The Doctor had parked them a couple of streets away just so they didn't alert the pair to their presence. Danni had wanted their reappearance in the family's life to be a surprise, after all they had no idea what had happened to Danni, so they may as well go all out. For some reason she didn't feel as nervous with the Owens' as she had with other people, like when they'd first met up again with Martha. Maybe it was because she had chosen to do this, whereas Martha had been sprung on them. But, even though she was absolutely fine, she was more than happy to hold the Doctor's hand as they walked through the suburban streets.
They were just chatting, wondering how Craig and Sophie would react to seeing them - happy once they realised that Danni was still the Danni they knew, although Craig would probably worry about an alien invasion. The Doctor kept stopping every few steps to pull Danni close and place brief kisses on her lips. He had always wanted to hold her hand, he had always liked to kiss her when the opportunity would allow it, but he hadn't been this enthusiastic since their honeymoon. Danni wondered if it was because of all those memories filling his head at once, and maybe he'd been flooded with how he felt on their honeymoon, but then again she didn't really care.
They finally turned onto Craig's street and frowned at the amount of cars parked there. The other two streets had been relatively empty, but theirs seemed rather full, "Huh, busy day." Danni commented before shrugging it off, "Come on, Theta." She started walking off, but the Doctor didn't follow, taking in the sight with his 'noticing' face, "Oh, don't do that." Danni almost moaned, "Craig hates that face!"
The Doctor looked down at her, "What face?" He asked, confused.
"Your noticing face." She replied, "Remember, when we were here last time? He said it gave him nightmares."
"I don't have a noticing face." He protested, "Especially when I'm not noticing things. And I am definitely not noticing the fact that this many people shouldn't be here on a Saturday."
"You do too have a noticing face." She countered, stepping in front of him, that cheeky grin on her face that he adored, "You get this adorable thoughtful frown, your eyes stop focusing on everything else but what you've noticed, you can hear the cogs turning around in that big Time Lord brain of yours." She took his other hand in her own, "And, if we're lucky, we'll get the 'I'm Clever' glasses making an appearance."
"I don't have 'I'm Clever' glasses." He replied, confused for a moment before realising that his previous body had the glasses. He looked offended, taking a step towards her until they were touching, "I knew he was your favourite." He teased lightly.
"You're my favourite." She replied, pushing up onto her toes as he dipped his head, kissing her in the middle of the pavement. He would never get enough of feeling her lips move against his, their harmony perfect, and when she tried to pull away the first time, he just held her there for that little bit longer, letting her go, smirking at the slightly dazed look, "Now you're just stalling." She teased.
"Always." He agreed, but he let one of her hands go. They walked down the street, the closer they got towards the Owens' residence, the louder the sound of people seemed to get.
"Maybe we've come on a bad day." Danni commented when it became obvious all the cars were there for the Owens'. They came to a stop just by the path up to the house, the Doctor suspecting Danni was having second thoughts as she pulled him to stand next to her.
"We can always come back." He offered as he watched her regard the house, brows furrowed as she went over how to proceed. He never went back, especially after the Ponds, it always seemed too difficult. They only visited people because of her, and if she wanted to turn and leave, he wouldn't protest. But he knew she wouldn't. He knew she really wanted to see Craig, Sophie and Alfie, and he knew it would make her happy to see them welcome her back as well.
"No, no, I don't want to..." She replied vaguely, trailing off as she turned to look at the cars. It was obviously a gathering. If it was just family, it would be awkward and they really shouldn't intrude on that. However, it was just friends then there was no harm in dropping in for a few minutes. There was banners near the front door, and some balloons as well, but they were too far away for her to be able to read. Was it a birthday, a congratulations? Someone might have gotten married. For all she knew they didn't even live there anymore, it's not like the Doctor was always correct when he landed. She needed to find out.
She smiled as her eyes fell on the next door's garden, "Ah, that's it. Come on." She declared, dragging him up the path that ran on the other side of the dividing fence.
"What are we doing?" He asked but she shushed him as they reached the side of the house. She dipped down, and he followed suit.
"We're checking what's happening." She whispered in reply, "This fence reaches the back, we can look over it." She ducked down further as they moved past one of the side windows.
"Why didn't we just knock on the door?" He asked her but she shushed him again. The neighbours had a conservatory, but thankfully no one was on it. She looked at the fence again, she wouldn't be able to see over it without standing on something. She smiled at some garden furniture and dashed over, keeping a look out the entire time. She grabbed one of the chairs and moved it over to the fence, climbing onto it. Ah, that was better.
The Doctor couldn't help but watch her with an amused, but warm, smile on his face. She was adorable, trying to be sneaky as she moved across the grass. Treating peeking over the fence with the same seriousness as she would one of their other, more dangerous, adventures. He nudged her over slightly, standing next to her but they both kept ducked behind the fence.
"Ready?" She asked him, voice barely a whisper with an incredibly serious look on her face.
"Ready." He agreed, leaning forward and catching her lips for a quick kiss that put a pink hue in her cheeks. She grinned, obviously enjoying herself, then they both put their hands on the top of the fence, standing up just enough to see over the edge.
The whole garden was decorated in balloons and streamers, tables dotted around as children ran between them, all dressed up in costume. There was music playing, but not very loud and to Danni it sounded like some Disney soundtrack she would have once been able to identify. The balloons were all shaped like stars and moons to compliment the very large rocket-shaped cake that sat proudly in the middle. All the children were dressed up in space-themes outfits, a few aliens and a couple of Buzz Lightyears. Danni turned to the Doctor as they ducked back down, a large grin on her face.
"It must be Alfie's birthday!" She whispered excitedly, "Oh, he'll be so happy to see you!"
"Which one's Alfie?" He asked, having last seen him when he was a baby. They both pushed back up again, scanning the children.
"Oh, of course," Danni mumbled, giggling to herself as her gaze fell upon on the young boys running around, "The little boy next to the cake. With the bow tie and his hair gelled back." The Doctor looked over and smirked to himself. The boy had blonde hair like his mother, and wasn't wearing tweed, but the hair and the tie proved just who he was dressed as, even if no one else would have known who.
"Dapper looking boy." He told her and she giggled again. She jumped down, the skirt of her dress floating slightly around her.
"He'll be so happy to see you. Best birthday present ever!" She cried happily. The Doctor stepped down, taking her arm before spinning her underneath it. She laughed again and he pulled her up against him again.
"I believe you're the one he wanted hugs from." The Doctor replied, "I don't blame him either." He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly as she smirked at him.
"I think you just want a kiss." She replied and he nodded.
"Always." He agreed, leaning in when they were interrupted by what seemed to be a whole pack of dogs barking.
"Hey! What are you doing in my garden?" A gruff, very angry, male voice shouted and they turned to see the owner of the house in his conservatory, storming towards them.
"Run!" They both shouted at the same time, dashing out of the garden and quickly around into Craig's garden, panting and hiding for a moment. However, the man didn't seem to be following them. Danni smacked the Doctor on the arm.
"What was that for?" He cried, holding where she'd hit in defence.
"You're the one who kissed me in the middle of someone's garden. We were trying to be sneaky!" She hissed in reply.
"How was I supposed to know he would come out?" He retorted, "And you didn't exactly stop me, did you?"
"Of course I didn't." She snapped, "You know I can resist it when you kiss me." They looked at each other before laughing. Danni took his hand.
"Let's go say hello to the birthday boy!" She declared.
~0~0~0~
He knew people hadn't trusted him to be able to throw a birthday party, but Craig hadn't doubted himself for a second. And, of course, he had been right. He'd booked the bouncy castle that was just the right size to fit into their modest back garden, he had the balloons ready, he picked up the cake and hadn't dropped it. He'd even prepared for a rainy day, having plenty to do inside, as well as choosing food that could be eaten both in and outside.
Of course, the party was a success and Craig had enjoyed the praise for all of five minutes, before Susie McMillan, a girl in his son's class, had decided to run head first into one of the tables. It had all gone downhill from there. Thankfully no one had really noticed, the kids were still running around playing and the parents seemed to be having a good a time as parents could have at a child's birthday party. However, he couldn't wait until it was over, and next year Sophie will be in a much better position to take the reins back for being the host. Thankfully.
He was just heading in to look for some more spaceman print plasters - a stroke of genius on his part at the time, now he just hoped he'd have enough - when the doorbell started being rung incessantly. He rolled his eyes, slamming the box down on the table and he headed to the door. If Mr Gables from next door was going to complain, again, about the noise the children was making, he was going to use the hose on him. It was only for a couple of hours, how was it that some people forgot they were children once too?
He threw the door open, ready to shout at the old man, but his mouth just fell open at the two people stood there. The Doctor. The Doctor was here, in purple, grinning from ear to ear with his arms around... well, actually, he had absolutely no idea who that was. It wasn't Danni, that was for sure, but they were both smiling brightly at him.
"Hi Craig!" The Doctor cried, "Guess who?"
"Yeah, er..." Oh no, he had a child's birthday party in the back yard and there was an alien invasion, wasn't there? That had to be the only reason the Doctor was here, he couldn't handle that, not today. He should tell him to go sort it out himself, that he was busy with his son and he just had to go find someone else to help. Of course, all he could manage was another, "err..."
The woman leant up towards the Doctor, "I think we broke him." She commented and the Doctor nodded, looking concerned as he pulled out his screwdriver.
"I hope not, humans are a pain to fix." He commented as he pointed it at Craig. He set it off, and the high pitched noise seemed to reboot Craig, who batted it away from his face.
"What, no, stop that!" Craig snapped, "I can't have you here! I've got- I've got a party out there filled with normal, blissfully ignorant human parents and children! I can't have an invasion today, it's just not- not right!"
"Craig?" A soft voice asked and Craig turned, alarmed, to see Sophie walk in, hand on her round belly, "What was that noise?"
"Oh, it's nothing." He promised, "Just head back inside, you don't want to-" Unfortunately, the Doctor bent around him, waving happily at his wife.
"Hello Sophie!" He greeted, "Wow, you're really huge!" Craig winced on his behalf, knowing how his wife had been reacting to comments on her size in last couple of months, but was amazed when she just beamed and walked over.
"Doctor!" She cried happily, "How lovely to see you again!" She shot Craig an annoyed look, "Why aren't you inviting him and..." He didn't know if he should comment on the lack of consistency in her reactions, so he just stared.
Danni tried not to smile as Sophie, who was obviously rather heavily pregnant, noticed she was there. The woman's guard went up almost instantly and suddenly the happy smile on her face was replaced by a very forced, almost angry one, "Craig, you've not introduced me to the Doctor's new girlfriend." She commented in a happy-but-not-really tone.
"Girlfriend?" Craig squeaked, finally noticing the way the Doctor was holding her, like he didn't want to let her go. Like he would with Danni, which explained Sophie's change in voice, "Oh, well, this is..." He had no idea. He actually had no idea her name, and Sophie wouldn't be happy if he couldn't tell her who it was.
"Ah, well, I should explain." The blonde started with a sheepish look on her face, "I'm Danni. Actually Danni." Neither of them looked like they believed her, "After I came here to see you a couple of years ago, I ended up getting sucked into the Time War. Which is something you," she pointed at Craig with a thoughtful look on her face, "should know about. I got shot, got sucked back here again, and died. Then I regenerated, and now," she chucked her arms out, "here I am!" She giggled nervously, which was understandable considering how much the couple really didn't look like they believed her. She looked up at the Doctor, at a bit of a loss of how to do this, even after all this time. Well, in all fairness, she hadn't really told a lot of people. Martha, Jenny, Jack had already known, as had River... wow, she really didn't have many friends left, did she?
Jenny? Oh, there was an idea…
The Doctor held her by the tops of her arms, giving her a reassuring rub with his thumbs, "This really is Danni." He promised them, "Craig should have some memory about regeneration." Sophie looked at her husband for confirmation, but he shrugged.
"Well, yeah," He confirmed, "But I thought you were the last of the Time Lords. Danni was human, right?"
"That was a surprise to all of us." The Doctor agreed, "I promise, though, this is Danni." Sophie and Craig turned to each other, having a silent conversation over what to do. Craig knew about regeneration, but he wasn't sure if he believed that Danni had magically been able to be able to change heads as well. And they both remembered how she had been the last time they'd seen her, they talked about it occasionally when they wondered what their extraordinary friends were up to. She had been ready to die, it had been horrible, but she was going and she had been so final about it. But the Doctor was clever, he would know if it was his Danni or not. They'd been to the wedding, they'd loved each other so much, there was no way the Doctor would be fooled by anyone pretending to be his wife.
But he wasn't sure. In a universe where someone could park a spaceship on top of his house and no one would notice, where time travel existed and Cybermen took over department stores, maybe she had died and regenerated. All he knew what that whatever Sophie decided, he would go with. He trusted his wife, she still was his best friend, and since she'd become pregnant she had become scarily good at being right about things.
Sophie turned from him, smiling brightly again, "I'm just glad you're okay." She told Danni, who grinned and rushed out of the Doctor's grasp and over to her. She placed a hand on Sophie's stomach.
"How long are you along, sweetie?" She asked excitedly, "Is it another boy? Have you thought of names?" She rambled off question after question before Sophie could even answer. If either of them had still doubted the fact that it was Danni, the look of disappointment on the Doctor's face when she left his grasp told them everything.
Sophie took Danni's hand, "Let's go into the kitchen." She declared, "Craig's made some lovely sandwiches." And the two wandered off, leaving Craig and the Doctor stood there, smiling after their wives.
The Doctor clapped his hands together, stepping into the house, "We should follow them, shouldn't we?" He asked, probably meaning it to sound like a suggestion but it coming more like he was asking Craig if it was the right thing to do.
"I just have one question." Craig replied and the Doctor nodded, motioning for him to continue. Really, he'd expected more resistance to the fact that Danni had regenerated, it was nice of Craig to wait until she'd gone to ask any questions that might upset her. The human shot him an almost pained look, "Are you sure there's no aliens coming to take over my neighbourhood?" He asked desperately, "No Cyber rat things coming to eat us?" The Doctor chuckled, slightly taken by surprise but clapped his hand on the man's shoulder, "I'm doing a good job, for once. People actually think I'm a competent human being!"
"No cyber-anything." The Doctor promised, a tint of amusement in his tone at how relieved Craig seemed at the news, "Although, me and Danni have just had a run in with some Cybermites of all things."
"Here?" Craig exclaimed, completely terrified for his son's party. The Doctor shook his head, shutting the front door with a kick of his foot backwards.
"Oh no, at a theme park." He replied and Craig relaxed, "Is something wrong, Craig?" He asked, eyes darting around as they followed the two women, "You seem tense. Has something happened?"
"It's this party!" Craig cried, "Everyone's thirsty, and the children keep hurting themselves on things they really shouldn't! One of the little girls, Jane or sommat, she cut herself in the ball pit. They're round, how do you cut yourself on something with no edges?" The Doctor shrugged, worried slightly about how he'd started Craig ranting, "Honestly, no one tells you about this. When you have a baby, they tell you about the long nights, and the temper tantrums, and trying to trick them into eating their veg. No one tells you about the parties!" He looked at the Doctor, already feeling calmer after his mini rant, "This dad malarkey is hard." He declared and the Doctor chuckled, patting his arm and pushing him into the kitchen.
"Yes, it rather is." He agreed, quieter than he normally would, brushing that tightening in his chest he felt whenever he thought about being a father. There was no need to let anyone know.
~0~0~0~
Craig had ended up having to go mingle, as was his job as host, and one he strenuously tried to get out of. Danni, the Doctor and Sophie stayed in the kitchen, sat around the table as people came in and out. Danni made them all a cup of tea and the moment she sat down, the Doctor put his arm around the back of his chair, moving slightly closer to her.
"So, how far along are you?" Danni asked the woman again, this time a lot calmer. Sophie smiled, placing a hand on her baby bump.
"Just over 38 weeks." She replied, "We're expecting me to drop any day now, though, considering how big I've gotten." She patted her stomach fondly, a smile on her face that showed she was dying to meet the new baby Owens, "Craig wanted to cancel the party in case I went into labour today, but I didn't want Alfie to miss his party." She leant in slightly closer, "I actually think he was trying to use it so he didn't have to host, if I'm honest." Danni glanced out of the window, seeing Craig chase after two young lads, and nodded.
"You know, I think you're right there." She agreed and the three laughed, "Do you know what you're having?"
"Yeah, a little girl." Sophie replied.
"Aww." Danni let out the noise, a silly grin on her face, "Any names?"
"None at all." Sophie admitted, "We've yet to settle on anything. Craig liked Jane, until this afternoon although I'm not quite sure why." The Doctor tried not to show he knew about the little girl in the ball pit, "I wanted something a bit classic, like Charlotte, but apparently he dated a girl name Charlotte so that was out of the window."
"Yeah, you don't want to be reminded of any notable exes any time you talk about your daughter." Danni agreed, "You'll probably know the moment you see her."
"The thing is, with Alfie, I always knew what I was going to call him-" Sophie started, Danni clasping her mug in both hands as she nodded along with the mum-to-be's concerns about naming her daughter. The Doctor couldn't help but watch her, the way she looked genuinely sympathetic over Sophie's worry about not bonding with her daughter, the reassuring words that came from her mouth as she tried to tell her that not knowing a name straight away didn't mean she wouldn't be a good mum.
It was all so ordinary, and Danni always seemed to slip back into it a lot easier than he ever did. He guessed it was that human part of her coming through, the one that had them going back occasionally to see their friends even when he wanted to just continue on through time and space. The one that showed him that sometimes spending a day sitting in your pyjamas and watching movies wasn't a waste of time.
"Elizabeth." Danni declared quickly and firmly to Sophie's inquiry about having any good suggestions for girls names. Both he and Sophie stared at her in surprise and she blushed slightly in embarrassment.
"Where did that come from?" Sophie asked her with a laugh before she lifted her mug to her lips, taking a tiny sip of the hot liquid.
"It, er, it's what I was going to call my daughter." She admitted, shrugging, "It is- it was mum's name. I always thought it'd be a nice name for a little girl, cause my mum was brilliant." The Doctor moved his arm from her chair to her shoulders, pulling her close and she smiled up at him. He had the soft smile on his face, the one that meant he was trying to be reassuring while feeling guilty, "It's fine." She promised him before turning back to Sophie, who was looking slightly sheepish for asking in the first place, "It's fine." She promised them both, "You can have it, if you like. I mean, if she comes out and looks like an Elizabeth. Someone should use it, right?" Sophie shook her head.
"Oh, I couldn't take your name off you." She insisted, "It might still happen for you." Danni shook her head, about to tell her everything. About how it was never going to happen, about how they couldn't have a little Elizabeth, but how it wasn't a bad thing because children in the TARDIS was such a bad idea, but they were interrupted by a little blonde boy with a bow tie. He came rushing in the patio doors.
"Mum, mum, mum!" He cried, obviously very hyperactive and Sophie shot him a look.
"Alfie, calm down." She scolded lightly, and to his credit the little boy did. Danni's bittersweet look changed in front of the Doctor's eyes to an incredibly happy one, and he wondered if she needed to be reassured about just how much he would rather have her than someone else who may be able to give him children. That always seemed to be her main concern over this subject, and he never minded telling her how much she meant to him.
"Mum, Dad said I should..." He trailed off as he calmed down, spotting the two people his mum was talking to, or rather the one man who was sat there in a bow tie, "Are you the Doctor?" He asked and the Doctor nodded, straightening slightly as his ego was stroked by the little boy recognising him.
"Yes, I am." He agreed, "And you're Stormageddon." Danni nudged him.
"Alfie, sweetie." She reminded and he nodded.
"Of course, sorry, Alfie." Alfie looked slightly overwhelmed, having not seen the man in front of him since he was a toddler and was at a wedding. However, his eyes widened hopefully as he looked up at him.
"Is Danni here?" He asked excitedly and the Doctor deflated as Danni laughed. Oh, she hadn't been expecting that.
"Alfie, it's me." She told him but he shook his head.
"No, you're not Danni." He declared firmly, "She's ginger and you're not." She nodded.
"Well, you're definitely not wrong there." She agreed, "But I am definitely Danni. Did your Dad tell you about how the Doctor can change his face?" He nodded, "Well, that's what I did too."
"No you didn't." He disagreed and Danni thought for a moment, thinking of a way to prove to the little man that she was, in fact, Danni.
"Ah, I know." She started, "When you last saw me, I told you a bedtime story, didn't I? About Kazran and Abigale, if I remember correctly, and the shark ride through the clouds." The boy's eyes widened.
"You are Danni!" He cried and she nodded, smirking slightly and holding her hands out to him. He rushed over and she picked him up, plonking him on her lap.
"Oh, you've gotten a lot bigger." She groaned under the weight on her lap, "I bet you've eaten a lot of cake today, haven't you?" He nodded, but his brows were furrowed as he looked her over.
"How come you changed your face?" He asked, "I liked your old face."
"Well, if I'm honest," she leant in closer, still smirking, "I got a bit bored of it. So, I changed it."
"Can you really do that?" He asked, amazed and she nodded.
"Oh, yeah, anyone can." She confirmed, "But only if you're really bored of it."
"But I'm bored of my face!" He cried and she shook her head.
"No you're not." She told him, "You're too busy having fun with all your presents to be bored of it." His face lit up.
"Did you bring me a present?" He asked hopefully.
"Alfie!" Sophie exclaimed, "You don't just ask people for presents, I've told you about that." He looked chastised.
"Sorry, Danni." The little boy told her.
"That's okay, Alfie." She replied before leaning in closer, "You can have it later." His face lit up as she gently pushed him off her lap, "Why don't you go play with your friends and your other presents until then?" He nodded, dashing out.
"He really likes you." Sophie told her, "It used to be all about the Doctor until you came to visit." Danni smiled smugly, turning to the Doctor who looked a bit put out at being ignored by the boy.
"Guess I'm the favourite Time Lord in this house." She commented, "I've never been the favourite Time Lord before."
"You're my favourite Time Lord." The Doctor told her and she looked up at him, eyes twinkling happily.
"You have to say that, you're my husband." She replied and he nodded, pulling her closer so she was leaning on his shoulder.
He placed a kiss on her hair, "Yes, I am." Sophie smiled at the two, thinking the only people she'd seen happier than them was her and Craig.
Danni couldn't help but smile up at him as he placed a small kiss on her forehead, but frowned as his eyes darted towards the patio. Something had caught his attention, even as he tried to make it seem like he hadn't. He was hiding his noticing face, which meant that he didn't want her to know.
She pulled back, "You want to go look at the presents, don't you?" She accused and he shook his head.
"No, no of course not." He quickly denied, "I'm not a child, I don't want to play with toys." Danni nodded.
"That's good, because I was just about to ask Sophie about her dishwasher and I could really use your input." She turned back to Sophie who was smiling in amusement, "I was thinking of getting the TARDIS to replace the one in the kitchen, how does yours run?"
"Oh, it's brilliant." Sophie replied, playing along as the Doctor realised they really were going to talk about dishwashers. He placed a kiss on Danni's hair even as he was standing up.
"You know, I might go check how Craig is doing." He declared, thinking of the first thing he could to get outside and take a look at those toys, "He seemed to be quite stressed with all the party planning. But you two keep talking, it sounds fascinating." And he was out the door, leaving Danni and Sophie to giggle at him.
"Oh, he is too easy." Danni declared before turning to Sophie, "So, did Craig really plan all this?"
Sophie nodded, taking a sip of her drink before answering, "Everything." She confirmed, "He booked the bouncy castle, gave out all the invitations, even chose the face painter." Danni sat up straighter in her chair, suddenly looking incredibly serious.
"Wait, there's face painting?"
~0~0~0~
The presents had all been wrapped, and even he knew to not unwrap a child's presents at their birthday party. So he'd decided to try and help Craig by taking some of the hosting duties off him. He'd made some of his excellent jam sandwiches, which had been eaten pretty much the moment he'd put them down on the food table, as well as ensured none of the adults went too long without a cup of tea. Of course he'd gone down a storm with all the parents, but then again that wasn't any less than what he'd expected. He'd already had an offer of a dinner party of a lovely couple who were there with 6 year old Kylie - he'd thanked them but politely turned them down.
Danni appeared at his side as he watched over the game of Pass the Parcel that Craig was currently moderating, a butterfly on her cheek that was joined by a load of sparkly stars, "He's such a good dad." She commented and he wrapped an arm around her waist without even thinking about it.
"He is." He agreed, "However, his choice of prize is a bit rubbish." They watched as a little girl unwrapped the next layer, letting out a sound of disappointment at not winning it.
"Oh, what is it?" She asked.
"A pad and some drawing pencils. Honestly, he should have put a DS4 in there. They'll just be disappointed." Danni frowned, she'd never heard of that before in her life.
"I think you've got the wrong year again, sweetie." She told him and he pondered on it for a moment before deciding she was right.
"Correct, as always." He told her, pulling her in front of him so he could hold her close while they both watched the children play, "Where did you pop off to?" He asked.
"Oh, to make a couple of phone calls." She replied, "Sorting out little Stormy's present."
"Am I allowed to know what it is yet?" He asked and she shook her head.
"Nope, it's as much for you as it is for him." She replied, "You'll just have to be patient." He turned her around, hands on her hips.
"I'm not known for my patience." He told her and she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Tell me about it." She agreed as he slowly began rocking them to the music Craig was using, "I'm still not telling you."
"Tell me what?" He asked, dipping his head and capturing her lips with his again.
Craig couldn't believe that anyone could slow dance to Disney music, but somehow they managed it. It was nice to see that, even after Danni had apparently died, that they were still together and everything, but it was all very distracting when he was trying to keep an eye on twenty kids and a badly wrapped parcel.
He pressed paused to see that little brat, Kylie, trying to open the prize already, "Oi, it's not your go!"
~0~0~0~
It wasn't until the last of the children had finally left that Craig could relax, flopping onto the sofa was his normal grace. Sophie had been a star, but she'd had to go have a nap, and he didn't blame her. Their little girl would be here any day now, she deserved as much rest as she could get for carrying her around. Honestly, he did worry that she was going to be bigger than Alfie was now, but Sophie had always been a slight woman, maybe the bump just looked huge because of that.
"I'm not doing that again." He declared to the Doctor, who was playing on Alfie's - and his, obviously - new PS5, "Nope, Sophie can take it back over. That was a nightmare, that was -" He frowned, sitting forward as he realised what the Doctor was playing, "Are you on the last level?" The Doctor nodded.
"It's quite entertaining." He replied, hammering at the buttons and Craig huffed slightly. He'd only had the game a couple of days, how did the Doctor always seem to one-up him?
"Where's Danni?" He asked a little sharper than he'd intended.
"Alfie wanted to show her his reading book from school." The Doctor replied, tilting with the controller as if it would make any difference to the way his character was going, "Apparently I wasn't allowed to see it." That made Craig feel slightly better, at least his son didn't like the Doctor more than him.
"He really likes her." He replied, "If he was any older, I'd say he had a crush on her." The Doctor paused the game, turning to Craig, suddenly looking rather angry.
"She's my wife." He declared and Craig nodded as he realised what the Doctor was angry about.
"He's seven." He reminded pointedly and the Doctor had the decency to look embarrassed. Of course he'd remembered that, plus Danni was his wife. She wasn't leaving him for anyone, she had married him after all.
"Dad!" The boy in question cried as Danni carried him into the front room. He was obviously slightly too big to be carried by her, but she didn't look like she minded. The Doctor smiled, she looked so happy. He knew that even if they could, they probably wouldn't have had any children yet, but sometimes it hit him how much she just loved kids. And the little boy, dressed up like him but with blonde hair, made it look like for a moment he was their little boy she was carrying. Oh, she looked sexy as a mum.
"What is it, champ?" Craig replied as Danni put him down on the floor. He rushed over, book in hand.
"Danni signed my reading book." He told him, opening it to the page, "Look!" He pointed it out.
"'Excellent reading from my favourite spaceman.'" Craig read out, "Well, that's brilliant!" He pulled his son onto his lap, "Had a good birthday?" He asked.
"The best!" He replied, giving his dad a quick hug, "And Danni said my present should be here soon." Danni nodded, sitting next to the Doctor, who had stopped playing the game to stare at her, almost offended as she sat next to him.
"Your favourite spaceman?" He challenged and she nodded.
"Well, of course." She teased, leaning on his arm, "I don't know who else could be as brilliant as Alfie." She grabbed is arm, looking at his watch, "She should be here any minute now, actually?"
"She?" The Doctor repeated just as the doorbell rang. She grinned, jumping off the sofa.
"That'll be her now! I'll get it." She declared, so excited to see the look on the Doctor's face, and hopefully she'd guessed right and Alfie would be rather excited as well.
"I'll get it!" Sophie called, having just made it downstairs from her nap just in time. She headed to the door, opening to see a young blond woman stood there.
"Hello, is Danni here?" She asked, "She asked me to meet her here." Danni walked out into the hallway and grinned.
"Jenny!" She cried and the blonde smirked.
"Hello mum!" She greeted. Sophie looked between the two, shocked, as Danni rushed over, hugging the new woman tightly.
"Mum?" She asked, perplexed because she was sure Danni would have mentioned having a daughter who barely looked younger than she did.
"Oh, she's just teasing." Danni replied, taking Jenny's hand, "The Doctor's her dad. At most I'm her step mum."
"Oh!" Sophie said, pointing at the girl in green as she tried to recall where she'd heard that before, "She's – Oh, she's that girl who was made in the- that cloning thing. Alfie likes that story."
"I know, that's why I invited her." Danni explained, turning to Jenny, "He's going to be so happy to see you. Thanks for coming."
"He seems like a nice kid, and I've not seen either of you in a while." Jenny replied and they all headed into living room. The look on the Doctor's face alone had been worth keeping it from him, he did not disappoint her. He went from surprise to proud, to pretty much ecstatic to see the young woman in only a few seconds. Alfie, on the other hand, spotted the stranger and went slightly shy, shrinking back into his father a little bit.
"Alfie, come here." Danni asked the little boy gently, holding her hand out. He didn't seem too sure, but his dad nudged him off his lap and Alfie walked over. Danni crouched down, smiling softly at him, "Do you remember be telling you the story of the Doctor's daughter?" She asked, "The girl, Jenny, who was the Doctor was both the mum and the dad of?" He nodded, glancing at the woman again as if he was working out what Danni was about to say, "Well, this is her. She's come to tell you stories about what she does when she's travelling out in the universe without the Doctor while - if it's okay with your mum and dad - we go swimming in the TARDIS." His eyes lit up and he turned to the woman.
"You're really the Doctor's daughter?" He asked excitedly and she laughed, joining Danni in the crouch.
"I am." She confirmed, "And I have a great story about a group of people trying to enslave some giant parrots."
Alfie looked up at his mum, "Can we go swimming mum? Please?" Sophie pretended to think about it, tapping her chin and he looked so panicked, like she might actually say no.
"Oh, I don't know..." She started.
"Muummm!" He moaned, jumping up and down on the spot, "Please!"
She let out an exaggerated sigh, "Oh, alright then!" He cheered, making everyone chuckle.
"I'll go get my shorts!" And he dashed out of the room. Craig stood up slowly, rather excited at finally being able to see the TARDIS he'd seen flashes of in his head.
"I'll grab his armbands." He told the group, walking past Sophie and placing a kiss on her cheek.
"They're in our wardrobe, I think." She told him.
Jenny and the Doctor shared a big hug, him lifting up his daughter, "I had no idea." He told her, "I would have given you a lift."
"Danni wanted it to be a surprise." She explained and the Doctor glanced at his smug wife, "Plus, you were due for a visit." He nodded.
"That we were." He agreed, "Although, it would have been nice to know if we were having visitors in our home." Danni hopped to his side, giving him a kiss on the cheek.
"Ah, you know you love it." She teased, "You don't mind, do you Sophie?" She shook her head.
"As long as you wear him out, it's fine." She replied.
~0~0~0~
Alfie couldn't believe the size of the TARDIS, but ultimately he was much more interested in Jenny and her stories than he was in the blue box. And Jenny had plenty of stories to tell them. While Alfie splashed around the TARDIS swimming pool, playing with the pool toys that the beautiful blue box had put there for him before they'd even arrived, the adults sat around it, listening to the woman tell them about her adventures. There was nothing better than seeing the proud look on the Doctor's face as he listened to his daughter following in his footsteps and saving the universe one planet at a time. By the time Alfie had become too tired to even stay in the pool anymore, he had pulled Danni into his laps, holding onto her tightly, so incredibly grateful for the present she'd set up for both Alfie and himself.
Eventually, though, all good things must come to an end, and Craig wrapped up his almost-exhausted son in his towel and scooped him up in his arms. They walked to the console room, where Danni stayed close to the little boy until they reached the door.
"Did you have a good birthday, Alfie?" She asked him gently and he nodded, yawning.
"Thank you, Danni." He replied. She smiled, placing a kiss on his forehead and the boy flushed, burying into his dad's chest further.
"You're very welcome, sweetie." She replied. She then placed a kiss on Craig's cheek, "You keep being a great father, to both of them, okay?"
"How can I even try and compete with this?" He retorted, "You need to visit more often." He looked over at the Doctor, shooting him a very pointed look, "Both of you." The Doctor gave him a salute in reply, neither agreeing to nor saying no.
Danni then gave a hug to Sophie, "And I expect you to call me the moment she's here." She told the other blonde, "I want pictures, I want to know the name, weight, everything."
"Of course." Sophie laughed, "Look after yourself."
"I always do." Danni dismissed, "Wait outside just a moment before going home, he'll really want to see this." And with that, the Owens left. Danni practically skipped up to the Doctor and Jenny, "Show them the best part." She told her husband, who flew them away, leaving the family to gape at the disappearing box outside.
Then the phone rang. They all stared at the console for a moment, before the Doctor picked it up, "Hello?" He asked, confused because the console rarely rang any more. The monitor flickered on and they were shown a shot of a hospital room with Craig stood next to Sophie, who was in a bed and holding a pink bundle, looking tired but incredibly happy.
"It's a girl!" Craig shouted, even though they all knew that. Danni gasped, pushing in between the father and daughter.
"Tilt the camera, I want to see her!" She exclaimed and Craig did. In Sophie's arms was a sleeping new-born, "Aww, she's so cute! Oh, well done you! Did you think of a name?" Craig and Sophie shared a knowing look.
"Yeah, we did." Craig told her, "This is Charlotte Danielle Owens." Danni's mouth fell open and tears appeared in her eyes.
"What?" She whispered.
"We didn't want to take your name." Sophie explained, "But if it wasn't for you and the Doctor, we wouldn't be here and we certainly wouldn't have Alfie and Charlotte." Danni grabbed the Doctor's arm with both hands, shaking slightly as he grinned on her behalf. He pulled her in close, her grip tightening on him even as it seemed she wasn't paying him any attention.
"Oh, oh thank you." Danni told them honestly crying slightly but not caring, "She's beautiful! You're beautiful!"
"Make sure you come visit soon!" Sophie told her and they hung up, heading off to be parents to another wonderful child. Danni turned to the Doctor, who scooped her up into his arms.
"Congratulations Danni-Girl!" He told her, spinning her around in a circle before putting her down. She couldn't stop smiling, the happiness just radiated out of her and he couldn't have found her more beautiful if he'd tried.
"I can't believe it." She replied, "That little girl has me as a middle name!" He chuckled and was about to tell her wonderful things, like how if the little girl grew up to be anything like his Danielle, then she'd be absolutely fantastic, but Danni pulled him closer, slamming her lips on his and he just couldn't bring himself to break the kiss.
Jenny decided that instead of asking to stay, perhaps it might be best to be dropped off somewhere so they could be alone. He was her father, after all.