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The talk between Nasreen, Amy and Eldane seemed to be getting nowhere. With one suggestion came a reasonable counter-argument and the three were becoming more and more irate as they tried to come to so happy medium. They all wanted an alliance to work but no one wanted to give up what they needed for their species' best interests. Eldane brought up a green three-dimensional projection of Planet Earth so they could visualise any suggestions they may have had, but all that seemed to come from it was more arguments. That was until Amy, after staring at it for a long moment, stood up with an idea.
"So, erm, what about the areas that aren't habitable to us?" she asked as she spun the projection around. "Australian outback, Sahara Desert, Nevada plains...They're all deserted."
It made a lot of sense, at least in her mind. They were lizard people, and lizards thrived in desert conditions. Maybe they were the same, in fact maybe they would prefer it to the damp areas humans seemed to enjoy.
Nasreen grabbed her by the arm and pulled her down, turning on the bench so they were huddled together. "Yes, fine, but what happens when their population grows and breeds and spreads?" she asked. "And anyway, what benefit does humanity get? And how would we ever sell this to people on the surface?" They were all valid questions, Amy knew that. It was a monumental task, one she wasn't sure anyone was ready for but she knew that they had to try. The Doctor had put them in charge of making this work and she wasn't about to let him down.
"If I could get a word in," Eldane tried, leaning forward slightly and the two humans turned to him, slightly embarrassed at ignoring him. "Maybe I could tell you. You give us space, we can bring new sources of energy, new methods of water supply, new medicines, scientific advances. We were a great civilisation. You provide a place for us on the surface, we'll give you knowledge and technology beyond humanity's dreams. We work together, this planet could achieve greatness."
Nasreen nodded along, her smile growing at the promises he was offering. "OK. Now I'm starting to see it," she replied.
Amy placed her hands on the table in front of them, stretching like the cat who'd got the cream. "Oh, yeah," she said triumphantly. They were finally getting somewhere and it was on her idea.
They were all startled by a sudden applause from the doorway. The Doctor, Mo, Danni and Elliot had returned without any of them noticing and the Doctor was clapping happily at the progress that had gone on in his absence. Danni, on the other hand, was clinging to him tightly as she hoped that Malokeh turned up soon with her painkillers. It was draining her, making her feel incredibly sleepy and she was grateful when the Doctor quickly wrapped his arm back around her waist. At this point she didn't care if it was a dream or not. She just wanted to go to bed.
"Not bad for a first session," the Doctor praised as they walked forward to the table in the middle of the room. "More similarities than differences."
A noise and a bright yellow light had them all looking at the doorway they had just entered. "The transport has returned. Your friends are here," Eldane explained. The Doctor grinned and helped Danni sit down on one of the spectator benches. She wrapped an arm around her stomach, resting the other elbow on it so she could attempt to rub the headache that was steadily building from her forehead. The Doctor gave the top of her arms a friendly, reassuring rub.
"How are you feeling?" he asked. "Is it getting too much?"
"No," she replied. "Doctor, I really need to tell you something…"
"Later," he promised. "You can tell me everything later. Just rest, Rory will be here in a minute then we can go." She was pale. Too pale. He knew that she wasn't badly injured, but he also knew that the moment he could give her a proper looking over then they'd both be better for it. She was normally good about hiding her pain, even in the early days, so he knew that she had to be pretty bad to be this worn out by it.
"I need—" she paused, closing her eyes and taking a slow, deep breath through her mouth, releasing it purposefully.
It was that pause that cost her the time to warn the Doctor about Alaya. Rory appeared in the doorway, looking around the large room. The Doctor caught sight of him and sprung to his feet, a grin on his face. "Here they are!" he cried. Ambrose appeared behind him, stepping in trepidly. Elliot ran over, hugging his mum tightly and Amy was just happy to see Rory again.
Both of them looked sad, and nervous and the Doctor frowned. "Something's wrong…" he said softly. Then Tony entered, carrying something rather large and human-sized wrapped in an orange blanket. Danni sighed sadly. She should have spoken up sooner.
"Doctor, what's he carrying?" Amy asked.
The Doctor didn't reply, instead he stepped towards Tony. "No, don't do this. Tell me you didn't do this," he begged as Tony place Alaya's body on the floor. The Doctor bent down, moving a piece of the cloth out of the way, hoping for anything but what he was about to see.
"Rory!" Amy shouted, trying to keep the sound of just how happy she was to see him out of her voice. Rory stared back, his mouth moving up and down as he tried to figure out what to say.
"Something's wrong..." The Doctor frowned as Tony entered carrying something in an orange blanket.
"Doctor, what's he carrying?" Amy asked and the Doctor stepped forward, his hearts dropping in his chest.
"No. Don't do this. Tell me you didn't do this." Tony placed the body on the floor and the Doctor bent down, moving a piece of the cloth and revealing Alaya. Eldane stared down at the dead Silurian sadly while Amy looked at Rory for answers. The Doctor covered her face back up and glared at Tony.
"What did you do?" he demanded. Tony hung his head in shame, taking the brunt of the Doctor's anger.
"It was me," Ambrose spoke up. She sounded scared, but she almost sounded proud and that was the worst part. She didn't sound remourseful at all. "I did it."
Elliot turned to look at her, hurt that she would do something like that. "Mum?" he asked quietly.
"I just wanted you back," she explained desperately as she tried hold onto him. He pushed her away and walked back over to his father, who looked just as horrified as his son did.
The Doctor walked over to Eldane with the hope that he could make this right. "I'm sorry. I didn't know. You have to believe me, they're better than this," he promised.
"This is our planet!" Ambrose shouted.
He spun around, glaring at her, furious and hurt that the humans had let him down. He always held such high hopes for them. "We had a chance here," he exclaimed but she didn't care.
"Leave us alone," she continued and the Doctor stormed up to her, towering over her.
"In future, when you talk about this, you tell people there was a chance but you were so much less than the best of humanity," he snarled before he spun around to look over at Danni. "And you!"
He trailed off as he saw her on the bench, doubled over in pain, her eyes squeezed shut so she didn't have to see the body on the floor. She had so much knowledge and his anger, for a moment, blamed her for not speaking up sooner. But it faded away as he saw her sat there, young and frightened and wounded. He walked over, crouching down in front of her to place a hand on her knee. Her eyes opened and she looked scared of his temper. He had to be better. His anger wasn't at her. "And you tried to warn me," he finished gently. "You wanted to help and I didn't listen. Again." Her brows furrowed, confused and it was just another reminder of how little time she'd spent with him. "They hurt you and you still tried to help." He placed a kiss on her forehead. Even in the state she was in she was still elated that she'd gotten a kiss off the Doctor. Her lips pulled up into a soft smile and he returned it gladly.
"I can't blame anyone for being curious," she explained. "I wasn't even sure if I should have told you anyway. Who knows how I might have messed up the timeline." She shrugged, wincing slightly. "And then I was just too late."
"You did brilliantly," he promised before standing up. He looked over at Ambrose. "That's the best of humanity," he told her. "That's what you should have been."
He didn't have time to plead anymore. The sound of marching quickly filled the room and a mass of armed Silurian soldiers flooded in, surrounding them all and pointing their guns at the entire room.
From the main door Restac entered, flanked by a few more soldiers, now in charge of the proceedings. "My sister," she demanded. There was no reply and no one could look her in the eye as she searched the room. She quickly spotted the shrouded body and walked over. She knelt down next to it, uncovering her sister. She let out a loud, heartbroken wail and everyone reacted to her mournful cry. She covered Alaya back up and looked up at the Doctor, hurt and hatred in her eyes. "And you want us to trust these apes, Doctor?" she spat.
"One woman," the Doctor argued. "She was scared for her family. She's not typical."
Restac shot up from the floor, spinning around to face Ambrose. "I think she is," she hissed.
"Are you saying you wouldn't kill for your child? Do anything to ensure they're safe?" Danni defended from the side-lines but was ignored. Seeing Restac was not about to listen to any of them, the Doctor turned to Eldane.
"One person let us down. But there's a whole race of dazzling, peaceful human beings up there. You were building something, here, come on...an alliance could work," he pleaded.
"It's too late for that, Doctor," Ambrose told him and he looked at her questioningly. Tony ran his hand through his hair, disappointed in himself and his daughter over what they had done.
"Why?"
"Our drill is set to start burrowing again in..." Ambrose pulled out a stopwatch, checking the time on it. "15 minutes."
"What?" Nasreen exclaimed. She looked to Tony for an explanation, who motioned to his grandson.
"What choice did I have? They had Elliot," he replied, ashamed.
"Don't do this, don't call their bluff," the Doctor warned them.
"Let us go back," Ambrose pleaded. "And you promise to never come to the surface ever again. We'll walk away, leave you alone."
Restac growled, furious and in mourning. "Execute her!" she screamed.
"No!" the Doctor cried. He rushed over and grabbed Ambrose, pulling her out of the way of the soldier's fire just in time. He snatched the stopwatch from her before shoving her towards the exit. "Everybody, back to the lab! Run!" He turned back to grab Danni by the hand, holding her behind him as he held up the sonic screwdriver.
"Execute all the apes!" Restac shouted. The Doctor activated it, spinning on the spot as the guns exploded one by one.
"This is a deadly weapon - stay back," he warned as they both made their way to the exit. One of the soldier's climbed up the benches and shot at the pair with her tongue, hoping to get a direct hit. The Doctor dodged out of the way, throwing Danni into the opposite wall. She screamed in pain, falling to the ground. The Doctor helped her back up and they ran out of the room.
"Take everyone to the lab!" he called after Rory, who was just ahead of them. One of the soldier's shot at them and he manoeuvred both him and Danni out of the way before turning around to face the approaching Silurians. "I'll cover you! Go! Go!" Danni clung to his hand tightly. "You too, go with Rory," he instructed.
"Not a chance," she replied in a pant. "I'm not stupid, I'm safest with you."
He didn't have time to argue, and he knew there wasn't much point anyway. He held out his sonic screwdriver as Restac and her soldiers rushed around the corner. He set it off once and caused their guns to spark. "Ah-ah! Stop right there! Or I'll use my very deadly weapon again," He warned. "One warning, that's all you get. If there can be no deal, you go back into hibernation. All of you. Now. This ends here."
"No! It only ends with our victory," Restac snarled.
"Like I said... one warning." The Doctor set off the screwdriver again, disabling the last two guns before they followed the rest of the humans into the lab. He locked the door and turned to the room. He had to get them all back to the surface and do his best to get all of the Silurians back into hibernation.
"Elliot, you and your dad keep your eyes on that screen," he commanded, nodding towards one of the many monitors in the lab. "Let me know if we get company. Amy," he threw the stopwatch at his companion, "keep reminding me how much time I haven't got. Danni," he helped Danni over towards the chairs at the control desk. "You sit down." She was very happy to oblige and not be any help at all. She lowered herself into the chair next to Tony, who was looking worse than she did.
"OK, 12 minutes till drill impact," Amy told him, doing exactly as the Doctor had told her to.
Everyone was in place so he turned his attention to the rather ill-looking man next to Danni. "Tony Mack!" he cried. He rubbed a finger across the man's forehead, frowning slightly at the moisture that was there. "Sweaty forehead, dilated pupils, what're you hiding?"
With a grimace Tony opened the top of his shirt, pulling it apart and showing off the green veins that extended from a wound on his neck. Nasreen gasped at the sight. "Tony! What happened?!"
"Alaya's sting. She said there's no cure," he explained as the Doctor scanned it with his screwdriver. "I'm dying, aren't I?" The Doctor moved to the centre console and held the screwdriver to one of the monitors.
"You're not dying, you're mutating," he replied, amazed. An image of Tony's DNA appeared on the screen, the shape twisting as it changed. Danni watched it, also rather amazed. She remembered how the saved Tony, but the technology was still rather cool.
"How can I stop it?" Tony asked.
"Decontamination program!" the Doctor declared. "Might work - don't know. Eldane," he pointed at the elder Silurian, "can you run the program on Tony?"
"Doctor, shedload of those creatures coming our way!" Mo cried as Eldane did as he asked. "We're surrounded in here!"
The Doctor began pacing, something Danni had noticed from the show helped him think. She leant against the control desk as she watched him. His mind was obviously running fast as he tried to catch an idea from somewhere. "So, question is, how we do stop the drill, given we can't get there in time? Plus also, how do we get out, given that we're surrounded?"
He stopped and knelt by Danni, deciding that because he hadn't listened to her before that he would now. If he showed this younger Danni that he was better then, maybe, she'd believe he really was trying. "Danni-Girl, tell me what to do."
Her brow furrowed as he looked at her almost pleadingly and she realised he wanted to make up for ignoring her about Alaya. "You could use a, err... An energy pulse thing, shoot it at the drill and destroy it before it hits," she replied slowly. He must have already known that, but she still liked that he was waiting for her to say so before he put it into action.
He shared a smile with her before he stood up, moving over to Nasreen. "Nasreen, how d'you feel about an energy pulse, channelled up through the tunnels to the base of the drill?" he asked.
"To blow up my life's work?" she asked angrily.
"Yes," he replied before smiling apologetically. "Sorry. No nice way of putting that."
"Right, well," she started, trying to pull herself together. "You're going to have to do it before the drill hits the city, in..." she trailed off, upset but knowing it was the only option. The Doctor patted her on the shoulder sympathetically before rushing over to the centre console.
"11 minutes, 40 seconds..." Amy called from across the room.
"Yes! Squeaky bum time!" the Doctor cheered. He rubbed his hands together gleefully.
"Yes, but the explosion is going to cave in all the surrounding tunnels so we have to be on the surface by then," Nasreen pointed out.
"But we can't get past Restac's troops," Rory replied.
"I can help with that," Eldane started, causing everyone to look around at him as he stepped out of the decontamination chamber. "Toxic Fumigation - an emergency failsafe meant to protect my species from infection. A warning signal to occupy cryo-chambers. After that, citywide fumigation, by toxic gas. Then the city shuts down."
"You could end up killing your own people," Amy stated pointedly, stepping towards him. He nodded gravely.
"Only those foolish enough to follow Restac."
"Eldane, are you sure about this?" the Doctor pressed. It was a lot for anyone to do, kill any amount of people of their own race. He knew that well.
"My priority is my race's survival," Eldane replied. "The Earth isn't ready for us to return yet."
"No," the Doctor agreed angrily, almost in protest. "But maybe it should be." He stepped out from behind the console. "So here's the deal. Everybody listening? Eldane, you activate shutdown, I'll amend the system, set your alarm for 1,000 years' time." He clapped his hand on Eldane's arm and the elder set to work. The Doctor turned to the humans. "1,000 years to sort the planet out. To be ready. Pass it on. As legend, or prophesy, or religion, but somehow, make it known. This planet is to be shared."
Elliot nodded with a grin. "Yeah. I get you."
"Nine minutes, seven seconds," Amy pointed out. The Doctor ran around to join Eldane at the controls, wiggling his fingers in the air excitedly.
"Yes, fluid controls, my favourite! Energy pulse timed, primed and set. Before we go, energy barricade, need to cancel it out – quickly." He pointed his screwdriver at the screen and on the surface the force field over the area was deactivated.
"Fumigation pre-launching," Eldane informed him. Rory moved over to them.
"There's not much time for us to get from here to the surface, Doctor!" he pointed out urgently.
"Ah-ha, super-squeaky bum time!" the Doctor replied happily, still typing on the console. Elliot smiled at him, enjoying the impossible man and Danni pushed herself up and moved over, hugging the boy around the shoulder.
"Impressive, isn't he?" she whispered and he nodded. The Doctor glanced over, hearing her words and grinning. He was already making an impression on her.
Not that he was trying to impress her or anything.
"Get ready to run for your lives. Now..." the Doctor started but Eldane stepped forward.
"But the decontamination program on your friend hasn't started yet," he interrupted and they all looked at Tony, who with some effort moved out of the chamber.
"Well, go. All of you! Go," he commanded firmly, motioning to the door.
"No, we're not leaving you here!" Ambrose cried.
"Granddad!" Elliot broke out from under Danni's arm and ran over, hugging him tightly.
"Eight minutes, 10 seconds," Amy warned.
The family had a moment, taking the time to say goodbye and sharing last hugs. It was a horrid part of the episode, but Danni tried not to see it like that. She tried to see it as a new beginning for both the Tony and the family left behind. Ambrose had the chance to make amends for her actions and Tony got to explore a new, exciting world and time when he came out of decontamination and hibernation. They'd always have memories of each other and, hopefully, he would see the legacy that his family would leave behind.
There was still one thing missing. She leant closer to Nasreen. "I think you should stay," she whispered. "Don't give up what you've only just found." Nasreen shot her a confused look and Tony finally let his daughter go.
"Go. Go. Come on… Go on," Tony instructed, shooing his family away. The Doctor nodded at Eldane, who activated the control on the screen. The room went dark for just a moment before auxiliary lighting bathed it in a slightly green glow.
"Toxic fumigation initiated," a voice rang out over the tannoy. "Return to cryo-chambers." Amy ran over to the screen showing the hallway outside the door.
"They're going! We're clear!" she told them.
"OK," the Doctor moved towards the door with a nod. "Everyone follow Nasreen," he instructed. "Look for a blue box. Get ready to run." He unlocked the door with a buzz of his screwdriver before he turned to Eldane. "I'm sorry."
"I thought for a moment, our race, and the humans..."
"Yeah. Me too."
"Doctor!" Amy cried. "We've got less than six minutes."
"Go! Go! I'm right behind you!" Everyone rushed from the room except Nasreen, Danni and the Doctor. The Doctor shared a last, sad look with Eldane before he grabbed Danni's hand. "Let's go," he told both women.
"I'm not coming either," Nasreen told him, much to his surprised.
"What?"
Nasreen moved over to Tony in the decontamination chamber and placed both hands on his arm. "We're going to hibernate with them, me and Tony," she explained.
"I can be decontaminated when we're woken. All the time in the world," Tony continued, looking fondly down at Nasreen, who replied with a soft smile.
"But... Nasreen... you..." the Doctor stuttered. She walked up to him.
"No. This is perfect. I don't want to go," she told him determinedly. "Danni's right, I've got what I was digging for. I can't leave when I've only just found it." The Doctor looked down at Danni, who let go of his hand and hugged Nasreen.
"It was an honour meeting you," Danni stated sincerely as Amy ran back into the room.
"Doctor! Danni," she said, motioning urgently. Danni let go of Nasreen and moved over to Amy.
"Thank you, Doctor," Nasreen told him and he smiled, hugging her.
"The pleasure was all mine," he replied. He rushed over to Danni and Amy, grabbing Danni's hand before they left the two to their new life together. They began running towards the TARDIS, entering a plant-filled tunnel as Rory came bounding towards them, obviously looking for Amy.
"Other way, idiot!" she snapped and he spun on the spot, running back the way he came.
The Doctor glanced down at Danni at his side. She didn't understand the fondness on his face, like he was truly happy to have her there, but she didn't have time to focus too much on it. She just knew that it sat as funny as the strain in her abdomen. She tried for as long as she could to keep hold of his hand, but eventually she stumbled, crying out in pain as she fell to the floor.
The Doctor skidded to a stop, falling to the floor next to her. Her knees were bleeding as she'd taken a layer of skin off them and she was curling up into herself, eyes watering even as she squeezed them closed. She couldn't run anymore, she couldn't even move.
"This isn't the time for this, Danni," the Doctor half scolded as he tried to rouse her. She shook her head.
"I- I feel funny…" she slurred out before the world went dark.
~0~0~0~
Danni had never been in hospital. She had been surprisingly lucky in that regard, especially considering she could be quite clumsy on occasion. She didn't have much experience of hospitals either, but she'd seen enough television shows to know that if you woke up in a while room on a bed that you'd somehow ended up there.
Images of green lizard men and bowties filled her mind and she frowned, trying to remember what had happened to land her in a hospital room. A private one, it would seem, considering that there wasn't much noise around her. Although, considering it was private, the bed was rather uncomfortable. She sat up as she smiled to herself, remembering the broken Christmas present she had been given. It had been a dream. A rather good dream. Well, apart from being dissected. She could have done without that.
She swung her legs over the side of the bed, wondering where everyone was. She needed to find a doctor – not the Doctor unfortunately – and find out what was happening. Shouldn't she have been in a hospital gown or something? Maybe they only changed you if your clothes were ruined. She really had absolutely no idea. She picked at her dress, which looked worse for wear. Perhaps she had owned this dress all along. Dreams always seemed to get some things wrong.
The door opened and an excited young boy ran in, eyes wide and grinning. "You're awake!" Elliot almost cheered. "This place is amazing! It's bigger on the inside and everything."
"You-You shouldn't be here," she stated weakly as her heart began to race.
"The Doctor sent me to check on you," he explained. "I think we're going to fly soon."
Danni shook her head again. She had woken up, hadn't she? It was black and then she was lying on a bed. She had woken up. She shouldn't still be dreaming. Not unless the injuries were worst than she feared.
Or maybe the Doctor had been telling the truth. Maybe she wasn't dreaming.
She shook her head. The panic that came from that thought seemed to suddenly be much too far away for her to focus on. Instead she remembered what came next. If they were already on the TARDIS…
"I have to get to the Doctor," she cried, rushing out of the room and past the confused Welsh boy. The hallway seemed a lot shorter and a lot easier to navigate than she'd expected and mere moments later she was in the console room of the TARDIS watching the Doctor pull a hysterical Amy back in from outside.
"Let me out, please let me out... I need to get Rory." Amy sobbed as she pounded on the door, trying to get to her fiancé. The Doctor walked determinedly to the console, leaning on it and breathing heavily as he fought himself not to let her out. Danni watched him for a moment before grabbing the nearest monitor and pulling it towards her. There was a crack on the wall outside spewing light onto Rory and she sighed, closing her eyes. She was too late. Rory was about to get eaten by the crack and there was nothing anyone could do about it.
She took a step towards the Doctor, who's head was hanging. "It'll be okay," she promised. He looked up at her and his heartbreak was visible on his face. He'd always been so expressive that she'd never been able to stand it on the show. And just like with Ten before she couldn't stand it now. "It doesn't seem like it, but it will be."
"That light," Amy said as she looked at the giant screen on the wall showing Rory's fate. "If his body's absorbed I'll forget him. He'll never have existed." She turned, looking at the Doctor pleadingly. "You can't let that happen," she begged. The Doctor didn't look at her, instead pulled a lever on the console to set them into flight.
"What are you doing?" Amy shouted angrily, running toward the Doctor.
"Amy!" Danni cried out, grabbing the redhead to stop her attacking the Doctor and stopping them flying away. Amy just shoved her off and onto the floor, Danni crying out in pain. How did her stomach still hurt? What was happening?
"Doctor! No!" Amy screamed desperately as they flew away. He spun her around and tried to hug her as she smacked him in the chest with her fists as she tried to get away.
"No! No! Doctor, we can't just leave him there!" she pleaded, grabbing onto his shoulders as she collapsed into sobs.
"Keep him in your mind," he told her, grabbing her arms tightly to hold her up. "Don't forget him. If you forget him, you'll lose him forever."
"On the Byzantium, I still remembered the Clerics because I am a time traveller," Amy sobbed. Danni sat up on the floor. She was shaking, but not because of what was happening to Rory. If she had been paying attention she would have felt terrible about it, but her mind raced on her own problems, her own fears. Was she really dreaming?
"They weren't part of your world," the Doctor explained, taking Amy's head in his hands to force her to look at him. "This is different...this is your own history changing."
"Don't! Tell me it's going to be OK. You have to make it OK," she sobbed.
"It's going to be hard, but you can do it, Amy." He kissed her on the forehead before taking her to the jump seat and sitting her down. He knelt down in front of her. "Tell me about Rory," he commanded. "Fantastic Rory, funny Rory, gorgeous Rory." Even now she was starting to forget him, unable to focus at all. "Amy, listen to me. Do exactly as I say. Amy, please. Keep concentrating. You can do this."
She tried so hard but shook her head. "I can't," she whispered.
"You can. You can do it. I can't help you unless you do. Come on. We can still save his memory. Come on, Amy," he encouraged. She stared over his shoulder, frowning as she tried to remember. "Please…" he begged her. "Come on, Amy, come on. Amy, please. Don't let anything distract you. Remember Rory. Keep remembering, Rory is only alive in your memory. You must keep hold of him. Don't let anything distract you. Rory still lives in your mind."
Just as it happened in the episode, the TARDIS jolted as she landed back up on the surface of the Earth. Danni was sent skidding across the floor towards Amy and the Doctor, who in turn were sent flying the floor.
Then, as if nothing had happened, Amy sat up happy and unburdened with the horrific loss she'd just faced. "What were you saying?" she asked the Doctor brightly. Danni looked to the Doctor, who was staring at a red box Danni knew contained Amy's engagement ring. He then locked eyes with her and she smiled sadly. He seemed surprised, as if he hadn't expected her to remember.
"I have seen some things today, but this is beyond mad," Mo stated as he and his family emerged from the hallway of the TARDIS.
Amy reached for the stopwatch as the Doctor reached for the ring. "Doctor! Five seconds till it all goes up!" she told him. He helped Danni up and they all ran outside just in time to see the drill explode.
~0~0~0~
"So, are you going to tell me what's going on?"
Danni had gotten changed in the TARDIS closet, this time a lot less enthusiastically. She'd still gone for a blue dress because she had rather enjoyed wearing the last one. It hadn't been as calming as she thought it would have been, either, but she'd spent the entire time acting like it was. Acting like her mind was racing through every single thing that had happened since she'd appeared with the Doctor and Donna. Through the giant spiders and lizard men, trying to explain every single instance of something that made it seem like she wasn't in a dream.
It hadn't worked. Some things just couldn't be explained. And so she'd gone looking for the Doctor, who she'd found in the console room. That, at least, seemed like it was just like the episodes. And it also highlighted that she wasn't just remembering what she'd seen on television because this part was all new.
He looked up at her as she stood on the stairs leading into the console room, smiling as he held onto Amy's engagement ring. "You should be resting," he scolded lightly.
"Yeah, well, who has time for that?" she asked as she jumped down the last couple of stairs. The pain in her stomach had very much gone but there was still a slight dull ache that was already starting to pass. "Plus, I'm fine now. Just like Amy would be."
He glanced down at the engagement ring. "You sound so sure," he muttered. She walked over and closed the lid on it. It was strange but, between the two Doctors, this one seemed happier for her to be around than Ten had. Not that he'd seemed particularly unhappy for her to be there, everything with Eleven just had a different feel to it. He felt more comfortable around her and she could really tell, and it was rubbing off on her.
"I am," she replied sincerely, because she knew that everything would work out. "Trust me." He studied her for a moment then smiled, pulling her in for a hug.
"I'll always trust you," he told her before holding her out at arm's length. "So, when have you just come from?"
"The Runaway Bride," she replied.
He frowned. "What?"
"You know, with Donna?" she prompted. "Her wedding day? The Racnoss?"
"Ah," he replied with a nod. "That was your first trip wasn't it? You thought you were dreaming."
The way he said it seemed to confirm a lot of what she was feeling. It wasn't a teasing, or a dismissal, it was a rememberance of something that he knew was wrong. "I'm not, am I?" she asked quietly. "You're the Doctor," she waved up and down at him, "you're stood right in front of me and it shouldn't be real, but it is. This is happening, isn't it?"
She still seemed so calm, but she was pale and her eyes were darting around as if looking for an escape. His hearts called out for her, they really did. He had hoped that this day wouldn't come and he wouldn't have to be the one to explain it.
He reached out, taking hold of her arm and rolling up the sleeve of her cardigan. "You have a vortex manipulator attached to your arm," he explained as gently as he could. "It's a fixed point. It's always there, it always was there and it always will be there. It'll never come off." She reached up to try and undo the straps but, much like the first time she had tried, they didn't move and it was as if she felt nothing underneath her fingertips at all.
"What do I do?" she asked him softly because she didn't have anything else to ask. She had so many questions, but she didn't want to ask a single one of them. She still felt numb to the idea that she had, for whatever reason, appeared on the TARDIS with not one, but two different Doctors and companions, in two different episodes.
"You told me, once, that you got it as a gift off your friend but it malfunctioned and you landed on the TARDIS with Donna," he replied. "It sets off without warning and you get shot across my time line." He pulled her sleeve back down, hiding it from view and she was glad to not see it. "We've never met in the right order," he finished.
She nodded along slowly, as if everything he was saying was actually sinking in. None of it was, though. It was only a few small words and yet meant such a life-changing thing it just didn't make any sense. "I don't understand," she stated. "This can't happen, time travel doesn't exist." She met his eyes. "You don't exist. And I'm just supposed to believe that I'm here? What about my mum and dad? Do I ever go home?" She blinked and her eyes went wide as her brain shot off on another tangent, probably to protect her from where it had already been heading. "Hold on, are you telling me that I actually was dissected?" she exclaimed. He nodded. "And that I was actually looking at a supernova?"
The Doctor could tell she was getting upset, something that would happen from time to time understandably. He grabbed her hand, pulling her to the stairs where he sat her down. He sat next to her, pulling her close and wrapping her up in hug she was grateful for.
"I know it sounds horrible," he began gently, "but we have so much fun together. We do so many amazing things, go to beautiful planets and help so many people. And you," he pulled back but held onto her arms, smiling brightly at her, "my amazing Danni-Girl, always know what to do. And you're never scared, and you have told me that you'd never go back." She sniffed, crying softly but he still didn't let her go. "I wasn't lying when I told Donna who you are. You are my best friend. Throughout everything, you're the only person who is always there and the only person I want to be."
"I'm scared now," she whispered. He leant forward, placing a small kiss on her forehead.
"No you're not," he replied. "I know when you're scared. You're just overwhelmed. I know what that's like. You need to go to bed."
"No I don't," she replied petulantly and he laughed at her childish protesting. He let go of her arms to wipe her tears away.
"Yes, you do," he correctly rationally. "If you came straight from Donna to here, you haven't slept properly in almost 48 hours. You're tired."
She shook her head, pouting and crossing her arms. "Make me, Spaceman," she challenged. Before he could do anything, her body decided to betray her and she yawned loudly and for much too long. She glared at him. "Not a word."
He chuckled, standing up. "Definitely not," he replied. He held out his hand and helped her up. The moment they reached the top of the stairs he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, keeping her close and making her feel slightly better about the giant bombshell that had just exploded her life.
"So, I just jump around time and space?" she asked him as they headed into the hallway. "What if I land somewhere… I dunno, somewhere I've never heard of. Or in like a volcano or something?" Her heart skipped a beat. "Or in outer space?" she whispered, horrified.
"You jump around my personal timeline, so I'm always around somewhere," he explained, dancing over the idea of her landing out in the void that space was. She noticed and tensed underneath his touch, but decided not to push it. It was too much to handle at that moment. "We've never worked out why, though."
"How do I choose, though?" she asked. "I mean, I came from Ten to you but that wasn't a conscious choice. How do I know where I'm going next?"
He stopped her outside a door, turning to look at her. She was staring up at him expectingly, looking for answers. He took both of her hands in his, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand in comfort. "You don't," he admitted, causing her panic to spike again. "But don't worry about that now. Go to sleep, we can deal with it in the morning."
"How am I supposed to sleep?" she exclaimed. "If you're right then I might not even make it til morning!"
He gave her hands a squeeze. "You once told me about your first day with me. You make it to the morning, I promise." She didn't look convinced. "Hey," he said, a little insulted. "Trust me. I'm the Doctor."
She looked down at his hands, wondering why he was trying so hard to make her feel better. "Can I ask you a question?" she asked quietly.
"Sure."
"Have you always been so touchy-feely?" she asked, looking back up at him. "The other Doctor, Ten, he wasn't like this at all." He blushed slightly and dropped on of her hands to run it through his quiff.
"Well, I guess, he didn't know you as I long as I have," he offered with a little stutter. "Do-Do you want me to stop?"
She shook her head. "I didn't say that, did I Spaceman?" se retorted. His hand snaked to rest in the small of her back, turning her to face her door.
"This is your room," he explained. "You designed it when I was still Nine, so I hope you still like it. Or, will like it."
"I know, tenses are hard," she replied offhandedly. She gently pushed the door open and was surprised to see her bedroom at her parent's house on the other side. The browns and creams felt so familiar, with her desk in one corner and a small set of drawers. The only difference was the double bed in the middle of one of the walls that had replaced her single bed.
"Ah, I see I went for a bit of home," she mused. "I like it." She stepped in then turned to look at him again. "I suppose it doesn't get much use, though. I can't really stay still long enough if I'm jumping around constantly."
"You sleep a bit too much, to be honest," he said and she let out a little hollow chuckle. "That's the problem with you humans. Always need recharging."
"It's a shame we can't live off none at all like you can," she countered before sighing heavily. "I hate that I find it so easy to believe you."
He frowned. "Why?"
"Because this isn't right," she retorted. "None of this is right. I mean this sort of thing just doesn't happen in life, does it? And yet, I know that you're not lying to me." She smiled softly at him. "Thank you."
That seemed to confuse him further. "What for?"
"For being so nice," she replied. "And not making fun of me for thinking this was a dream. And letting me have a room on the TARDIS. Lots of things, really." She hugged him this time, and he squeezed her tightly, resting his head on hers.
"Anytime, Danni-Girl," he replied softly. He kissed the top of her head before pulling away. "Now, go to bed. You're still tired. Your pyjamas and other night-time outfits should still be in the chest of drawers."
She smirked at him. "And how do you know where all my clothes are?" she asked teasingly. He looked alarmed and he laughed. "Oh, I'm just teasing you. Shoo, I'm going to get changed."
She closed the door as he left then leant against it, looking around the room. Everything seemed so surreal. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again and looking around the room. It was exactly like her room at home, down to the pictures of her friends on the noticeboard above her bed. She knelt down and felt the carpet, it felt slightly worn as it should have because it hadn't been redecorated in a couple of years. This was her room at her parents. She stood up and stared at the door. If she opened that door, the hallway outside the room would lead to the stairs to the front room, she just knew it. She nodded once and threw it open, revealing the grey metal of the TARDIS. She slammed it shut and walked over to the bed, sitting down on the edge, her feet barely reaching the floor.
"This is really happening," she stated out loud, although no one was there to hear her. Poor Claire. She would have just walked into the front room and she would have been gone. Claire'll never see her again and she would never know why. Neither would her parents. Her eyes stung as tears welled up. Would they become like those parents she would see on the news, constantly fighting for closure decades after their children have disappeared? A sob broke out from her throat and she shook. What if they all just forgot about her? What if coming here she was wiped from her own universe? No one would miss her. She had no home now, no family. She curled up on the edge of her new bed, hugging her knees to her chest as she cried.
No one would care.