Danni missed him. Every part of her just wanted him to come out of the throne room and pull her up against him. She wouldn't even be mad, well of course she wouldn't. It wasn't like it was his fault, but she would just welcome him with open arms and never mention it again. All she could think about were the little things, like him holding her hand with their fingers linked, or waking up to see him there, smiling softly at her. She'd never tell him off for leaving the washing up for the TARDIS, who already did enough for them. He'd never make her a cup of tea.
As it was she was currently nursing a small cup of soup. She wasn't sure what kind of soup it was, just that it had an assortment of what she guessed was vegetables in it. Porridge had made it for the platoon and had given her the first cup. She'd taken a sip out of politeness, but hadn't touched it since. It was keeping her hands warm, though.
She smiled at the honorary chef as he walked over, sitting down on the wooden chair next to the one she was sat on, "I'd ask how you're feeling, but I can't imagine you'd be very happy right now."
"Not really, no." She agreed, grateful he wasn't automatically trying to lie to her with fake promises of everything working out. It was one of the reasons she was slightly glad that Clara was off sorting out the weaponry, she kept trying to make it seem like everything was going to be okay but Danni knew better, "This is really nice." She told him, lifting the mug up as she did.
"You've not touched it, but I'll take the compliment." He replied and she giggled hollowly, looking down at the liquid again.
"I tried a little bit." She offered. She probably should have just tried a bit there and then, but the thought of eating anything, even a little bit of soup, made her stomach churn.
"So, you've really given up all hope that he'll get out and remember you just fine?" He asked her bluntly and she nodded, "That's a bit defeatist, isn't it?"
"For the first few years we were together, we met out of order." She explained briefly, "I had to meet the him that had no idea who I was on our wedding night. The look he gave me back when the Cyberplanner had taken over him was the same look the man who I met that night gave me. There's nothing there, no hint of me at all. I'm gone."
Porridge nodded slowly, clasping his hands in his lap. What he wouldn't give for the universe to just forget who he was, but while that would be completely voluntary for him, the woman beside him obviously hadn't chosen it to be this way, "What are you going to do, then?"
What was she going to do? Clara's offer had been wonderful, but she would still be travelling with the Doctor and she really couldn't handle seeing Theta every day and have him look straight past her. There wasn't really anyone else, though, "I think I'm going to get him to drop me off at my mother's." She told him uncertainly.
"You don't seem too keen on the idea." He pointed out.
"I hate my mother." She replied quickly, looking upwards out of the courtyard and towards the sky, "But where else can I go? My father will just kill him, but it's not his fault. He didn't choose to be a Cyberplanner. He didn't chose to-" She trailed off, taking a shuddering breath in as tears gathered in her eyes once again. He didn't, she knew he would never have chosen to forget her. He had loved her, she knew it. She just wished it was still there.
The sound of the platoon arriving back picked up as Clara led them all back into the courtyard, "Look at that, the army has returned. You're up, Porridge." She told him and he nodded, hopping down off the chair.
"You'll survive this, you know?" He told her, not offering her promises of everything turning out okay, that the Doctor would suddenly remember who she was.
"Oh I know." She replied, "I don't have much of a choice, but I don't want to." He offered her a sad smile, one she returned, before he headed off to feed the masses. She looked down at the ring on her finger. He'd gone back for this before he'd regenerated into Eleven. All those farewells, all those people he could have visited and he'd gone back for a diamond for her.
She lifted the soup up to her mouth, taking a sip, trying not to grimace at the lukewarm liquid. It was really rather nice, actually. Not too tomatoey, lots of vegetables, just how she liked her soup.
~0~0~0~
The Doctor couldn't help but think about the poor girl he'd found with the children. During his 'down time', which was when the Cyberplanner was making his move, the Doctor tried as hard as he could to focus on the game at hand. But his thoughts kept wandering back to Danni. The woman had seemed to have met him before, which was intriguing enough for him to think of very little else.
How had she met him? What circumstances had first brought him into her life? Was it good, did he save the day, or was it going to be one of those trips he never talked about again? The fact that she'd seemed hurt that he hadn't recognised her said that he'd helped her, which was nice, but the devastated look that had appeared on her face said that he'd affected her life greatly. He knew he had that effect on people. That he rushed through their lives and was gone without a second thought, but they lived with the memory of him for the rest of their days. He hated it on some level, but he wouldn't stop saving them so he had to deal with it.
It reminded him of when he first met River back in the Library, except unlike with the bushy haired archaeologist, he wasn't worried about why Danni knew him. In fact, he didn't feel like it was a bad thing at all. She was a pretty little thing, after all, and she'd been so concerned for him. Anyone who let themselves cry like she had broken in front of him couldn't be a threat.
Her husband was probably gone, though. That really was something he wish he could change, but he'd just been too late for that. She'd seemed so kind, sitting by the children as if she was protecting them even though he was sure she had no idea who they were. She deserved someone to be there for her. He could see her with children, lots of little ones running around her. If she had any, they would help her through this.
He didn't know why that thought kept coming back to him, it just seemed so natural for her to have children that it seemed almost wrong for her not to, so he changed his train of thought back onto the chess match. Sometimes the Cyberplanner would make its next move instantly, sometimes it would take as long as it could so it had a chance to try and calculate his next move. He wasn't sure which one he preferred.
Her husband must have been impressive, he decided. He wasn't sure why, but he couldn't see her with someone ordinary. Not there was such thing as an ordinary human, but when she was scared it seemed like she was used to being looked after.
He should have been focusing on the chess match, not the blonde hidden away in the castle. He just hated seeing anyone sad, that was all. He'd find a way to cheer her up-
"Worried about your new friend?" The Cyberplanner taunted and the Doctor felt himself tense as the Cyberplanner found the image of her crying on the floor by the feet of the children, "So scared, we'll take care of that."
"No, you will leave her alone." The Doctor snapped, "She's been through enough." He cleared the image away quickly.
"I'm going to win this game, then they'll all be incorporated. Including your 'pretty little thing'."
The Doctor cleared his mind, taking control of his body and made his next move with precision. He wasn't about to lose. He had to save them all.
~0~0~0~
Clara sighed as the Doctor called for her though the door to the throne room, just as she was about to finally get something warm to eat. She lowered the cup of soup from her lips - so close! She smiled at Porridge, a fond smile that said that she was more amused than annoyed at his demands.
"I'll see what he wants. Call me if there's any change." She told him and he nodded as she headed off towards the large doors to the throne room.
"Right." He replied. Clara paused in the doorway, taking a look at Danni who was sat across the courtyard, doing her best to not look disappointed that it hadn't been her he'd called for. It was a very similar look to the Doctor's when he had been waiting for Danni to come out of her house. No one who wasn't his wife had been good enough, and every time it had been Clara instead of Danni it had hurt him just a little bit more. Danni was the same, each mention of her husband was a little stab in one of her hearts and Clara really didn't know how to help. How could anyone help in a situation like this? Danni was so convinced that the Doctor wouldn't remember her, but Clara really wasn't so sure. It was easier looking inwards on a relationship, that Doctor had to be in there somewhere. She just didn't know how to get him out. So she did what she knew Danni would want her to do, which was look after her husband until such time he remembered who he was and she could take back the reins herself.
He chucked his arms out when she walked in and she couldn't help but feel a little sad on her friend's behalf that he didn't have that disappointed look on his face he got when someone who wasn't his wife walked in the door. Of course he should be happy to see her, after all they were all close friends now, but at the same time it was her friend's husband acting like he didn't care about her. Clara couldn't really work out if the annoyance at it was justified or not.
"Hey! Clara, there you are. Now, quick rundown. What's our weapons strength?" He asked like he didn't have a care in the world. She took a little detour to the children, checking to see if they responded to the little click of her fingers in front of their faces but there was still no movement.
"One big gun, five of those hand pulsar units and a shiny black bomb that implodes the planet." She listed as she walked over, hopping onto the platform that was supposed to lead to the throne but currently had the Doctor plonked in the middle of it.
"Yeah, yeah, that one." He started, like he'd forgotten it had even existed. Another thing he'd forgotten, like his wife, "Now, tell me, does it happen, possibly, to have a remote triggery thing?" Clara pulled it out of her pocket, a little black device with a button on the end, and held it up like a trophy, "Brilliant. Pass it here." He made a grabbing motion with his hand and she almost give it to him, pulling it away just at the last moment with a suspicious look on her face.
"No." She declared, because that would have been an incredibly silly thing to do. It had only just occurred to her as he was about to take it off her that it might not have been the Doctor at all.
"Why not?" He asked, confused.
"In case you're not you right now." She thought about it for a second, did she really want the Doctor in control of a trigger that could blow up a planet? "Or even if you are you, just in case."
"Oh," He replied, moving his hand back slightly, "don't worry. The Cyber-Planner's hibernating between moves right now." He held up his finger to his lips, "Sssh."
Clara wasn't convinced, though. With a killer robot invading half of your head, no one would ever know that it wasn't you speaking, or talking, or anything really. She looked around, making sure they weren't being listened to then put both hands on the chess table, leaning closer to him, "Prove you're you. Tell me something only the Doctor knows."
He looked her over for a moment, eyes softly studying her face, "Clara..." He started with a sigh, "I suppose... I'm the only one who knows how I feel about you right now." Her eyes widened and she backed away slightly, "How funny you are -" He chuckled to himself, "so funny... and pretty. Such a pretty little thing." He paused for a moment, as if thinking on her, "And the truth is, I'm starting to like you in a way that is more than just..." He leant up the best he could, lips puckered ready to kiss her and a large surge of anger rolled over Clara. He was married to her friend, who was sat outside the door absolutely devastated because he couldn't remember her, and here he was trying to plant a kiss on her lips?!
She pulled her hand back, giving him the slap of his life and as his head snapped to the side he flashed, coming back to the Doctor, "Ow! Ow! Ow!" He cried and she hoped it really hurt. She pointed at him angrily, jabbing her finger at him.
"You do not try and kiss me while your wife is waiting for you!" She scolded him harshly and he held his free hand to his check, frowning at her.
"My wife?" He asked, wondering who she could possibly mean, "Do you mean River? When did I tell you about River?"
Clara had heard that name before, River was the woman who was Danni's birth mother, wasn't she? If he thought she was his wife then the Cyberplanner had obviously done a lot more damage than she had originally though. However, remembering River meant that maybe Danni was in there, just mixed up in the rest of his memories.
"She's not my actual wife," The Doctor was rambling, "I mean, did I marry her? Yes, but only technically. In all honesty I don't think she likes me that much, not that I'm particularly fond of her-" Clara rolled her eyes, yep, that was definitely the Doctor.
"Finish your stupid game!" She snapped, turning to walk out. His hand shot out, grabbing her wrist just above the trigger. She tried to yank her arm away but his grip was too strong, "Doctor, let go." She commanded.
"I can't." He breathed, "He's got control of the left arm." He tried hard to fight the control of the Cyberplanner, growling with the effort of tryng to take back control of his own body, but it managed to wrestle the trigger from Clara's grasp. With a yell, he brought it down again and again on the table, crumbling it up into pieces. He looked up at her, eyes wide in panic.
"Doctor?" Clara asked worriedly, "Should I go get-"
He shook his head, cutting her off, "He got what he wanted." He explained as he looked over the chess board again. How could he have been so blind? It was all a distraction technique, filling his head with pretty blonde women to get a hold on the one thing that might actually stop them, "He destroyed the trigger. My move."
"What do you mean, he got what he wanted?" She demanded, taking another step back from him. He looked up slowly, the warmth of the Time Lord gone from his eyes.
"He means..." The Cyberplanner drawled, "good news, boys and girls! They're here!"
~0~0~0~
Cyberman upon Cyberman lined up in long rows, covering every space in the park that they could see from the window of the comical castle. Danni clung to Clara's arm as they took on the scale of the army that was waiting to fight them, that if they didn't hold back would stretch amongst the stars and would decimate everything it came into contact with. Rows upon rows of emotionless killing machines who would rip the humanity from anyone they came across and turn them just like them.
"All those people." Danni whimpered, images of Torchwood One coming to mind once again. Clara could feel her friend shaking against her and gently moved her away from the window, leaning her against the wall. The Doctor had reassured her last time, managed to bring her out of her fear but without him there she wasn't sure what she could do. Danni had been so much better, but losing her husband had sent her practically to breaking point.
Clara looked out at her own little army, all waiting for the command of their appointed leader. The problem was, though, she had absolutely no idea what to do. There was just so many of the Cybermen and barely any of them, "One gun, five hand pulsars and a planet-smashing bomb that doesn't work anymore." She listed off.
"Why not?" One of them asked her and she looked up at him, a sheepish grimace on her face.
"Broken trigger unit." She broke to him, thinking about the plastic littering the castle floor.
"But you signed for that." He retorted. She shrugged, not really having anything else to say to that. There was movement outside and both Danni and Clara looked out to see the Cybermen advancing on her.
"No, no they can't." Danni whimpered, slowly falling apart. All those people, all the soldiers were going to be converted. The children. Clara. Her head spun, panic rushing through her. Clara couldn't die again, she couldn't! But she couldn't do anything! She was useless and so scared and on her own!
Clara laughed in pure joy as a Cyberman stepped into the mote around the castle, the one they'd put in the electric cable in earlier. It worked, the Cyberman was electrocuted, sparking wildly and everyone cheered as they finally got their first break of the day. Then it straightened and declared 'Upgrade in progress', continuing to walk across the water, the rest of the Cybermen joining it's march as the upgrade spread through their systems.
"No, no, no." Danni cried, backing up away from the window. Clara grabbed her before she backed into Porridge and over the small wall of the platform they were stood on.
"Danni, Danni, you're fine." She promised and Danni shook her head.
"I-I can't." She sobbed, "Not Cybermen. They always win!" Clara pulled her closer still, wrapping her arms around her as she sobbed. The Doctor would know how to calm her down, but she really didn't have the ability or the time. She looked out at her little army. It was down to them and they were all looking to her for answers. She had this. She was Clara Oswald and she was good.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence." She murmured. The fact was that Danni was in no state to do anything and the Doctor was preoccupied being half-Cyberman himself. It was all down to her, whether or not she fought it, so she took control, "Right, who's our best shot?" She asked them.
"Probably it's me." The larger man of the group spoke up shakily. She nodded firmly, giving the one with the weaponry a quick motion with her head and he handed his comrade the large gun that could take down a Cyberman in a single shot.
"Shoot any of them who make it across." She commanded before looking at the rest, "The rest of you, take defensive positions." They all did what she was told and she ignored the rush of power she felt, turning to Porridge, "Porridge?"
"Yes?" He asked, ready for his orders, but really not wanting to face the Cybermen. There wasn't really much the man could do, and while at least the punishment platoon had some basic training, he was just an ordinary man.
"Keep yourself safe." She decided and he gave her a nod before he hurried off to do as he was told.
"What about me?" Danni asked her quietly and Clara pulled back, holding her at arm's length. She was trying to look brave, Clara was actually quite touched but she knew that if she shouted 'boo' the chances were the blond would have just probably keeled over.
"You are going to look after the children." She declared in a flash of genius she was rather proud of. If she knew Danni as much as she thought she did, she knew the Time Lord would rather fight than hide, but in the state she was in there was no way she wouldn't be a danger to herself and possibly anyone she was fighting with. Putting the safety of someone else, especially children who she knew for a fact Danni held above all things, would force her hand and Danni would go look after them, even if it was reluctantly.
As she had suspected, Danni opened her mouth to protest but Clara was already prepared at this point, "If we need to move, I need someone to keep them safe and there is no one I trust with that more than you." She told the older woman, "Can you do that for me?" Danni glanced over at the doors to the throne room, when the children and the Doctor were currently residing. She really didn't want to go in there, but the children were not going to be safe while the Doctor was indisposed.
She nodded, "I can do that." She agreed and Clara shot her a huge grin.
"That's my girl!" She cried before gently pushing her in the right direction, taking a deep breath to steel herself before she went off to control a small punishment platoon.
~0~0~0~
Danni stepped slowly into the room and the Doctor's head snapped unnaturally upwards to look at her. His lips twisted into a smirk, "Ah, my pet, what can I do for you?" He asked and she shied away slightly from what was obviously the Cyberplanner.
"I-I'm here to look after the children." She stuttered out, "You carry on." She practically ran to their sides, giving the pair a once over. They still seemed unharmed, but she wanted to make sure nothing had happened while she wasn't there. She waved her hand in front of their faces but neither even blinked at the motion. Still in standby mode, then. At least they weren't scared.
"I don't know, I think I want to play with you for a little while, my pet." He called, "Come here." She turned, eyeing him warily before she did as he said and approached the table. It would be better to just do as he said, after all he was still a Cyberman and fighting them never worked out well for everyone. She came to a stop just in front of the table.
The Cyberplanner looked over her for a moment, leaning back in his chair, "Now, my pet," He drawled, "you seem to have an emotional attachment to this Time Lord, don't you?" She shrugged but didn't dare say a word, "And yet you don't seem to be anywhere in this gigantic head of his."
"He doesn't know who I am." She replied, keeping her words as neutral as she could even though all she wanted to do was reach across and shake him, beg him to tell her he remembered who she was. He was so close she could almost smell him, her hand twitched by her side as she held herself back.
"I gathered that. You seem to be rather affected by him, does he become someone important to you? A friend, perhaps? Or a mate?" She shook her head slowly.
"He doesn't know who I am." She whimpered again, "I'm just here to look after the children."
"He told your friend, Clara, what he thought of her." The Cyberplanner replied, "How much of a pretty little thing he thought she was to get her to believe it was him talking." Danni's hearts broke in her chest and she felt herself start to cry once again, "I wonder what he'd say about you." She took a shaky breath.
"He doesn't know who I am." She whispered, "I'm just here to look after the children." She turned, practically running over to them as he flashed back to the Doctor.
"Danni, wait-" He started, not knowing how to comfort her, he didn't know anything about her but he'd heard the Cyberplanner's attempts to break her and it was obvious that they were working.
"I'm just here to look after the children." She told him before he could offer her fake platitudes, "Finish your game, Spaceman."
~0~0~0~
The Cyberplanner kept trying to engage her. She'd stuck to her line, she was looking after the children and not offering him anything else, not rising to his attempts to taunt her. The Doctor had actually stopped him once or twice, but just because that was who he was, it had nothing to do with her at all.
She could hear the Cybermen outside trying to break into the castle and she desperately hoped that Clara was okay. She knew she should be out there, fighting amongst everyone else, but she stood in front of the children, back towards the Doctor because she couldn't bare looking at him. Her not-husband, taken over by a Cyberman and who would look straight past her if they met in a crowded street. If he came out of this the other end and remembered her, he'd understand why she couldn't handle him not knowing who she was, but if he didn't then it wouldn't matter anyway. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes, forcing memories of her and her Theta to rush over her. Their wedding, the first time she heard him say he loved her, just lovely images to try and make herself feel better. She knew she was being incredibly selfish, there was an army of Cybermen trying to break their way in and kill her friend and the children in her care, but all Danni wanted was Theta and so she blocked it out.
"My pet, tell me," The Cyberplanner called over as he took back control of the Doctor's body, making its move quickly, "which one is your husband?" She winced as his voice cut through her memories, forcing her back into reality.
She meant to reply with her default answer, "What do you care?" She snapped instead.
"I suppose you probably don't know." He continued as if she hadn't spoken, "Uniformity is a privilege we Cybermen can offer, after all."
"Why do you care?" She repeated, this time the words coming out in bites.
"When I win, when I take hold of this Time Lord, I'm going to find him," He promised her, "And he's going to convert you while the Time Lord-"
"That is quite enough of that!" He interrupted himself, the Doctor coming through, "Stuck, are you? That's why you're teasing the poor woman." She turned around, seeing him leaning back in the chair, that cocky smirk on his face, "Worried you're going to lose the game?"
"Doctor?" She asked, hope fluttering in her chest despite herself.
"Don't you worry, Danni." He promised her, "I've almost won and then I'll take you home." Ah, there was that crushing feeling of despair that came with having your hopes squashed.
He frowned, sitting up straighter as the very little happiness fell from her face and her eyes fell to the floor, "I'm just here to look after the children." She replied quietly, turning her back on him. He felt a twinge in his chest, he needed to try and make it right for her, he'd obviously hurt her quite a lot and bringing up her home when her husband was most likely dead was not a good move for him. Nice to know he still had as much tact as he always had done, the Cyberplanner hadn't damaged that.
The whole structure shuddered and as Danni jolted forward ready to catch the children in case they fell, the Doctor lost control and the Cyberplanner took over once again.
"They're nearly here." It purred with the stolen voice, "Now, you can take my bishop and keep limping on for a little longer. Or you can sacrifice your queen, and get the children back, but it's mate in five moves. And I get your mind." Danni spun back around again, watching him flash back to the Doctor, silently waiting tucked away in his head as the Doctor made his move.
"No, you can't!" She cried, rushing over, "Please, you can't say yes to him!" He met her eyes and she could see his intention to do just that. He was going to let they Cyberplanner have his mind to save the children, and he was taking that last little hope that he'd remember her with him, "No, please, it's not worth it, they're only children!"
The panic was overwhelming, her whole body shook with it as she came to realise what she'd just said. Disgust began to bubble away underneath, making her hate herself because there had been a time he would have let everyone die for her and it had scared her. Now she wanted it, she wanted that sign that he was still himself, that he would at least consider watching them burn and taking her away. It made her feel sick, the idea that she wanted him to let everyone die for her was repulsive. But when it came down to it, she knew he never would. Her Theta, her Doctor would risk himself to save the children.
He was still looking at her, watching her closely, trying to gauge if she had really meant it or not. She shook her head, hoping he believed her, "I just want you to remember me." She whispered brokenly, as if it explained her exclamation.
He shot her a sad smile, one that told her he wished he could offer her something but he had never met her before. He reached forward, picking up his queen and moving it across the board, "Take my queen. And give me back the children."
"Emotions!" The Cyberplanner snarled angrily, "Can't you see what a foolish move that was? You've lost the game!"
He flashed back once again, "Kids! Back! Now!" She heard the sound of something deactivating behind her and turned to see the two children on their knees on the floor. She turned back to look at the Doctor, torn between staying with him and being there when the children came around. He gave an encouraging nod and she dashed over, crouching down in front of them.
"Angie, Artie, can you hear me?" She asked the pair frantically as the Cyberplanner took the Doctor's queen. Angie's eyes opened and she looked at Danni, disorientated.
"Danni?" She asked and the blonde nodded, helping the young girl stand up.
"The Doctor has been taken over by a Cyberman but is still the Doctor," she started, "Clara is fine but she's not here right now, but what you have to remember is that you and Artie are safe." Angie looked down at her brother, who was still on the floor.
"What's wrong with him?" She asked.
"He's just asleep." Danni promised her, taking her hand, "Just stay with me and everything will be okay."
"So, Doctor..." The Cyberplanner asked, drawing Angie's attention but Danni gently forced her to look back at her, "do you think the children's death will affect your relationship with Miss Clara?"
"Don't look." Danni whispered, "Just focus on me, okay? We're going to move your brother back to the wall," Her eyes were caught by Porridge entering the throne room, carrying the bomb like it was his lifeline, "And look, here's Porridge. See, everything is okay?"
"You don't believe that." Angie snapped and Danni shrugged.
"I don't have to." She pointed out, "That doesn't mean you shouldn't. Help me pick up your brother."
"Welcome to Webley's World of Wonders, children." Webley declared, activating by their side and turning on the spot to face them, "Now presenting delights, delicacies... and death." He took a step towards them and Danni stepped in front of Angie.
"Try it and I'll break you." She swore darkly. She had no husband, no home, no hope. All she had to do was look after the children, and she would die to do it if she had to. There was nothing left but she was damned if she wasn't going down without a fight, "Angie, grab Artie."
Before Webley could retaliate, Porridge dashed forward and slammed his hand on the man's leg, using one of the pulsers on him and pulling his attention away from the trio. Webley knocked him back with ease and the small man landed at the foot of the chess board. Webley sparked, seemingly falling to a standstill but Porridge didn't move.
"Angie, are you okay?" The Doctor asked her, coming back in control of his body, "That's Danni, she'll look after you, just stay with her and look after Artie."
"Why is he saying that like he doesn't know who you are?" Angie asked as they moved her brother away from him and Webley.
"Because he doesn't." Danni replied, "Don't worry about it, just focus on your brother."
~0~0~0~
The Doctor did something incredibly clever, as he always did, managing to get the hand pulser off Porridge without the Cyberplanner noticing and removed it from his mind, all while stopping all the Cybermen out in the courtyard and allowing Clara and the remaining platoon members to escape into the throne room.
"Clara!" Danni cried happily as the woman rushed in first, looking over at the children to check they were okay. Angie was awake, Artie was- well, he was no longer a Cyberman, so she took it as a win.
"Ah, hello." The Doctor greeted, "Can someone untie me, please?" Clara rushed up, stopping in front of the table.
"Do you think I'm pretty?" She asked to test him.
"No, you're not blonde." He retorted without thinking much about it. Clara grinned and Danni turned, trying not to seem like she was paying attention. That had come to him while he was focusing on something else, his mind had gone straight to her without him even thinking about it. Perhaps Clara and Porridge were right, maybe it was just the Cyberplanner who had took her away.
"What about Danni?" Clara tried and he frowned, looking incredibly confused.
"What about her?" He asked and both women deflated. His memory hadn't come back, he'd truly forgotten her, "Come on, Clara, we haven't got all day." Clara took a glance back at the blonde, who was being comforted by Angie of all people. She nodded at her and Clara started undoing the knots.
~0~0~0~
Danni watched out of the window as the planet was exploded, destroying all the Cyberman that walked across the surface. Porridge turned out to be the Emperor, who knew?
She held her hand against the window long after the blast was gone, the people behind her making plans - oh, the Emperor was proposing to Clara, why not? She should have said yes, but never mind.
Everything felt so- so distant to her. People were talking and she could hear what they were saying, but nothing was sticking. She was sure she was shivering, but she couldn't really feel it. She looked into the depths of space, knowing she should be crying, be screaming and demanding that the Doctor tell her he remembered her. That he was still her husband, that he knew who she was. Instead there was nothing at all. She'd lost everything, but she couldn't feel a thing. Was that normal? She remembered feeling slightly the same when she'd first been pulled back into this universe and realised she'd never see her parents again. Was it like that?
She should have stayed on the planet.
A shadow fell over her and she looked up into the kind but strange eyes of the Doctor as he smiled gently at her, "I'm sorry about your husband." She shrugged, looking back out of the window again.
"Why? It's not your fault." She replied bluntly, "I'm never going to see him again." He reached out almost instinctively to put a hand on her shoulder as an attempt at some comfort, but pulled away at the last moment. She'd just lost the man she loved, she probably didn't want anyone to touch her right now.
"If you like, I can take you home." He offered, "My ship can take you anywhere you need to go." Danni nodded. This was the last time she was going to go into the TARDIS, wasn't it? He was going to drop her off and never see her again. Her Theta was lost. She had come across Daleks and Weeping Angels. She'd been used horrifically by one of the most evil men to have ever have existing, and abused terribly by the other. And yet, all she could think about was how much she hated the Cybermen.
"Can you take me to Stormcage?" She asked him, surprising him with her request, "I'd like to see River."
"You know River?" He asked and she nodded.
"It's how we met." She offered vaguely, hoping that he wouldn't ask too much about it. And it wasn't a lie, as such, just not the whole truth, "Or will meet. Can you take me there, please?" Her voice cracked and he nodded, waving to the TARDIS.
"Follow me." He replied.