Danni sat at the kitchen table with a cup of tea cradled in her hands, keeping the cosy and warm as the steam rose from it. She didn't really want to drink it, but she wasn't moving from the kitchen either so it seemed like something to do in the meantime.
She looked up from the swirling steam as the door opened and in stepped the Doctor, smiling brightly at her as he sat in the chair next to her, "How were Jenny and Strax?" She asked him.
"Fine, there doesn't seem to be any side effects from being dead." He replied, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her closer. Since they had left Trenzalore, he'd been touching her any chance he got, which itself wasn't abnormal but it was also different from normal as well. She knew that it was his own way of making sure that she hadn't disappeared, and she wasn't exactly complaining. She'd almost lost him too, after all.
"Did they mind me not going?" She asked slightly anxiously. The Doctor had wanted to check up on their friends, they both had but Danni hadn't wanted to leave the TARDIS, or Clara on her own. Their companion still hadn't awoken and she hadn't wanted her to wake up and be alone.
"Of course not." He reassured her, "How are you feeling?" She shrugged. She felt absolutely fine. She didn't have any memories of not existing - of course she didn't, she hadn't existed - but there was the feeling that for a while she just hadn't been anywhere. It was a bit disconcerting if she thought too much on it, so she just didn't. She didn't have time to, she had someone much more important to worry about.
"Do you think she'll wake up soon?" She asked in reply, telling him all he needed to know. He knew she was worried, absolutely beside herself over what had happened to their companion. If the thought of being at his grave hadn't been enough, then the malfunctioning TARDIS had brought up terrible memories for her. Her emotions had already been stretched, but she also blamed herself for what Clara had done. She'd had the idea first, so she had decided that Clara had gotten the idea from her. He'd tried to convince her otherwise, but he also knew that he could talk until he was blue in the face and she'd never believe him.
"She's just exhausted." The Doctor explained gently, "She was stretched incredibly thin, but she'll sleep it off." She nodded slowly, obviously not sure about it and so he placed a finger under her chin, making her look up at him, "You didn't do anything wrong." He promised her, "Clara will be fine, and incredibly happy to see that you're alive and well." She smiled that timid smile, when she was starting to feel better but wasn't quite there yet, and he placed a kiss on her forehead, "Do you want to go check on her again?" He offered.
"Yes." She replied and he stood up, taking her hand in his, "We should take her some other biscuits, I'm still not convinced about the Jammy Dodgers." She told him as they walked out of the kitchen together.
"When she wakes up, she'll appreciate them." He told her, "Much more than chocolate ones."
"But they're her favourite." She argued but let him walk her down the hallway.
"Trust me, my Danni-Girl," He replied, "She'll want the Jammy Dodgers." Normally Danni would have argued more, but she was just too happy that he was fine that she let him believe that. She knew Clara adored chocolate digestives, they'd watched enough movies together to know that, but he loved Jammy Dodgers and always would. She was happy to let him decide Clara would like Jammy Dodgers better because it meant he was there to argue it with her in the first place.
She knew neither of them wanted to dwell on what had almost happened, and yet it was all both of them could think about. He'd felt her unravel as she was erased from ever existing, whereas she'd watched him scream in agony as he died again and again. They would both have permanently lost each other if the Great Intelligence had succeeded, with the Doctor never remembering her and she wouldn't have ever existed for him to forget. She had always thought she was fighting to save them both from his death, but it turned out that something much worse might just happen to them. At least if one of them died, they would be together, but something had managed to make that seem like a better alternative. She'd almost lost her husband forever.
It was only because of Clara that she didn't. Clara had sacrificed herself to save her Theta, and she'd done it believing that she wouldn't come back. The selflessness in that act was extraordinary. The Doctor let her open the door to Clara's room, where she was tucked up in bed. She didn't look unconscious, she looked asleep, the only light coming in from the hallway.
The Doctor could never tell Clara just what she had done for them. If he had to die, it had to be with the knowledge that somewhere his Danielle existed. He didn't need to know she loved him, he just needed to know she was there. As he had laid on the floor of the TARDIS, feeling the pain of himself being ripped apart, he had felt her fading from his mind. He remembered a moment where he couldn't even picture her face, either of them. The rush of Danielle that had filled him when Clara had righted everything had been wonderful. He would forever be grateful that her actions had kept them together, but he let Danni head over to the sleeping human, keeping his distance and standing in the doorway.
Danni sat by Clara's side on the bed, smiling softly as she stroked her hair off her face. She looked incredibly peaceful, "You take all the time you need, sweetie." She whispered, "A lie in is more than you deserve." The Doctor expected her to get up, but she didn't move, sitting there in silence as she looked over the sleeping woman.
"I never explained why I was so wary around you." She whispered suddenly, startling the Doctor, who had been watching his wife closely but not expecting her to speak, "I guess you know, now. My Clara died because of me, I failed her and you just reminded me of that. But, it turns out, you were my Clara. You were always my Clara. And I failed you again." Tears gathered in her eyes, the Doctor could feel her sadness but he didn't move from the doorway. He knew more than anyone that sometimes it was just better to let it out, but it didn't stop his hand clenching around the doorframe.
"I'm sorry, Clara. I'm so sorry that I was horrid to you, and I'm so sorry that you thought that this was something you had to do. But I will never be able to thank you enough for saving my husband and me." She leant down, placing a kiss on Clara's forehead and the woman shifted slightly, twisting towards Danni but not waking. She turned around, looking so happy as she looked up at her husband, "She moved!"
"You should listen to me more often." He told her quietly. She nodded, turning back to Clara.
"You keep sleeping until you're ready, sweetie." She whispered happily, "We'll be here when you wake up, just come find us and we'll be there." She placed another kiss on her forehead, marvelling at the small sigh Clara let out before standing up and rushing back to the Doctor, wrapping herself around his arm.
"We should leave her to sleep." She told him and he nodded, walking them out and closing the door behind them. He smiled down at her, his hearts swelling at the beaming smile on her face.
"And it's time to get you to bed as well." He replied.
"But I-" She started but he shook his head.
"No buts, Danni-Girl." He teased before pulling her up against his side, "You will sleep, then I will wake you up when Clara wakes up. You can hug, cry, dance, do whatever it is that you girls do together and everything will be fine." She nudged him in the side.
"What do you think girls do together, exactly?" She asked in reply.
"Oh, the usual." He replied, "Paint each other's nails, try on clothes. I assume there's a lot of ogling hunky men in movies."
"'Hunky men in movies'?" She repeated before shrugging, "You're not wrong there."
"Hey!" He protested, coming to a stop outside their bedroom door, turning to face her, "I'm the only man you should be ogling."
She took a step closer to him, smirking, "Trust me, you are." She promised and he smirked, opened the door before encouraging her inside.
She turned, a cheeky grin on her face. He was her husband and she'd almost lost him, she wasn't about to let him get away now, "Gonna help me find some pyjamas, Spaceman?" She asked temptingly and his eyebrows raised in realisation at her suggestion before a wolfish grin spread on his face.
"Oh, definitely not." He purred, following her inside.
~0~0~0~
Clara felt like she'd had the best night's sleep she'd had in a long time. The bed was soft, her head felt refreshed and it felt like she knew it was going to be a great day. Like she'd gone to sleep knowing the next day was going to be her birthday, and now it was actually her birthday! She stretched out, arms reaching either side of the bed and she frowned slightly - No Danni to be found. Nevermind, if she wasn't there, then she'd be in the kitchen making herself some breakfast.
Clara chucked her legs over the side of the bed, thinking back to why she was in there in the first place. The last thing she remembered was jumping into the Doctor's time stream to save both him and Danni, and as she could remember Danni, she guessed it worked. She felt a relief she wasn't expecting rush over her; somehow she had managed to survive that, but it didn't matter, because it meant that Danni and the Doctor were okay. She knew she was in her TARDIS bedroom, so far everything seemed to be pointing to it all working out.
She stood up, wondering where her slippers were, when her eyes caught sight of a small plate of biscuits sat on her bedside table. Her face broke out into a grin as she picked up one of the Jammy Dodgers off it before spotting and putting on her slippers. As she headed to the door she briefly thought how her slippers were incredibly too plain as she bit into her biscuit. Jammy Dodgers really were her favourite.
She paused in the hallway, frowning to herself. No, they really weren't. She'd loved chocolate digestives since she was a little girl, and even more when her mum had become ill and they'd cuddle in bed munching on a packet together. She didn't mind the shortbread biscuit, but they definitely weren't her favourite. She looked at the half-eaten biscuit, turning it slightly as she wondered how it had managed to confuse her so much, before shrugging it off and taking another bite. She was tired, it was fine.
Danni hadn't been in the kitchen, which was hugely disappointing, but neither had the Doctor. She could have been in the Library, she did like curling up with a nice book, but there was a chance it was too early in the morning for her to do that. So, her next port of call, then, was the console room and she quickly made her way back down the hallway, anxious to see her blonde friend and her husband. She couldn't help but smile at the fact she was in a TARDIS that wasn't in ruins, that she was beautiful and whole. When they'd completed to obligatory hugs and 'I'm so glad you're alright' pleasantries, perhaps they could take her out for a spin somewhere amazing.
She stepped into the console room and saw the Doctor at the console, fiddling away like he always did, "Broke her again?" She asked.
The Doctor turned, looking so relieved to see her and she grinned, running over to him and chucking her arms around her friend, pulling him in for a hug, laughing happily. He lifted her up, spinning her in a circle before putting her down on the ground once more.
"So, it worked then?" She asked him and he nodded, straightening out his jacket.
"All back to normal, and all thanks to our Impossible Girl!" He replied before looking at her with an incredibly cross looking face, complete with waggling finger, "What were you thinking? It's a good thing I'm insanely clever, or you might not have come out the other end."
"Oh, I know you'll always save me." She replied, glancing behind her at the doorway. There was no sign of Danni, hopefully she'll appear soon. She'd feel better once she saw that she was okay as well.
"Come here, then." He said in a tired tone, pulling out his screwdriver and giving her a scan, "Anything sore?" He asked and she shook her head, turning back to look at him.
"Nope."
"Any headaches?" She shook her head again, "White spots in your vision? Gaping holes in your memories?"
"Nothing at all. I can honestly say I feel absolutely fantastic!" She replied, sitting on the pilot seat.
"Okay, okay." He agreed, "Just one more question."
She sighed, like it was a huge incontinence but she always enjoyed being worried about, "Go on then, Spaceman."
He took a step closer, looking incredibly serious, "Did you enjoy your Jammy Dodger?" She rolled her eyes, of course that would be the most important thing he could think of.
"I did, actually." She replied, remembering her little slip up of a thought with a bit of a frown.
"Good." He replied before leaning against the console and Clara took the chance to glance again at the doorway. Danni should have been there by now, surely?
"It's very lucky you came out the other end okay." He told her again, wanting to understand just what a stupid thing she had done. She pulled her attention back to him and sent him a reassuring smile at the almost troubled look on his face. She knew he wasn't going to be happy with what she had done, even if she hadn't survived she'd seen and heard his protests beforehand, but he was too important to let disappear. They both were.
"I couldn't exactly leave Danni to be erased, could I?" She retorted and he smiled sadly, causing her to frown, "What is it, what's wrong?" He didn't reply for a moment, staring at her with big, sad eyes, before pushing off the console.
"She never came back." He told her, stunning her into silence as he turned around, "I mean, she exists, we both know that. The memories of her wouldn't be there if she didn't. But I don't know where she is. She could be anywhere, any when."
Clara felt her heart skip a beat, panic bubbling up in her chest, "What do you mean?" She exclaimed and he placed two hands on the console, slamming them down on the hard surface as he bowed his head.
"She could be anywhere." He repeated, "I don't even know where to begin looking for her."
"Then why aren't you trying to find her?" Clara demanded, jumping off the chair, "We need to be out there, not here talking about it! Why didn't you wake me up?!"
"Look for her where, exactly?" The Doctor countered, turning around with eyes blazing, "Every place I look for her that she's not it is another wasted moment when she could be in danger! I've got nothing!"
"Danger?" Clara snapped in reply, "She could be in danger, and you're just standing there arguing?" She felt like slapping him, images of the Danni she'd first met flashing through her mind. Scared, tiny and crying, all alone, "She could be hurt, she- she could be crying and we're just arguing like a pair of nitwits!" She waved her hands in the air, "Right, shut up, we need to focus. There must be a way to narrow this down. We need key points in her life here, yeah?" She looked at the Doctor but didn't wait for him to reply, "Something we can make a start from."
"Well, there's River." He offered and she clapped her hands together.
"Of course!" She cried, "We can ask her! You always said she knew more than she was letting on, and she's obsessive over Danni! That's it, that's what we need to do!" She held her hand out and the Doctor high fived her happily, "Molto bene."
"Except, there's a problem with that." He told her and she felt her hope fade away, her shoulders slumping slightly.
"What is it?" She asked.
"She's in the bedroom." He told her, confusing the human, "Sleeping. Has been for a while, I think she'll be up soon."
"If she's in the bedroom, why did you tell me she wasn't?" Clara replied, looking at him suspiciously and slightly hurt that he'd lie to her.
"To see how you'd react." He replied, suddenly looking incredibly regretful, "Because you've not stopped looking at the doorway since you came in, and I bet you went to the kitchen first before you came here."
"That doesn't mean anything..." She started with a nervous laugh, his tone was making her worry, but not as much as how fast her heart was beating. She could feel it now she knew Danni was okay, and the relief that the blonde was safe and just sound asleep was more than anything she'd ever felt.
"And you thought, just for a moment, to go to the library in case she was reading." He continued, "And you know that you feel absolutely fine now, but if she walked in right now, your whole universe would be brighter. That she makes it better, and you don't know why you feel like that, you just do."
"Doctor, what's happening?" She replied instead of protesting, because he was right. Something was wrong, because she'd not been able to stop thinking about Danni since she'd woken up, "How did you know that? "
"Because that's how I feel all the time." He replied, sounding like he was apologising to her, "I have done for a very long time, and probably a lot stronger than you do, but I do feel it."
"Well, I knew that." She replied, "Why do I feel like that?" She pointed towards the doorway, "Why do I want to go check up on her more than I want to find out what's wrong with me?"
"You jumped into my time line, Clara." He told her, "What did you expect to happen?"
"I expected to die." She exclaimed, "What's happening, because I don't understand!"
"You jumped into my time line." He repeated, "You were consumed by everything that I ever was or will be. Every thought, every feeling, every experience and you were exposed to that, open and raw. I had to piece you back together again from all those Claras who bound themselves to me. You've picked up parts of me, and because me, this Doctor, was at the forefront of your mind, I'm the one you clung to the most."
"What does that mean?" she asked desperately, anxiously bouncing on the spot as her worry about herself seemed to be fighting for attention against her worry over Danni. He said she was okay, that he was lying about her being lost, but now she needed to see it personally, "I need to go see if she's alright." She pushed off the spot but the Doctor grabbed her by the arm, stopping her in her tracks, "Let me go!"
"I know it's overwhelming." He reassured her, "But you need to stop and think for a moment, otherwise you'll never overcome it."
"Overcome what?" She shouted, pulling out his grasp and he sighed.
"You don't see it, do you?" He retorted, running a hand over his face tiredly, "You want to go see that she's okay because I want to check on her as well. You jumped in because of me, I'm the Doctor you wanted to save, so you took more from me than any of the rest. You clung to things that made you whole and helped you create all the echoes of yourself, and she's the biggest part of me."
Clara paused, trying to push the tears back, "Are you telling me that because you're in love with her, so am I?" She asked quietly.
"I don't know." He replied honestly, "But there's more, isn't there? Because you ate the Jammy Dodger, and you've never said 'Molto bene' before in your life." She looked down at her feet, at her favourite slippers, her TARDIS slippers.
"These are my favourite slippers," She replied softly, "and suddenly I want to change them for something brighter, something that stands out." He nodded, turning to the console and pressing a few buttons. He brought up a picture of his sixth self and that ridiculous coat he'd loved so much. She instantly recognised him for who he was whilst knowing she had never seen him before in her life, "Something like that." She whispered, "What-What do I do? Am I just you now? Is there anything left of me?"
"Of course there is." He insisted, pulling her in for a much needed hug, "You are Clara Oswald. You're out Impossible Girl, who came into this world on leaf and grew out of a chance meeting. Just because I've wormed myself in there a bit doesn't mean you are any less than you ever were." He pulled back, catching her gaze and smiling like there was nothing wrong, "I just want you to understand, these thoughts may feel foreign, and it's because they are. They may fade, they may not. I honestly have no idea what will happen. But we'll monitor it, make sure nothing terrible happens." She nodded slowly.
"So, it might not stay?" She asked.
"Hopefully it will fade." He offered and she nodded, taking a breath in through her nose then letting out through her mouth. She was better than this. She'd panicked, rightfully so, now it was time to get back in control. She could do that.
"All I have to do is pretend that I don't have bits of you inside my head until I don't have to pretend anymore." She declared, deciding that this was the best course of action. She could control her own head, after all. She'd spent a lot of her teenage years squashing down her sad feelings so her mum didn't know how much she was hurting at the prospect of her not being there anymore. She could control an unruly teenager and her brother, both of whom had also lost their mum. A couple of runaway thoughts from the man in front of her were nothing.
"Clara!" They both turned in unison to see Danni in the doorway, the picture of someone who had just rolled out of bed - messy blonde hair sticking up in all directions, pyjama top skewed, slight goosebumps on her skin even though it was warm because she'd just come from somewhere warmer.
Her eyes were bright, though, with pure happiness as she dashed over, chucking her arms around the stunned brunette, hugging her tightly. Clara remembered eyes like that from a dream she had. She'd been so happy to see them, they'd made her feel like nothing could ever be wrong again. She gingerly hugged her in return, looking up at the Doctor, suddenly realising it may not be as easy to ignore these feelings as she first thought.
Before she could question it, though, Danni had pulled back, even as she kept her hands on Clara's arms, "I was so worried about you, sweetie!" She gushed and Clara felt a smile tug at her lips. Danni had been worried about her.
"Well, I couldn't just stand back, now could I, Danni-Girl?" She replied, reaching up and sorting her hair out, "Somebody had the save the universe." She shot the Doctor a pointed look.
"I'm sorry, I was too busy being rewritten." He grumbled and Danni broke out of Clara's grasp to hug her husband.
"It's okay, sweetie, you can make it up to me." She teased and he dipped his head, brushing his lips against hers just to feel them again. She didn't mind, and the two slowly fell into kissing, like they always would. And why wouldn't they? They'd both lost each other, only to be brought back again by Clara's actions. They had always been touchy feely, that was only going to intensify after being torn apart so terribly.
So why did it feel like she was watching the most important person in her life love someone else? Clara stared at the pair as they lost themselves in each other, the Doctor holding her like she would break and Danni holding him like she would lose him if she didn't. The Doctor cradled her, and Danni moulded against him; they truly adored each other.
"Sweetie." Danni muttered against the Doctor's lips, "Clara, remember?"
"Clara?" He replied, trying to tempt her into kissing him again before remembering the girl who was probably stood next to them now, hurting and confused, "Oh, Clara!" He broke away, turning Danni around, "Clara! Clara, Clara, Clara!" He cried, wrapping his arms around Danni from behind before letting her go once again. She yelled slightly in surprise as he pushed her towards Clara, "Why don't you two go do spend some girly bonding time together while I decide where we should go next."
Clara tried to force a smile on her face, "Actually, I think it might be time for me to head home." She replied, "I was packing before all this started, after all." Danni frowned and Clara was overwhelmed with the need to make her smile again. She needed to get away, and fast. This wasn't good and it was only going to get worse.
"At least stay for breakfast?" Danni asked hopefully and Clara just couldn't say no to her. A quick nod had Danni smiling so brightly Clara couldn't help but return it.
"We'll have pancakes, you definitely deserve them!" Danni suggested, heading off happily, like she was expecting Clara to follow her. And Clara did, heading towards the door, feeling like she'd follow her to the end of the universe. She paused as Danni disappeared into the hallway, hand on the railings as she turned back to the Doctor.
"It's not going to go away, is it?" She asked dejectedly and all he could offer was a sad smile in reply.
~0~0~0~
Danni placed the box down by the sofa that was already in the flat, gently after being careful not to shake it too much going up the stairs. It must have been a bit of a strange sight for all the people walking past, three people darting in and out of a blue box, bringing out various sizes of boxes and heading into the old building that had been converted into a block of flats. Clara had been quite lucky to find it, really, but Danni suspected the Doctor might have had something to do with it.
It had been a couple of weeks since Clara last saw them, and quite a bit longer since they had seen her. The Doctor had wanted time together after losing each other, and she was never going to say no to that, and as always they got a bit carried away. Danni had remembered to call Clara on their Wednesday, but she said she'd had an interview and she needed the time to prepare and not have just come back from running away from something. Danni had agreed wholeheartedly, and Clara had gotten the job!
Danni smiled to herself, feeling so proud for their friend. She loved the fact that Clara still had her own life outside them, and yet was still very much a part of their little family. It seemed a lot healthier relationship for all three of them.
She headed towards the doorway only to come face to face with their companion carrying another box, "Are there many more?" She asked as Clara placed it down next to the one she had brought up.
"Only a couple," Clara replied, "Why don't you make us all a cuppa while me and your husband lug the rest up?"
Danni shrugged, because no one wanted to carry boxes up three flights of stairs, "Are you sure?" She asked, "We'll get it done quicker with three of us."
"I want a cup of tea and I don't trust the Doctor to carry the boxes or make the tea on his own." Clara replied, nudging her towards the kitchen, "Everything should be in there, you'll just have to rummage around a bit."
"Do I need to go get milk?" Danni asked as she opened the door but Clara shook her head.
"There should be some already in there." She called after the blonde before heading out into the hallway, where her smile turned into a sigh of relief. The last half an hour had been spent worrying over whether or not Danni would fall down the stairs carrying one of the boxes, but she didn't have any real excuse to stop her helping. Finally, though, she could get the rest of her stuff into her new home without flinching every time Danni lifted a box.
The first couple of nights after they had dropped her back off on Earth had been absolutely awful. She'd been acutely aware the entire time that Danni wasn't there, that she was off with some man in a blue box and it wasn't with her. It was horrible, and she couldn't help but think about all the things they would be doing together.
It was also incredibly confusing. The same part of her that was pining over Danni was the same part that was happy that she was with the Doctor. She couldn't imagine Danni being anywhere else, and if she did think of Danni with her instead of him, it hurt just as much. When she thought on the week she'd moved in with her, Clara could feel the pain he'd felt at the idea that she might not have gone back to him. She wanted Danni to love him in return, but it still felt like she was rejecting her.
The third day she'd woken up from her very little sleep determined to not let this setback beat her. The Doctor loved her, so what? That meant nothing to Clara. She didn't fancy Danni, so just needed to ignore it. So she'd gotten on with her day, looking for somewhere to live while finishing up her packing. She still missed Danni, but every time she dwelled on it, she forced herself to change her train of thought.
She thought she'd gotten the hang of it until Danni had rung her up, telling her they were going to pick her up soon. Even the sound of her voice offered Clara a relief from a tension she hadn't known she was feeling. She wasn't sure if she had suddenly developed a crush on Danni from the Doctor's feelings, or whether it was already there, or even if it was something new. Whatever it was, though, she had it bad. Really bad.
The Doctor was waiting at the TARDIS doors when she made it onto the pavement outside, eyeing up the remaining boxes just to the inside of the TARDIS, "Why do you have so much stuff?" He asked her.
"You live in a box that can generate anything you'll ever need," she replied, "not all of us are that lucky."
"Perhaps you should look into that." He replied and she rolled her eyes, purposefully heading for the small box of what she knew were shoes. Let him carry up the ones with all her books in. He watched her walk over, though, not grabbing a box as she expected him to, "How are you feeling?" He asked and she turned to face him, holding the box easily.
"I'm fine." She lied, "Honestly, it's nice knowing that you really do care for her. She deserves someone who loves her that much, everyone does."
"You know, you can always come to me," he started to offer, trailing off awkwardly and Clara pulled a bit of her face.
"Enough of the touchy-feely, Spaceman." She replied firmly, "I know you don't do domestic unless it's with Danni, so help me shift these upstairs and you can get back to seeing the universe."
"Are you not coming?" He asked, taking the hint that she really didn't want to talk about it right now, heading to pick up the last box.
"I have stuff to do. I start a new job next week, I need to get my flat sorted." She told him, using the excuse to hide the fact she wasn't sure she could handle seeing Danni in any danger right now. Danni had explained how protective the Doctor was when she first regenerated, keeping them up on a cloud until she met her friend – who turned out to be one of the Clara echoes, which was something else Clara really couldn't get her head around right now. That needed further analysis that she just didn't have the energy for right at that moment. Clara had thought he was being ridiculous keeping her hidden away, and still did, but it didn't stop her wondering if it might be better just to keep the blonde in the TARDIS so she couldn't' get hurt again.
She didn't agree with that, though, not really. The part of her that was still her knew that Danni was much more capable than the Doctor thought, and she'd always said so. She guessed it was rather nice to feel just how terrified he was feeling whenever the mere thought of her in danger came up. She could understand his act first think later attitude, but it still didn't mean she condoned it.
She just needed more time to adapt, to find herself again in the mess of emotions and semi-remembered memories of her best friend. Once she'd done that, she could travel with them again, she was certain of it. For now, though, she just needed a break. Thankfully a new apartment to decorate for herself would be very helpful in that task.
The Doctor knew all this, because he could see every minute reaction to everything Danni did coming out of the brunette. He saw her flinch when Danni had missed a step on their second trip up to the flat, and the way she'd closed her eyes for just a moment when Danni had first greeted her with a hug. He saw them all, because he knew he did them too. They were all little habits she'd picked up from him, and he was sure more would come to light as the days went on.
He was worried about her. Not just because of the side effects – he didn't want her to be hurt because of him, and he wouldn't wish knowing what went on in his head upon anyone else. But because she had picked up bits of him that were going to come out and, well, it was all the men that had come before him as well as the man he was now that Danni found so appealing. And he wasn't blind enough to see how pretty Clara was, and how she had managed to save Danni and allowed her the space his wife needed to grow and make her own choices. He could just see Danni seeing all the best parts of him in their companion and it turning her head. He might have been overreacting, but he would have to keep an eye on it.
He bent down, wrapping his arms around the box, trying to lift it up. It was heavier than he was expecting, and it jarred his back as he struggled to stand upright, "What have you got in here?" He called after Clara as he slowly made his way out.
~0~0~0~
Danni handed the Doctor his cup of tea, batting his feet of the box he'd placed them on as a footrest before handing Clara hers, "Here's to your new house." She told them all, grabbing her own mug off another box before sitting in between the two on Clara's new couch. They all lifted their mugs in the air in the mock of a toast before taking a sip each, "So, what's the plan? Do you need any help unpacking?" She asked.
"No, I can do it myself." Clara replied, "I always liked unpacking, it's one of my favourite things to do."
"Really?" The Doctor asked with a wrinkle of his nose, "Sounds a lot like tidying up to me."
"How does it sound like that?" Clara protested, because she loved unpacking but not tidying up.
"Well, it's just putting everything back where it should be." He reasoned, "That's what tidying up is, and it's always boring."
"It's totally not the same thing." Clara retorted, annoyed because he was right and it sounded exactly the same. She liked unpacking, though. Seeing all the things you had, things you might have forgotten about. Especially after a holiday, because then you could see all the stuff you'd bought.
"I agree with Clara," Danni declared, leaning on Clara's arm, "I love seeing all my stuff again." Clara tensed for a moment underneath the unexpected contact, suddenly loving the weight on her arm. She looked at the Doctor, slightly smug.
"Two against one, Spaceman." She teased.
"That doesn't mean anything." He retorted, "I can't help it if you're both boring."
"Boring?" Clara exclaimed, "Let me…"
She was cut off by the sound of a phone ringing, surprising them all. The sound of the Killers 'Spaceman' played out through the room and Danni pushed off Clara's arm, frowning as she reached into her pocket. No one ever rung her, the only two people who did were sitting either side of her. She sat forward, pulling the phone out as it sung at her for attention.
"Who is it?" The Doctor asked, sounding concerned, for probably the same reason. She shrugged, the number on her phone didn't look familiar, and it didn't bring up a name of anyone in her contacts.
"Absolutely no idea." She replied before answering it, holding it to her ear, "Hello?"
"Hello, is this Danielle Fielding?" A female voice asked as both the Doctor and Clara leant in closer to her in tandem, one on either side, but she batted them away.
"Who is this?" She asked in reply, not confirming it outright, however the moment she said it she knew it sounded like she was avoiding saying yes. She needed a better way of keeping her identity hidden.
"This is Moyra Banks from Boe Corp headquarters. I'm just calling to remind you of an appointment you have with the Face of Boe tomorrow." The woman replied and Danni's eyebrows shot up. She hadn't expected that at all.
"Oh! Well, no, I didn't remember, actually," she replied, standing up and walking away from the two people trying to listen in to her phone call. She really hated that, people hovering over her shoulder while she was trying to talk to the person on the other end, "When is it, sorry?"
"Tomorrow at 15:30." Moyra replied.
"And what date's tomorrow?" She asked.
"Sorry, ma'am?" The woman asked, sounding vaguely confused.
"Ma'am? Why would you say ma'am, do I sound old?" She looked over to the other two, eyes wide in alarm. Did she sound old? Did she look old? She was getting rather old now, wasn't she? Nearer 100 than 50. Oh, what if she suddenly started aging?!
"No, sorry Ma-Miss. Tomorrow is the 15th February." The woman replied hastily, hearing that she had somehow managed to upset her.
"What year?" Danni asked, calming down slightly.
"345 dash 454." Moyra replied slowly, obviously not understanding why she was asking that but going with it to not upset her again, "Should I tell him you will be there?" Danni nodded, even though she knew Moyra couldn't see her.
"Yes, tell him I'll be there. Thanks." She hung up, holding the top of the phone against her mouth as Clara and the Doctor stared at her expectantly, "I've just been called to an appointment with the Face of Boe." She told them both. Clara looked vaguely confused whereas the Doctor looked surprised.
"The Face of Boe?" Clara asked as the Doctor stood up, stretching slightly.
"It's Jack." Danni replied, "He turns into a giant head in jar called the Face of Boe." She turned to her husband, like Clara was just supposed to accept that explanation with no follow up, "We should go, I never hear from him when he's a giant face."
He nodded in agreement, "We'll go now." Danni turned back to Clara, looking apologetic, "We can come back and help you unpack." She offered but Clara shook her head, standing up and walking over to her.
"No, you go see your-" She caught herself, knowing how much Danni was still struggling with the fact that her parents were her friends were her parents, "Go see Jack and when you come back I'll be all unpacked you'll love it." Danni grinned, Clara was so understanding. She was so glad that she was still in both their lives.
Clara froze slightly as Danni chucked her arms around her, pulling her into a hug, "You're the best, sweetie." She told her honestly as Clara finally hugged her back, revelling guiltily in the feeling of just how good it felt to hold her.
"You know it, Danni-Girl." She replied softly.