be there at all.
She shot them a sheepish grin. "Oh, is it Thursday already?" She asked them and Clara nodded. "Date night? Crap, sorry, I didn't..." she nodded towards the kitchen, "I'll just make myself a sandwich, then you won't see me again. Promise."
She dashed into the kitchen, the door swinging shut behind her and Clara stood up, kissing a slightly disappointed Mr Pink on the forehead. "I'll just check she's okay, feel free to start the movie without me."
"But you'll miss the beginning," he pointed out.
"Oh, what a shame," she called over his shoulder, giggling at the put-out look on his face as she entered the kitchen. Danni was rolling up some slices of ham to put in her sandwich, the cheese waiting to be cut next to the plate.
"I'm not heating it up," she promised Clara before she'd even opened her mouth. "I won't be long."
"I just wanted to see if you were okay," Clara replied and Danni's brows furrowed as she placed the ham perfectly on the bottom slice of bread.
"Why wouldn't I be?" she asked, sounding genuinely confused.
"Because it's not your date night yet?" Clara replied just as gently. Danni shrugged, moving to cut the cheddar up.
"So?" she replied. "It's mine tomorrow. Next time, just remind me or something so I don't go and ruin yours and Mr Pink's mood."
She said it in a teasing tone, but Clara knew better. She knew her friend was extremely happy for her, that Danni was actually rooting for the Clara/Mr Pink team, but that didn't help when your husband was gallivanting across time and space. Not that Clara thought he did much without Danni, in fact she was certain he just jumped to the next Friday. Not all the time, but most of the time. There had been times when he couldn't remember what they'd done on the Wednesday when he came to pick them up for their weekly trip. Danni assumed it was because he dismissed things that weren't immediately important to him, but Clara was certain it was because he did them out of order, and he'd just jumped from one Friday to the next so he could see Danni again.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Clara asked, because if she was anything with Danni, it was a worrier. If she wasn't okay, all she had to do was say the word and Danny would be sent home with barely a moment's notice.
Danni chucked a packet of ready salted crisps onto her plate before turning, walking over to Clara and taking hold of both of her hands. A happy smile spread on her face.
"I am fine, I promise," she told the other woman. "And you know that if you ever want me to go to a hotel, or if you want me to get you two a hotel room..."
"I know, I know," Clara brushed off, blushing slightly. "Do you want me to bring you a cup of tea later?" Danni shook her head, picking her plate up.
"Go enjoy your movie, Clara," she commanded.
"But it's Terminator," Clara moaned and Danni wrinkled her nose.
"Terminator? On date night?" she asked and Clara nodded. "Oh, well," Danni grinned, "enjoy that while I enjoy my sandwich!"
~0~0~0~
Danni looked up from her book at the bedroom door, then back down at the page, rubbing her eyes. She'd been over the paragraph a few times now, so she was wondering if it was best to just give up and go to sleep.
She rolled off her stomach, pushing herself into a sitting position, legs dangling off the edge of the bed. Clara and Danny were still having date night if the occasional sound of gunfire was anything to go by.
She hadn't meant to walk in on them. In fact, her days had become a bit lost after the last week and she was trying to get herself back on track. It was the last weekend before December, so she had taken it upon herself to try and plan their Christmas. She'd just been going to suggest going to shop for a couple of Christmas trees before the month was up.
She looked down at the book in her hands. She had taken the Doctor's present incredibly seriously. Clara didn't even know that the book existed, and she intended on keeping it that way. It was quite touching to read. But, mainly, it was heart-breaking. To start with the entries were short and to the point. She'd been through a decade within a few minutes and not really noticed how quickly she'd done it. The entries started getting longer, though, and with each extra passage came another level of heartache. It just made it her wish it was her date night.
Not that she begrudged Clara it. She was so happy Clara had found someone to make her happy, and Danni would give Clara anything if it made her happy. But she was the one with a husband and yet she was the one eating sandwiches in bed.
She just really missed him. She always missed him, and she wasn't ready to move back onto the TARDIS just yet, but it didn't mean she didn't miss him when she wasn't there.
With a sigh, she moved to the top of the bed, leaning against the headboard and looking out into the room. She picked up her phone, twirling it a few times before finding his name in her contacts and holding it up to her ear.
"Yes, hello?" he snapped and she smiled at the disgruntled tone. He must have been doing something.
"Sorry, sweetie, did I interrupt you?" she asked. She shouldn't have rung him. She was seeing him tomorrow, she should have waited.
"Danielle?" he sounded surprised, which just made her smile even more. It was like he didn't expect her to ring him, so he'd been caught off guard. "No, I'm not doing anything important," he dismissed. "Is everything okay?"
"Oh, everything's fine," she promised. "Clara and Danny are in the front room having a date night, and it made me think of you so I thought I'd, you know, call you?"
She cringed as her voice went up at the end, like she was asking a question. Why did she feel like a teenager ringing their crush? It was embarrassing.
"Where are you?" he asked.
"I'm in my bedroom. Catching up on my reading." God, she was so lame. She even tapped the book as if it made any difference. "Do you think we could go book shopping tomorrow, actually? I could do with some more after I finished this one."
"Did you call because you're bored?" he asked and she quickly shook her head.
"No, no, of course not," she quickly corrected. "This book is…" she looked down at the old cover. "It's my favourite," she finished softly. "I was just missing you, you know? So, I just thought I'd ring you."
"You can phone me whenever you like," he reminded her gently and she shook her head.
"I can't torture myself like that," she replied, her voice sad. She found it very hard to talk to him on the phone, really. Calling him and talking to him was fine, although it didn't happen very often, it was the hanging up she couldn't stand. "I never want to let you go."
~0~0~0~
The Doctor frowned to himself. He hated that she sounded so sad, and even though he shared her feelings completely, he didn't want her to feel like she couldn't call him. He wouldn't allow her to feel sad when they talked.
"Hold on," he told her. He could hear her protested slightly as he placed the phone carefully onto the console, making sure the speaker was facing down before he went to the TARDIS doors. He stuck his head out, his eyes darting around before falling onto the two men that were sat on the sofa, waiting impatiently.
"What's taking you so long?" Patrick Stewart asked. "The car will be here in a minute."
"Sorry, fellas, going to have to take a rain check," the Doctor replied.
"You said that last time," Ian McKellen replied. "Do you know how difficult it is to get a reservation at Duchess?"
"I do, and I'll still have to politely decline," he replied. "I've had a better offer. Until next time."
The TARDIS disappeared shortly afterwards, leaving the two actors staring at each other.
"Do you think he's trying to avoid us?" Ian asked.
"No," Patrick replied, reassuring his friend. "After all, he made the reservation."
~0~0~0~
Danni jumped slightly as the Doctor picked the phone up again. "Sorry about that. I was rewiring the monitor, something fell out. There was a lot of sparking, nothing serious. What did you do today? Did you go out?"
"Er..." she had to think for a moment, trying to remember if she had actually been anywhere. "Oh, I went to the park. It's just one of those city parks, bit of fake nature. It's getting quite cold, though, so I wasn't there long."
"When?" he asked and she shrugged to herself.
"Lunchtime-ish."
"Exactly?" He pressed and her brows furrowed, concerned by the firmness in his voice.
"About 12.30 to about 2. I think. Why?"
"Look in the bedside table. Your side, the right one," he commanded. She smiled slightly, because that was her side in the TARDIS and anything he remembered made her happy. She still found herself favouring that side, even now.
She rolled over, opened the drawer, gasping slightly in surprise. There was a small, leather bound book with a rose lying on top of it. "What the..." She picked up the rose, holding it between the thumb and forefinger so she didn't prick herself. It was beautiful.
"Did you do this?" she asked, smiling at the white flower.
~0~0~0~
"I stopped off there a while ago." He dismissed, sticking his head out of the TARDIS to make sure Clara's flat was empty. He held a leather-bound book in his hand as he headed to the bedroom. "I know you don't like electronic readers, and I agree, so this should hold you over until I pick you up tomorrow."
"Jack meant well," she reminded gently, but he could tell from her voice that she agreed with him. "But this is really lovely," she promised. "And the rose is so pretty."
He paused as he opened the drawer. "Rose?" he asked, confused, looking around for a sign of any flowers. Why was she talking about roses?
"A white one as well," she continued as he checked under the bed. There were no roses anywhere, where the hell did she get it from? "It's so sweet. You are so sweet."
He stood up slowly, he was going to have to go get her a rose, wasn't he? "You know you can't be upset when I'm not there," he offered as a reason. "We agreed to that."
She chuckled. "Yeah, we did." she agreed, completely oblivious of the Doctor heading back to the TARDIS, wondering where the best place to get a rose from was. "I'm doing my best, I promise."
"Good, good," he replied, hopping to the console. He was sure one of England's royal families had a fantastic rose garden, who was it?
"So, what are the plans for tomorrow?" she asked and his hands paused over one of the levers.
"Tomorrow?" he asked, taken by surprise by the question.
"Yeah," she replied. "You know, cause it's Date Night? You-You didn't forget, did you?" she was trying to sound like it was just another question, but the hitch in her voice told of what she really wanted to ask 'You didn't forget about me?'
"No, of course not," he turned away from the console, panicking slightly at the thought of upsetting her. He'd just been distracted trying to locate a rose. He could have just gone to the garden in the TARDIS, but it didn't seem right.
"I, erm-" he glanced at the monitor as the TARDIS landed. He'd wanted to ask her in person, but perhaps this was better, "I was thinking of booking a weekend away. Remember Messaline?"
"That's where Jenny's from, isn't it?" she replied and he smiled slightly at the thought of his daughter.
"Yes. Well, I was thinking of heading there a few hundred years down the line, there's a hotel I think you'd love. We could stay for a couple of nights, if you like?" he pre-winced, waiting for her to turn it down. They had been spending a couple of nights together in the TARDIS. She'd stayed for three nights when it was her birthday before he'd dropped her off the next day. But it was in different beds, in different rooms. He didn't want to rush her, that's why he wasn't taking her there without a warning. But, he really hoped that she'd say yes.
He just hated her waking up alone. It hadn't bothered him before she'd left, now he thought about it constantly.
"That sounds lovely." she replied and his whole body relaxed. "What kind of weather are we looking at? I don't really have anything for hot weather, but I can go buy something before you get here if I need to."
"TARDIS?" he reminded her gently and she giggled, the sound of her excitement music to his ears.
"Oh yeah, I'm so used to living from these wardrobes I forget all about hers," she replied. "Will there be swimming? It's been ages since I've been swimming."
He shook his head to herself. "You're trying to spoil it for yourself again, Danielle," he scolded lightly and she giggled, making him smile again.
"I can't help it," she told him. "You know how I am when I get excited! I want to know everything."
"I'm not letting you ruin it for yourself," he told her. "Now, get some sleep. I'll be there bright and early and I don't want you being a grouch because I've woken you up."
"Fine, fine," Danni replied, because she was an awful morning person when she wasn't left to naturally wake up, and he knew that. "Love you, sweetie."
"Love you too, Danielle," he replied and she hung up.
The Doctor found himself doing a little victory jig on the spot, not as flamboyant as his younger self would do, but a little dance nonetheless. He stopped, the thought of Eleven having his hand by his throat. Should he wear a bow-tie? She'd like that, wouldn't she? He didn't mind the piece of clothing, although he wasn't as obsessed as he used to be about them. He was sure he could find one somewhere.
He glanced at the door. For now, all he had to worry about was getting hold of a white rose without being beheaded. He could do that.
~0~0~0~
Danni looked at the rose, her cheeks aching from smiling, then at the book. He really was thoughtful, and she hadn't expected either. Her suggestions had been just that; suggestions. And even though she'd never heard of the book before, she could tell by the blurb that it was a horror one. He remembered that she loved horror books.
She hugged them both to her chest, squealing like a teenager, actually bouncing on the spot as she did. Oh, he was adorable!
~0~0~0~
Clara frowned as she heard the noise of the TARDIS landing somewhere in her flat. She stood up straight from looking over the papers on her coffee table. Danni wasn't here, the woman had left a note saying she had gone for a walk even though Clara hadn't been due home for another few hours yet. She'd just nipped back on her lunch break to pick up some homework she might have forgotten, which never happened because she was a professional teacher who was able to remember that she not only set homework, but that she marked it and had to get it back to the students.
She headed into the hallway, a perplexed look on her face as the Doctor froze at getting caught. His face was covered in tiny scratches, but in his hand he held a white rose. He stared at her with wide eyes, reminding her of a startled deer in headlights.
"Did you fight with the rose bush to get that?" she asked him.
"Something like that," he replied gruffly, which didn't really answer her question. "Is Danielle here?"
She shook her head. "She went for a walk."
"Don't tell her I was here," he commanded. "Time might collapse if you do, and I don't want to clean up after that."
"So, you want to surprise her with the rose?" Clara guessed by his over dramatic warning. He nodded once, his startled look changing to a slightly uncomfortable one, meaning he was feeling embarrassed. She smirked. "Okay, I won't tell her," Clara promised. "But only because you're adorable." With that, she turned and walked back to the coffee table.
"I am not adorable!" he protested.
"Yes you are!" Clara shouted back, smiling to herself as she left him to his own devices in her flat.
~0~0~0~
Danni swung from side to side, a slightly displeased frown on her face as she looked at herself in the mirror. Clara had leant her one of her sun dresses, but Danni still couldn't make up her mind about it. It was a lovely dress, it reached just above her knees and was yellow with a white stretchy belt and four white buttons running down the middle of the top. She just couldn't decide whether or not she actually suited it.
"You look wonderful," Clara commented as she headed into the bedroom. "We go through this every time. I wouldn't tell you to wear it if I didn't think you'd look great in it."
"It might be too bright," Danni replied. "Or maybe it needs a hat." She shook her head. "No, not a hat. That would annoy me. Maybe I should have bothered with make-up."
"If you don't want to wear make-up, don't wear it," Clara told her, sitting on the edge of her bed. "It's not like he'd notice."
"Not true. Last week he told me that I suited my lipstick," Danni corrected. He just didn't tend to notice makeup on anyone else. "What's wrong with this dress? Why don't I like it? I liked it when you showed me it!"
"You're just nervous because it's the first time you're staying with him outside of the TARDIS since you left," Clara replied. "It's understandable, but you look fine."
"Maybe it's the shoes," Danni replied and Clara rolled her eyes, amused more than annoyed at her. They were both as bad as each other. She'd seen the way they were together. And she'd seen them together more than she wanted, and she never wanted to see that. "Have you got any flats I can borrow? I think it's the heels."
"Bottom of the wardrobe," Clara replied and Danni grabbed a pair of black ballet shoes, slipping them on.
"Oh yeah, that's better," she declared, looking at herself in the mirror again. "That's it. It was the heels."
"You are ridiculous," Clara told her bluntly and Danni turned, grinning.
"You say that like you didn't know," she walked over, sitting down next to her friend. "I'm going to ask him to bring me back on Monday, so you and Mr Pink can have the weekend without me spoiling the mood."
"You don't spoil the mood," Clara quickly insisted. She didn't like the idea of not seeing her all weekend. She must have got used to having her around. But, it was a nice gesture so she smiled anyway. "But thanks."
The sound of the TARDIS appearing filled the flat and Danni shot her an anxious smile. "I'm going on holiday with my husband," she told Clara. "Why does it feel so exciting?"
"Cause you're a sap," Clara replied, nudging her off the bed. "Now, go see him before you explode."
Danni beamed, heading towards the door before turning and heading back to her bedside table, picking up the rose he'd left her and putting it behind her ear. Clara raised her eyebrow at her, and Danni blushed slightly. They were both such saps. She was surrounded by saps.
She slowly stood up, stretching as she headed out to the hallway. Danni had her arms around the Doctor, who looked very happy to be holding his wife until he spotted Clara. His look turned decidedly uncomfortable and he firmly detached Danni from him.
"Ready?" he asked her and she nodded eagerly. She'd been bouncing about all morning, she was really looking forward to a weekend away with just him. "Go pack a bag, then." The Doctor let her into the TARDIS under his arm, and she darted away with barely a goodbye to Clara.
"Have her back before bedtime," Clara teased and he shot her an exasperated look.
"She's my wife, I'll bring her back when I'm ready," he retorted and she laughed at the offended look on his face.
"Doctor?" Clara called as he turned to head into the TARDIS after Danni.
"What is it?" he snapped as he turned back around to face her. Why was she delaying him?
"Her dress looks lovely, doesn't it?" Clara replied pointedly, seeing him straighten slightly as he understood the hint for what it was.
"Thank you, Clara," he told her and she smiled back at him. Despite what everyone kept saying, she wanted their marriage to work almost as much as they did, so she was willing to help any way she could. She turned, heading towards her living room, leaving him to head into the TARDIS.
"Nice bow-tie!" she called over her shoulder and his hand went up to the black tie around his neck. He cursed quietly to himself, embarrassed at getting caught out. He quickly flew them away before Clara decided to tease him further, just setting them floating in the vortex as Danni appeared in the doorway.
"I didn't know what to pack," She told him. "Is it a posh spot? Do I need posh dresses?"
He'd not really noticed how long her hair had grown recently, the blonde locks brushed over her right shoulder. Her brown eyes shone happily, contrasting with the rose that was behind her ear. The yellow dress led to bare legs and black shoes, one knee bent slightly as she stood with one foot flat and one on its toes, ready to rush back to the wardrobe.
He pushed off from the console, reaching her in barely any time at all. She watched him with a slightly furrowed brow, confused until he cupped her cheek, tilting her head slightly so she was looking up at him.
"You look exquisite, my Pet," he told her lowly, brushing his lips against hers. She gasped slightly, leaning up to try and continue the brief kiss but he pulled back. There'd be plenty of time for that later, he didn't want to ruin the weekend by going too fast. This had to be perfect.
"It's not too posh," he promised, turning her around with hands on her shoulders. "Hurry up, we haven't got all day," he gently nudged her towards the hallway, his hand lingering on the small of her back until she was out of reach.
"Okay, okay, I'm going," she laughed. "You'd think you were trying to get this over with."
He felt himself turn incredibly defensive at her words. "Don't say stupid things," he snapped, startling her slightly. She blinked at his vehement denial, confused by the fact he looked almost angry at the suggestion.
"I was only joking, sweetie," she told him gently. "I won't be long."
She turned and left him in the console room, heading to the wardrobe with the distinct feeling she'd annoyed him.
The Doctor watched her walk away before heading to the console. He slammed his hands down on it in frustration, hoping that he hadn't scared her away by snapping at her.
~0~0~0~
The hotel was stunning. She couldn't believe it, actually, as they walked towards the front door. The Doctor liked to treat her, but this seemed just one another level completely.
He had parked them just down the street from the hotel, between two buildings where no one would bother seeing the TARDIS, let alone worry about it. When they'd stepped out into the street, she had honestly thought they would be walking in the other direction, but apparently not.
She knew her mouth was hanging open slightly as they walked up the drive towards the grand building. There was a large water feature at the front, what looked like a large pond with a fountain in the middle, one that she would have been happy to play in as a child and probably happy to do so as an adult as well. The building had a square porch reaching out to the water feature, with a few cars parked underneath. People were getting in and out of them, all dressed up incredibly wonderfully. The walls were very clean and white, all the windows were square and she must have looked like a right idiot as she gawped up at it, but she didn't care. She was just glad she opted for sunglasses, otherwise she would have been blinded by the sun in the bright, clear sky above them
"I thought you said it wasn't posh," she pointed out as the entered the reception, head tilted back slightly to look at the incredibly high ceiling.
"Oh, it's all for show, you know that," he replied, dismissing her concerns. He left her to have a look around as he checked them in, doing something very flashy with the psychic paper. It really was beautiful; the modern building was offset with what appeared to be ancient sculptures and artwork. There was a bar just off to the right of the grand staircases, both which curled around before joining in the middle of the next floor. It reminded Danni of something out of a palace. She glanced down at her sun dress as a woman in a stunning black number sauntered past. Maybe she should have worn something nicer.
"Some people just like to show off their wealth," the Doctor purred in her ear, making her jump. He was eyeing the room with a look of faint disdain, like he always did, before looking down at her. She watched it disappear, his face relaxing.
"We're on the eighth floor," he continued. "And your dress is fine. Really brings out the yellow in your hair."
She giggled, shaking her head because if it had been anyone else, she would have been slightly offended. She was blonde, not yellow, after all. But she pulled her rather large bag up onto her shoulder and let him lead her to the elevator. He let her in first, pressing the button and they stood side by side as it started its agonisingly slow assent up the building.
He glanced down at her, his hand clenching by his side as he resisted the urge to kiss her. He didn't want to be too forward, in case he scared her off. This was a very delicate situation, and he had to show her that she wanted to come back onto the TARDIS with him. He had to be a gentleman, and that didn't involve kissing your wife senseless in a lift.
"You know," Danni started as they hit the sixth floor. "There was a time you'd not be able to keep your hands off me in a lift."
He straightened, pulling his jacket down. "I've grown up since then" he retorted, trying to seem sophisticated as the elevator pinged and the door opened.
"Pity," she told him, stepping out and into the hallway. "What number are we?"
He stared, surprised by the cheeky grin she'd shot him before leaving the elevator. He shot out when he realised the door was closing, falling quickly into step next to her.
"End of the hallway," he told her, letting her reach out and take his hand.
~0~0~0~
The room was just as stunning as the rest of the building, perhaps even more so but if she'd said that, the Doctor probably would have laughed at her. Instead, she stared around the room in amazed awe. The bed was huge, she wasn't entirely sure the size of it but it seemed so much bigger than any bed she'd seen before. It was open plan, but had a luscious sofa area surrounding an ornate fireplace, a flat glass screen she assumed was their version of a television sat on the wall above it. There was a bottle of some sort of booze sat in a cooler on the table in front of the sofas, and a large set of double glass doors that led to a balcony.
"This is amazing!" she exclaimed, putting her bag down at the foot of the bed before doing exactly what he'd expected her to do, which was head to check out the bathroom. He heard her gasp as he made sure the wine was what he'd asked for, a beautiful red he knew she'd adore. She dashed out again, her eyes wide in her excitement.
"The bath's huge!" she cried and he rolled his eyes good-naturedly.
"Yes, Danielle," he drawled. "As impressive as the plumbing is, perhaps you'd like to join me on the balcony?"
She nodded eagerly, practically skipping to his side. He held one of the doors open, letting her out and watched as she walked over to the metal railing that hugged the outer rim of the balcony, placing her hands on the bars as she took in the view.
"Oh, Theta, it's beautiful," she breathed. Underneath them, the city stretched as far as she could see. The buildings were made of a form of sandstone, and so the majority of them were a beige colour that shimmered in the daylight. They were broken up with tall skyscrapers, very modern-looking buildings compared to the rest.
He tried not to smirk at the whisper of his name, instead he let the smug feeling take over as he wrapped his arms around her from behind, pulling her up against him. She immediately, almost unconsciously, placed her hands on top of his. Neither of the spoke for a while, just stared out across the city.
Then, he dipped his head just slightly. "I miss you," he murmured into her ear. "Every moment of every day you are not by my side, I miss you."
Her hearts broke at how sincere he sounded, and she tried to sniff back the tears that gathered in her eyes without him noticing. "I miss you too," she whispered in reply. As if sensing how her mood had headed downwards, he took one of his arm from around her, using it to point off to their right.
"There's a beach a couple of miles that way," he told her. "No pink water, I'm afraid, but that does mean no fish to toss us in the water." She giggled slightly at the memory, poor Clara never got over that. He turned their attention to one of the skyscrapers. "That is a seven-story museum, the first three floors are dedicated to the planet's history, the next three to the galaxy's, and the top one is an absolutely splendid café with delicious sandwiches."
She giggled again and he turned her, pointing to a rather large street. "And that is a street dedicated to book shops. It's a mile long, and every single building sells books."
He knew she'd like that one, she stepped forward from him to lean over the railing slightly. He resisted the urge to pull her away from it, after all she wasn't a child and wasn't about to tumble off the balcony like one.
"Can we go there?" she asked. "I know the TARDIS has every book ever written, but I do love book shopping."
"I could have taken you to any part of the planet, I chose here for a reason," he retorted. He turned her around. "Your lack of faith in me in shocking, Danielle."
She flushed slightly in cute embarrassment, which always made him feel better. He ushered her back into the room, "The shuttle will be coming soon, we'll take it down to the book district."
"Is it far away?" she asked, frowning slightly as she headed to her bag. Inside the bag was another smaller handbag, because no one wanted to carry their suitcase everywhere.
"Not particularly, why?"
"Could we walk there? It seems such a nice day, it's a shame to waste it on a shuttlebus," she pulled the bag over her shoulder, her voice sounding curious but the way she was biting her lip just told him she thought he'd shoot her down. He walked over, offering his arm to her and she let go of her bottom lip to smile widely at him.
"You are quite right," he agreed as she took his, leaning her head on his arm for a moment as he led them out of the room. "On our way, we can stop off for a bite to eat, if you like. Or if you'd prefer, I'm sure one of the bookstores will have its own cafe."
"Oh, I'd love to eat in a bookshop café," she replied enthusiastically. "If that's okay." He nodded, not commenting on the fact that even though he'd suggested it, she was still checking to see if it was okay. This entire trip was for her, perhaps he needed to help her see that more clearly.
~0~0~0~
The waitress placed the two plates in front of the couple, giving them a smile before heading away and towards another table. Danni smiled at the Doctor as he picked up one of the two halves of his sandwich, checking the inside.
"Is it right, sweetie?" she asked and he shook his head.
"Wrong way around, again," he grumbled. "How hard is it to put the cheese at the bottom?" This was a problem they always seemed to come across, no matter when or where they went. He liked his cheese to be under his ham, not the other way around. Even if it wasn't strictly ham, just some planetary equivalent, they always put it on the bottom.
"I'm sorry sweetie," Danni replied. "Here, I'll sort it out."
He placed his sandwich back on the plate before pushing it over to her. He thought she was going to rebuild his sandwich, but instead she just picked it up, turning both halves over before pushing the plate back with a cheeky smile. "There you go!"
He shot her a look, on that told her he wasn't amused, before he picked it up and took a bite. He nodded in acceptance, that was better after all. Seeing he was happy with his food, Danni started on her salad. Some of the vegetables she recognised, like the cucumber, but some she didn't but they were all lovely and fresh.
"This is a lovely place," she commented after a mouthful, waving her fork to indicate the shop they were currently sat in. "You could miss it if you weren't paying attention."
"I do think that's rather the point," he replied, watching her closely as she looked around the shop, happily munching on her leaves. It was a small bookshop, with old rickety shelves that reached up to the ceiling, all the books organised, but only just. The shelves ran across all of the walls, even the one they were sat close to in the small cafe area. There were about 10 tables, half of them filled and there wasn't much on the menu. It had a wonderful, rustic feel to it Danni loved. Like it was run by a husband and wife, and they'd never had a day off but they didn't mind because it wasn't the hardest job in the world and they loved it.
Everything was going great so far, he just had to keep it that way. "Would you like to get any more books?" he asked her and she glanced down to her side, where three bags already sat. He'd basically given her free reign to buy what she wanted, and had picked out a couple for her as well. He'd even been carrying two of the bags so she wouldn't be ladened down too much.
"Do you not think I've got enough?" she replied.
"I think it's pointless buying any when we've got the library of the universe in our home," he retorted and the smile faded from her face. "But, as it makes you happy, I'd rather you bought them all again."
"Ah, I'd wondered where you'd gone," she teased him, the smile appearing on her face once again.
"What do you mean, I've been following you about all day?" He replied and she giggled.
"No, you've been trying to pander to me all day," she explained. "I saw you bite down a retort when that little boy ran into you."
"His parents should have been keeping a better eye on him. If you can't control your offspring, don't have any," he defended.
She giggled again. "That's it," she replied. "Don't get me wrong, I have been loving all this attention you've been lavishing on me, but it seems so strange without the little remarks in between."
"And here was me trying to polite for your benefit," he told her. "Seems my efforts were wasted."
She leant one elbow on the table, propping her chin on her hand. "Oh, I wouldn't say that," she drawled. "You don't get anything if you don't try." She shot him a suggestive smirk, holding his gaze as he sent her a challenging look of his own.
Then she giggled, her smile spreading across her face and lighting up every part of her. He felt his lips tug into a smile as she went back to her salad, stabbing a tomato with her fork. "There was this little shop of the corner just up the road that looked interesting," She told him. "Only cooking books, I was thinking of getting a couple to try and improve my cooking skills."
"If you think the TARDIS is going to let you near a kitchen with a stove again, you're sorely mistaken," he replied. "She won't have you burning her down again."
"That was one time!" Danni protested. "And I put it out!"
"You were making a sandwich!"
~0~0~0~
The fireworks eventually felt to a halt, but Danni really didn't want to move from the balcony. It really had been the perfect end to a perfect day away with her husband. Apparently the hotel put on fireworks once a week, and they'd checked in on the same day. There were people down below watching, but the Doctor had booked them such a lovely room that they'd only had to step outside to watch the show.
The air was becoming chilly, she could feel it prickling the hair on her arms, telling her that they really needed to move inside before she became uncomfortable. She just felt amazing in her Theta's arms, safe and secure as he seemed to surround her. He rarely held her like this anymore, like he was afraid she'd break if he let go and she had missed it so much.
He shifted behind her, turning her around slowly so she was looking at him. She hoped she'd managed to keep the disappointed look off her face. He smiled, reaching out to brush her hair behind her ear.
"What did you think?" he asked her.
"It was wonderful," she promised, smiling back at him. "This is wonderful, thank you for bringing me."
He bowed his head once before taking her hand, leading her back into the room. He placed a kiss on the back of her hand before letting go, getting her a glass of wine. "Tomorrow I thought we could go to the art gallery on the other side of the city," He told her, toasting her glass with his own even if he wasn't going to drink the liquid inside. "It has an exhibit on 43rd Century pop art I think you'll love." She sipped her wine, giving him a nod as she did.
"That sounds delightful," she replied. "You're really spoiling me." He shrugged, sitting down on the sofa. She followed suit, kicking her shoes off as she did.
"I just want you to enjoy yourself," he told her. "I feel like I've not done a good enough job of that."
"You're doing just fine," she promised. "You don't need to impress me, Theta. You've already got me."
He wanted to correct her, tell her that he didn't have her because she was still going home to Clara and not him, but he didn't. "I can't help it, I'm just naturally impressive," he replied. "I just-" He was cut off by Danni leaning over, pressing her lips against his. She quickly moved back, her cheeks flushing.
"Sorry, I-I've been wanting to do that all night," she told him, looking away from his eyes. He reached over, taking her glass from her and placing it on the table in front of them before taking her face in his hands, kissing her hard. She groaned, crawling over to him without breaking contact, hands on his chest. Their mouths moved in harmony, her soft lips caressing his so temptingly. He had to stop, he wasn't going to do this to her.
"Danielle, I-" he panted, breaking off the kiss and she shook her head, moving closer still, climbing onto his lap. Her dress bunched around her hips and her hands moved to his shoulders.
"Please," She whimpered. "Kiss me."
He looked her over, her lips were parted, panting breaths ghosting across his face. She tried to meet his gaze, but her eyes continued to drop to his lips. He hadn't brought her here to bed her, he'd wanted to impress her and make her comfortable. He was taking advantage, he was sure of it, but that didn't stop him from pulling her down to meet his lips, or squash the thrill that shot through him as she whimpered delectably against his mouth. His intentions for the weekend had been entirely innocent, but they continued to make out like a pair of teenagers on the couch for what felt like a blissful eternity.