One of the good things about having regenerated had been that Danni's fear of the darkness seemed to have disappeared, after all the things that had hurt her the most hadn't been in the shadows. Still, she did greatly appreciate the torch the Doctor picked off the wall to illuminate their way through the hallway they'd found themselves in. He held it in front of them with one hand, while keeping a grip on Danni's with the other.
"Where are we?" Clara asked the pair, following just behind them with a glance at the door they'd stepped through.
"Catacombs." The Doctor replied, setting off down the dark and dirty tunnel. Danni kept close to him, her nose wrinkled in slight disgust at the area they were walking through.
"I hate catacombs." She murmured, being reminded of when they'd looking for information on the Silence and had ended up in the tombs of the Headless Monks looking for Dorium. All them rats, it was disgusting. Of course she'd not exactly been well then either. The whole thing brought back memories she really wanted to forget.
"So how come I met your dead mother?" Clara asked as she jogged slightly to keep up with the married couple.
"She's not my mother." Danni quickly replied before the Doctor had even had a chance to open his mouth, "She just had sex, that's all." She glanced at River, who the Doctor unknowingly dragged her through.
"You won't always feel like that, sweetie." River told her.
"She'll never be my mother." Danni continued, like she was just finishing her sentence rather than it being the snide snap at River she was aiming for.
"Alright, how come I met your dead 'woman-who-gave-birth-to-you'?" Clara corrected.
"Well, you know how it is when you lose the person who has just saved your life." The Doctor replied, "I sort of made a back-up."
"A back-up?" Clara repeated incredulously.
"There's this planet called the Library. It's the biggest library in the universe, and when we were there she died to save us all." Danni explained, "The Doctor uploaded her into the Library database to save her."
"You still come and visit me." River told her smugly, "I never have to wait long. I always know that soon I'll see you again." Danni skidded to halt, stopping the Doctor and Clara in their tracks. She turned around, ready to shout at River even if she was the only one who could see her. Before she could, however, one of the creepy men from on the surface broke the image of the archaeologist, reaching for her as it snarled. She screamed in surprise and as the Doctor pulled at her to follow him, she reached out and grabbed Clara so they didn't lose her as well.
"Come on, run, run!" He shouted. They dashed through the tunnel, linked together, until the Doctor spotted a metal door that could only have existed in the TARDIS. He put a bit more power in his step, speeding up so both Danni and Clara had to run faster to keep up with him. Thankfully the door was unlocked and he let Danni in first, holding the door open for her before stepping in after, waving Clara in next.
"Come on, quickly, we're in." He told the brunette. She tried to get into the safety of the TARDIS but was grabbed from behind by one of the creatures. She screamed for the Doctor, fighting against the creatures that where attempting to pull her back out.
"Clara!" Danni screamed, rushing forward to grab one of her outstretched hands. The Doctor grabbed the other and the pair yanked her out of the man's grasp with ease. Danni pulled her close as the Doctor slammed the door shut on the creatures, turning around and holding the door closed with all his weight. The hand of the thing that had grabbed Clara was stuck in the door, fingers still outstretched but the Doctor kept his back pressed against it. They all waited, silently and holding their breaths until, with no other option, the creature pulled its hand back.
The Doctor sighed in relief, falling against the door for a small rest as Danni turned to Clara, "Are you okay?" She asked the brunette, giving her a quick one over. Images from her Clara, all those years ago, being pulled off a cloud and to her death had resurfaced as she'd been pulled backwards. Danni felt like she thought about it every day, but somehow that time seemed a lot more vivid and Clara had to grab Danni's hands to stop her from fussing over her.
"I'm fine." She promised sincerely; no harm, no foul after all, "Where are we?"
"In the TARDIS." Danni replied looking up at the metal ceiling above them.
"We need to head up." The Doctor explained to the pair, dropping the torch on the floor as he pushed off the door, "We're quite deep into her, everything we need is above the surface."
"So, more running?" Danni asked and he shot her a giant grin.
"More running." He agreed. She beamed in reply and the trio started through the hallway. Even in her distressed and decaying state, Danni could still tell that she was inside their blue box. She could feel the comforting presence of her almost humming in the air, feeling like she was still trying to reassure her, even if she was the one who was dying.
~0~0~0~
"It hasn't..." Danni whispered out loud, looking at the glasses she held in her hand. Her and Clara were stood in the console room, the door completely gone as the TARDIS was slowly falling to pieces. Realisation dawned over her as Clara's brows furrowed.
"I'm sorry, what hasn't?" She asked. Danni shoved the glasses on as she looked back at Clara, her friend coming into focus once again.
"She hasn't stopped helping me." Danni explained, "All this time the TARDIS has been trying to keep me safe. She gave me new glasses so I could see better, and sent me a message to try and keep me safe-" She pulled out the pen from in her pocket, "this fell off a desk, so I could leave the Doctor messages. And she's still helping me." She waved to the room, "The safest place on the TARDIS is the console room, that's a basic that everyone knows. Maybe she's taken the doors away so we can't get out. Maybe this is where we need to stay."
~0~0~0~
Danni paused mid-step, the memory flashing through her head and surprising her slightly. The TARDIS had been dying then too, and the time machine had still tried to keep her safe. She always tried to keep her safe.
~0~0~0~
The Doctor looked up, meeting Danni's eyes and smiled such a bright smile she couldn't help but respond with one of her own, "I'm fine." He promised, but he was so much more than fine, "The battery in the phone died." He explained, "You made it to the TARDIS, just, and she extended a shield around you to make sure you didn't suffocate. You were unconscious, but otherwise you were just fine." Danni looked upwards to the time rotor.
"Oh, aren't you a clever thing?" She praised the TARDIS, "Thanks, sweetie, you're the best." The console flashed, like she was replying and she giggled.
~0~0~0~
That made her stop completely. That had been an age ago, when she was still ginger and still with Ten. The memory was so clear, it was like she was reliving the moment. She'd almost died on a space cruise ship, but the TARDIS had cocooned her to keep her alive, even if she should have died.
"Danni." The Doctor exclaimed, noticing both his wife and his friend stumble. Clara landed against the wall, eyes glazed over whereas Danni seemed to come to a halt, "Clara?"
He went to Danni first, taking her face in his hands. She tried to focus on him, but her mind felt like it was swimming through a thick fog.
"What the hell is happening?" She asked him, squeezing her eyes shut in an attempt to centre herself, to get some kind of balance.
"It's OK. The dimensioning forces this deep in the TARDIS, they can make you a bit giddy. It's okay, you don't need to be scared." He told them both, stroking Danni's cheek with him thumb. He could feel it as well, memories and thoughts rising to the surface but he had known instinctively to push the back down. He should have warned Danni sooner, she could have done the same but he'd not even thought about it.
"I know, I know." Clara replied groggily, pulling away from the wall obviously panicking and confused, "How do I know? How do I know that?" He looked at Danni, who was still stood there with her eyes closed. He couldn't just leave her until he knew she was okay, but she would be able to handle the influx better than Clara. They'd been continuously working on her control over her own mindbut Clara had none of those defences. He leant his forehead on hers, closing his eyes shut.
"Please don't be scared." He whispered honestly but quickly, "I'm right here, I'm not far." He pulled back, placing a kiss on her forehead before letting her go to head to Clara.
~0~0~0~
"Well, I guess I need to try harder." The Doctor whispered, his lips pulled into a twisted grin. He tightened his grip on Danni's arm, hurting her as he thrust her out into space, only her left foot and arm still in the TARDIS. She screamed, absolutely terrified as she tried to find her balance, flailing wildly, "How about now?" He shouted, "Who do you think is more frightened? You or Amy?"
"Me." She sobbed, "I'm really scared. Please don't let me go, please I'm sorry!"
~0~0~0~
"I'm really scared. Please don't let me go, please I'm sorry!" Danni practically screamed and the Doctor froze on the spot, those words echoing through his head with the memory that came along with it. When he'd held her out of the TARDIS, when he'd k…
He turned slowly on the spot to look at his wife, "Danni?" He called, his voice shaking as her eyes snapped open. She looked at him, absolutely petrified.
"Doctor, I-" She stuttered. It was old news for them, that memory. They'd forgiven each other, they'd moved on but being dropped into that moment had brought back the fear that had infected the regeneration she was currently in. She couldn't let it overwhelm her again, so even as she shook slightly where she stood, she turned every thought to her friend , who was looking just as confused as she felt, "Clara, are-are you okay?"
"Have we, have we done this before?" Clara demanded, her eyes blindly searching the room, "We have! We have done this before, climbing through a wrecked TARDIS - you said things, things I'm not supposed to remember." The Doctor looked between the two, his terrified wife and their terrified best friend. Danni would want him to look after Clara first, but his first choice would always be his Danni-Girl. However he knew the memory running through her head might be aggravated if he came close. Every day, every moment he regretted his actions. Hated them, even if they had brought out her regenerations, given them both a life together. She had every right to be scared of him, but all he wanted to do was comfort her.
But he knew she'd flinch away, and they were not in the best place for him to be able to calm her down from that. And, if he was honest with himself, he didn't want another memory to add to the pile that showed what he'd done to her.
"We can't do this now." He told them both, not going to either, hovering pathetically in the middle of them, "The TARDIS is a ruin, the telepathic circuits are awakening memories you shouldn't even have. Memories you don't want to remember." Clara shook her head, falling into her memories. Danni took a step closer.
"Clara?" She called, trying to help bring her out of it. The younger woman gasped suddenly, falling towards the wall and clinging onto the grating that was part of it.
"What did you mean I died again?" She demanded, breathless and obviously scared, "You said I died! How could I die?"
"That's not a conversation you should even remember..." The Doctor told her as Danni rushed over to her, pushing her own fear down to take hold of her arm.
"Clara, you're safe, that's all the matters." She reassured her quickly but Clara spun on the spot, startling her.
"He said it wasn't your fault! Why wasn't it your fault? What do you mean I died?!" Clara demanded
The girl who died he tried to save She'll die again inside his grave.
"Doctor!" Danni cried as the Doctor rushed to their side, looking through the grating to see if he could see where the voice was coming from, "We have to save her."
"You're always trying to save me!" Clara exclaimed, "What happened to me?" Danni floundered slightly, glancing at her husband. She couldn't tell Clara, they still weren't sure where the other Claras came from, but Clara deserved some sort of answer.
She took Clara's face in her hand, forcing the girl to look at her like the Doctor would do to her, "You are safe." Danni promised, "You've never died, and while we're here, you never will."
"But-"
"No buts." She interrupted, "We need to run, can you do that?"
"Not until you tell me what's happening!" Clara insisted and Danni shook her head, letting her go only to take her hand.
"Later." She promised, "When we're safe, we'll tell you everything, won't we?" She turned to the Doctor, who just looked anxious to leave. He wasn't sure if telling Clara was the best idea, he didn't want to trigger something that might have been buried in her subconscious, but he just nodded to get the pair to move.
"Sure, fine, just run!" He exclaimed, hesitating when he reached for Danni's hand. She met him halfway, though, clinging onto his hand like he was grounding her and the three rushed off in a chain.
~0~0~0~
Danni was not happy that the overriding thought she had, as they stepped up onto the surface once more, was of the Doctor trying to scare her. She had enough to focus on, not only how she was going to explain her Clara to the current Clara, but the fact that they were about to see the Doctor's grave. Still, all she could think about was how he'd held her arm much like he was holding her hand now, and how the feeling of not wanting him to let go was so different to the one back when she was hanging out of the TARDIS, but still as strong.
There, by the doors of the dying TARDIS, stood a man in a top hat, facing away from them with Vastra, Strax and, thankfully, Jenny between him and a group of the strange creatures that had been chasing them.
"The doors require a key. The key is a word. And the word..." The man started, turning around, "is the Doctor's." Danni gasped, the face of Dr Simeon staring out at them. How could he possibly be there, she'd seen him die? However, for once, instead of feeling fear at the sight of a dead man walking once again, Danni was filled with an anger she'd not felt in a while. It was his fault Clara had died. He and the stupid Great Intelligence looking for a human/ice hybrid that had caused Clara to sacrifice herself to save Danni from the ice Nanny. So, as the Doctor squeezed her hand, stepping forward to pull attention onto himself, Danni took a step back, keeping a firm grip on Clara whilst shielding her from the man.
"Just stay back." She muttered to Clara.
"Wasn't planning on doing anything else." Clara quickly insisted as a reply, "I'm scared, not an idiot." Danni couldn't help the little pull at the corners of her mouth. Her Clara may not have had a chance to shine for long, but it was moments like that that Danni really saw her in their Clara.
"Here I am, late to my own funeral." The Doctor was saying, "Glad to see you could make it," He paused before turning to look at Jenny, who was alive and well, "Jenny." She shot him a nervous smile.
"Open the door, Doctor. Speak, and open your tomb." Simeon demanded.
"No."
"Because you know what's in there?" The man pressed but the Doctor stood resolute.
"I will not open those doors."
"The key is a word lost to time." Simeon replied, "A secret hidden in the deepest shadow and known to you and your wife." The Doctor bristled at the mention of his wife from his lips; how did he know Danni knew? "The answer to a question!"
The Doctor strode forward, a look of pure fury on his face. No one who knew him would even dare bring up Danni like that, and he knew that the man in front of him was trying to wind him up by doing so. Even so, it made his blood boil, "I will not open my tomb." He snarled.
"Doctor, what is your name?" Simeon demanded. The Doctor didn't reply, didn't even look remotely intimidated by the dead man in front of him. Then Simeon reached out, grabbing his face with his hand, squeezing it and Danni dashed forward to the front of the group.
"Get your filthy hand off him!" She demanded angrily as the Doctor tore his face from his grasp. His hand shot behind him, signalling her to stay where she was.
"It's okay, Danni-Girl." He replied lowly, but Vastra took a step closer to her in case she did run over.
"Perhaps she will answer where you have not." Simeon suggested.
"Over my dead body." She spat back, "And trust me, I have a lot of them now." Simeon did not reply, instead walked around the Doctor. The Time Lord spun with him, making sure to keep him in his eye line the entire time, especially as he came to a stop in front of Danni. The man couldn't be Simeon, Simeon died and was not brought back. It had to be the Great Intelligence using his body, or even his image, as a host. Interesting choice, probably nostalgic.
The Intelligence turned back to face him, "The Doctor's friends." He raised his hand, making a fist in the air, "Stop their hearts."
The creatures behind them hissed and the small group spun around to face them. Danni reached out, pulling Clara closer, between her and Vastra.
"Madam, boys, combat formation!" Strax shouted, "They are unarmed!"
"So are we!" Jenny hissed in reply as they all began backing away from the advancing creatures. Their hands were outstretched, even Danni knew what they were trying to do.
"Do not divulge our military secrets." Strax scolded.
"What do we do?" Clara asked Danni, who shrugged.
"Just keep backing away." She told the brunette, "We just have to keep away from them." Danni's back suddenly hit one of the stone pillars, "Well, that went well."
"Stop this! Leave them alone." The Doctor demanded quietly.
"Your name, Doctor. Answer me!" The Intelligence demanded in reply as one of the creatures reached Danni. She gasped as its hand passed straight through her, tightening around one of her hearts. Pain shot through her chest and she cried out, her knees giving way.
"Stop it!" She heard her Theta call from in the distance, "Let her go!"
"Doctor!" From her side she heard Clara scream out but it was hard to focus on anything. Her chest protested at the attack on her heart, even with just one out of action her blood burnt underneath her skin. She couldn't let Clara feel like this, gasping for breath like she was, her body trying to force her to pump her blood around her veins but being unable to. She squeezed her eyes shut as she fell into the dirt on the ground.
"Doctor Who?" She heard Simeon demand and she shook her head weakly.
"Theta, please, don't!" She cried to him, "Please." She knew her husband, seen what he'd done to keep her safe, but he couldn't do this. His name was the answer to the question he must never answer.
On the fields of Trenzalore, at the fall of the eleventh, when no living creature can speak falsely or fail to answer, a Question will be asked, a question that must never, ever be answered.
She needed to save the Doctor before he answered it to save her, which this old sentimental body would do. She needed to save Clara before she died again, and yet she was the one who needed saving. Not today, if he wasn't going to say it, then she was going to have to do something else to stop this.
She tried to take another deep breath, then began to think it. Over and over again, repeating his name in her head. The dimensions collapsing had triggered a psychic response, had brought out those horrid memories, hopefully she could still hear her too. Again and again, repeating his name even as she started to become woozy.
The Doctor watched Danni fall to the ground first, crying out for him, one cry in many as the rest of his friends were attacked by the creatures, but the only one he could hear. He did a quick spin to look at the doors. All he had to do was say his name, but even now, even watching her suffer, he couldn't bring himself to say the only secret he had left. He knew the prophecy which she feared so much, and he wasn't ready to lose her yet, they had so much left to do, "Leave her alone." He warned, "Right now. Leave her alone!"
The creatures didn't stop their attack and he watched her slump forward, his hearts racing. He couldn't do this, couldn't watch her die again because of him, "Doctor who?" Simeon demanded.
"Please!" The Doctor screamed.
Danni felt herself slowly fading into unconsciousness, constantly trying to repeat his name again and again her head, when she heard it echoed around her in a voice she had never wanted to hear it in. The pain in her chest disappeared, replaced by an ache of muscles that had finally been allowed to breathe. She opened her eyes, knowing the stop of attack meant the doors must have opened, to see River slowly walking towards the TARDIS doors.
"The TARDIS can still hear me." She declared, as if anyone else than Danni could hear her, "Lucky thing I was here to save you again, since your husband is being so useless." Danni's lips pulled up into a snarl, she was not in the mood for River right now.
"Shut up!" She snapped as the Doctor rushed through River, crouching in front of her and cupping her face. She'd gone so pale, even stopping just one of her hearts had affected her so much. His eyes scanned her face.
"Danni?" He asked with a confused lilt, obviously wondering who she was saying shut up to.
"That-" She panted, "That was not fun." She leant her head against the stone behind her, "Clara?!"
"I'm fine!" She echoed and Danni closed her eyes for a moment in relief.
"Good." She replied, "You can hug me now, Spaceman." He pulled her in for a hug she gladly returned, burying her face in his neck and comforting herself with the smell of him.
"Was that you?" He asked quietly, placing a kiss on the side of her head he could reach.
"I honestly have no idea." She told him, because she didn't. She couldn't be sure if it had been River saying his name that had finally unlocked the TARDIS, or if she had just said it at the same time the TARDIS had chosen to listen to her own desperate pleading, "Just don't let me go, okay?"
"Never." The Doctor agreed, helping her to her feet. He wrapped an arm around her, looking like he was holding her up rather than holding her close. Danni took a look at Clara, who was being looked over by both Jenny and Vastra.
"You sure you're okay, Clara?" Danni asked, but the other woman just waved her concern away.
"I've had worse hangovers." Clara promised, "Usually with you." Danni giggled slightly as she and Theta walked towards the man who was using Dr Simeon's face.
"Now then, Dr Simeon. Or Mr G Intelligence, whatever I call you..." The Doctor snarled, putting every piece of anger he could muster behind the words, "Do you know what's in there?"
"For me, peace at last." The Intelligence replied stoically, "For you, pain everlasting."
"Oh, I really do not like you." Danni spat. Mr Intelligence gave her a look over, like she was a bad smell so she returned the look."
"Oh, won't you and your wife invite us in?" The Intelligence sneered in reply. The Doctor looked down at Danni, as if he was still checking she was there. She shot him a nervous smile, placing a kiss on his chest with a turn of her head. None of them wanted to go in, neither of them wanted to see what was beyond those blue doors, but he wouldn't risk them getting hurt again and Danni could understand that. So, as one, the pair strode towards the door. She placed her hand on it at the same time he did, and they pushed it open together.
Danni's first thought as they stepped in was pure sadness at the state the inside of their once beautiful and magic home had fallen into. Vines grew everywhere, roots and leaves reclaiming the land on which she stood by taking her over completely. The cloister bell still rung, letting them know that she was in a state of distress, as if they couldn't see that already. The room was still illuminated, but it was obvious the lights that ran around the room were dead to the world. The Doctor gently tugged her, leading her up one of the stairs up to the main platform and she gasped at the sight before her. Where the console would have once stood proudly, two streams of light ran from the top of the ceiling to the bottom, glowing side by side. Whispers poured from both of them, indistinguishable words in a multitude of different voices, filling the air with the sounds of a crowd that wasn't there. If she had paid attention to both, she would have recognised them very quickly, but her attention was pulled to the one nearest them. She knew, she knew what that was, and tears gathered in her eyes at the sorrow and the beauty of the light.
"Oh, it's beautiful." She breathed, taking a step towards it as the Doctor kept his attention on the other one. Instead of the awe the Danni was showing at what was obviously him, looking like she wanted to touch one of the many strands that swirled and twisted around the middle, he was devastated by the one next to it. He could feel the age, the time contained within it, but he couldn't get over seeing his wife's grave, her final resting place. He tried to reason with himself that they really were going to be together for an eternity, that even as she obviously lived long after he was gone, she had still come back to him. It should have warmed his hearts, but all he knew was that she was dead. She might live for thousands of years, but she still had to die at some point.
He caught sight of Danni reaching out to touch the tendrils of his own grave, obviously wanting to feel him, but he grabbed her wrist before she could.
"You'll burn." He told her quietly at her questioning gaze and she quickly pulled her hand away from it. She loved him, but that didn't seem clever at all!
"What are they?" Clara asked as the rest joined them. Danni turned to smile at her friend, but swayed slightly as her head suddenly felt sluggish, like she was underwater, much like they had felt in the depths of the TARDIS. The Doctor tightened his grip on her, as if sensing her unbalance.
"What were you expecting? Bodies?" The Doctor asked, his tone snapping, "Bodies are boring, I've had loads of 'em. That's not what our tomb is for." The Intelligence joined them on the main level, his group of creatures standing behind him like a small squad.
"But what is the light?" Vastra asked quietly, in awe of the two bright points in the dark room.
"They're beautiful." Jenny added.
"Should I destroy them?" Strax asked his two companions.
"Shut up, Strax." Vastra hissed in response, not surprised by his inappropriate question. Danni giggled then frowned as it echoed painfully in her ears. Something was wrong, something in the air was making it slightly more difficult to move around, to think and the Doctor's grip on her told her that he was feeling it too.
"Doctor, explain. What are they?" Clara asked.
"The tracks of my tears." The Doctor replied solemnly, using the words he'd said not long ago to Danni to describe what he was seeing in front of him. It wasn't just his own tunnel, in fact he was quite happy with his life as it was at that moment, but the other, much more distressing scar tissue dancing next to his.
"Less poetry, Doctor." Simeon snapped, "Just tell them."
The Doctor placed a kiss on Danni's head, feeling her tense in anger at the man's demand, "Time travel is..." He paused trying to work out the best way to put it, "damage. It's like a tear in the fabric of reality. That is the scar tissue of my journey through the universe. My path through time and space, from Gallifrey to Trenzalore." He pulled out his sonic with his free hand, pointing it at the light that represented his travels. His voices became clear, talking over each other but now understandable.
'You were fantastic - absolutely fantastic!'
Danni smiled as Nine's voice hit her ears, swiftly followed by Ten's calling her name, 'Danni-Girl!'. Even though she had not seen them in decades, and she was never going to see them again, the sounds of the man her husband had once been just made her happy.
The Doctor turned his screwdriver to the other light, "And this is Danielle's." He set it off again and the room was filled with voices none of them had heard before.
'I'm the Time Child.' One called, 'Do not mess with me.' Yep, that definitely sounded like her, even if the voice with the slightly American accent surprised her slightly.
'Honestly, you are such a chil!d' Ah, that was her now! Talking to the Doctor, no doubt.
'Please don't let me go, please I'm sorry!' Oh, she really could have done without hearing that again today.
'She'll never let me go.' Another voice insisted, sounding terrified and it was the one that pulled Danni's attention, 'She's always coming for me, and I can't stop her!'
The Doctor quickly cut the connection off and the sound went back to background noise, "Doctor, what was that?" Danni asked him, "What did she mean, who's coming for me?"
"I don't know." He replied honestly, because that was a Danni who hadn't happened yet, hopefully long into her future and with him still by her side. But he couldn't promise her that and he didn't want to lie. In fact, he couldn't even come up with a lie, his brain slowly turning into a mess of time and paradoxes that was filling his mind, making it like moving through treacle, "They are our own personal time tunnels, all the days, even the ones that..." He squeezed his eyes closed as, now he'd focused on the fog, he was now being consumed by it, "er, even the ones that we haven't lived yet." Danni yelled in surprise, struggling in the mess of her own time streams crossing to keep a hold of her husband as he fell to the ground, so she fell with him.
"Doctor!" She cried out at the same time as Clara, who ran to their side. Danni cradles his head in her lap, even as she fought to keep in the room with them.
"Which is why we shouldn't be here." The Doctor exclaimed as Danni stroked his hair, shushing him gently, "The paradoxes are... they're very bad."
"It's okay." Danni promised gently, "I've got you." He smiled up at her, a weak smile as he reached up and caught her hand.
"Always holding my ha-" He trailed off as the movement off to the side caught his eye. He turned his head to see the Intelligence stiffly walking towards his light tunnel, "No. What are you doing? Somebody stop him!" The Doctor shouted and Danni looked up at the man who was looking at her Theta's timeline like it was candy.
"Get away from him!" She shouted and, while he did stop, he did so directly in front of the beautiful swirling light.
"The Doctor's life is an open wound." He declared, turning to look at the trio on the floor, "And an open wound can be entered."
"No, it would destroy you." The Doctor protested.
"Not at all. It will kill me," The Intelligence declared, "it will destroy you. I can rewrite your every living moment. I can turn every one of your victories into defeats. Poison every friendship. Deliver pain to your every breath." Danni shook her head, gently laying her husband down onto the ground.
"Stay away from him." She warned darkly, but even now she couldn't find the strength to stand up. She needed to get him away from the light. She needed to save her Theta, and no one threatened him while she was still there.
"It would burn you up." The Doctor tried, panting through the pain that was already racing through him, "Once you go through, you can't come back - you'll be scattered along my timeline, like confetti."
"It matters not, Doctor." The Intelligence replied as Danni grabbed hold of Clara's shoulder, using her to try and push off the ground, "You thwarted me at every turn. Now, you will give me peace, as I take my revenge on every second of your life! Goodbye... Goodbye, Doctor!" He stepped backwards into the light as Danni made it off the floor.
"No!" She screamed, stumbling forward but it was too late. The Intelligence screamed, his creatures disappeared into nothing as he was scattered across the Doctor's time stream.