For once, England was quite warm and dry, which was a change that Danni hadn't been expecting. It had been years since she'd spent time on British soil, and even longer since she'd been in the Northern City. It was characteristically busy but that meant the duo just blended in without issue. River made sure they were linked arm in arm as they made their way down from Piccadilly Gardens so they didn't lose each other in the sunny day crowd. They walked at a leisurely pace as they headed towards the mall and food court before an afternoon of shopping.
"Are we going for matching dresses again?" River asked, "I'm all for it, but you've managed to land on such a young looking body I'm worried it'll be a bit too twee."
"You do not look your age and you know it." Danni retorted, glancing at the street performer they walked in front of. Theta would have liked him, probably tried to engage the young man pretending to be a statue. She would have been so embarrassed, "What about matching colours?" She suggested, pulling her attention away just in time to avoid a collision with some oncoming students, "That's not so obvious, is it?" River pondered on it for a moment as they stepped onto the escalator, heading up to the food court. She had wanted to take Danni somewhere nice, but she'd been adamant on some good old fashion junk food. If it kept her happy, River was more than willing to go along with it. It'd just be another point in her favour.
"Oh, it's heaving." Danni groaned as they entered the area. It was, as well, with barely anywhere to sit and queues coming off every food store front.
"That's what you get from a student city." River 0replied, pulling her towards the one she knew Danni wanted, with the golden 'M' hovering over it like some sort of cheap beacon. River had never liked fast food, even when she was a kid, but Danni saw it as a treat. Her other parents used to take her occasionally and she associated it with that happy memory. Any happy feeling River could invoke while they were together and Danni was still feeling unsure about her would help nudge her into changing her mind.
"I know, but I want a burger." Danni said with a groan in her voice, "Honestly, shouldn't they be in class or something?"
"You used to be a student too, you know?" River reminded with a laugh.
"Ah, never graduated." Danni replied proudly, "Too busy being thrown around time and space by a wayward vortex manipulator to sit my exams."
"You know, that might be something you could do." River suggested as they stepped ever closer to the young man behind the counter, "I have quite a lot of swing at Luna, I could get you in there to study whatever you like." Danni wrinkled her nose, shaking her head.
"No, I couldn't go back to uni now." She replied, "All that work, being stuck in the same place day after day. Even you get out of your cell whenever you want. I need to be travelling."
"You could afterwards, or even while you were there." The older woman told her, "I've been told their Classic Literature degree is highly recommended. There's a whole department that work on Shakespeare, we could get you in there." Danni paused, mouth open slightly as she'd been about to brush the idea away. She'd always enjoyed Shakespeare, so that was always a good way to get her attention.
"It's not like I could afford it." Danni dismissed after a moment of thinking of what it would be like to be a student again.
"Oh, sweetie," River replied, "That's what Daddy Dearest is for. Jack will pay for anything, you know that. It makes him happy to buy you things that make you happy." Well, Danni had noticed that. Even before she'd regenerated he'd taken her out for expensive meals and would have offered to buy her anything she'd shown an interest thing. Then there was the extravagant hotel room back when she'd infiltrated Diahold looking for the Doctor.
"No, it's not right." She declared, "I'm already probably going to have to scrounge off Clara for a little bit when I head back to see her, I'm not having Jack pay for me to go to university." And with that, she turned to the man behind the counter and ordered exactly what she wanted, grumbling at River's smirk when she asked for money to pay for the food.
~0~0~0~
The Doctor flew out of the TARDIS the moment she had landed, leaving Clara to trail after him at a slightly more leisurely pace. If Danni was here, then she knew that the moment the Doctor showed up knowing who she was, Danni would rush into his arms and she'd have to put up with a display of them reuniting and she could do without that.
She was looking forward to finally meeting this American Captain that they continued to talk about, who Danni seemed to love despite wanting to stay angry at him. Clara had wondered why she'd chosen River rather than Jack to go to after the Doctor had first forgotten her, but the way the Doctor paused with his hand on the door handle, just shy of bursting in the house like she knew he wanted to, shined some light on that.
"Are you going in?" Clara asked him, "Your wife is in there, after all."
"Yes, yes she is." He agreed, wanting nothing more than to run in and pull her into his arms. However, memories of being punched by Jack for being late picking her up from Amy and Rory's had him cupping his own cheek lightly. If she was here she would have told Jack what had happened, it might not be best to just break the door down. Seeing Jack attack him might just upset her more.
He hammered on the door instead, showing his urgency without entering on his own terms. That should give Jack some reassurance. The captain opened the door and eyed the Doctor suspiciously, "What are you doing here?" He asked shortly, surprising Clara with his shortness.
"I'm here to pick up Danni." The Doctor explained, "River said she was here, I need to explain to her that I never meant to forget her."
"Danni isn't here." Jack replied, "She hasn't been to see me in about a year, I take it that's your doing."
"No." The Doctor replied, denying both his part in the man not seeing the blonde and Jack telling him she wasn't there now, "River said she was here. She was upset, she wanted to see you-"
"She isn't here." Jack snapped, "I haven't seen River in an age, thankfully. Where is my daughter, Doctor?"
The Doctor looked around, as if trying to spot where his wife was hiding. River didn't like him, that was obvious and he'd never been too overly fond of her and only put up with the woman for Danni's sake. But Danni was upset, he remembered the state he'd dropped her off in, there was no way River would prolong her being sad just to get one over one him.
"I-I don't know." The Doctor murmured, panic rising in his chest, "She's supposed to be here." He yelled in surprise as Jack grabbed him by the collar and pinned him against the wall of the small porch, eyes blaring angrily at the Time Lord.
"Are you telling me that you've lost my daughter?" He snarled and the Doctor shook his head, pawing at Jack's hands to try and get free.
"No, not exactly." The Doctor promised, hoping not to get hurt, "You see, I forgot who she was after being possessed by a Cyberman-" Obviously this was not the right thing to say as Jack shook him once, slamming him back against the wall.
"Where is Danielle?" Jack demanded and Clara stepped forward, hand on each man's chest.
"Alright, that's enough!" She commanded in the same voice she used to break up Angie and Artie, firm and with no room for argument. Jack smiled at her, all anger on his face disappearing at the sight of her.
"Ah, Miss Oswald." He replied smoothly, letting the Doctor drop, "Long time no see, and yet as beautiful as ever." He picked up the bewildered woman's hand, placing a kiss on the back of it as he fell into full flirting word, "Here to clean up his messes yet again?"
Clara froze as the incredibly handsome, older man charmed her almost instantly. She'd always loved grey hair on a man, she felt it made them look much more sophisticated, but it was the cocky smile on his face and the shine in his eyes that caught her attention. She'd never been stunned into silence so quickly, but he was so good-looking and knew just what to say to get on her good side, "Err-" She started before shaking her head, trying to clear it, "He was fighting off a Cyberman and trying to save her." She explained, "He actually, in his own stupid way, was trying to keep her safe."
"Hey!" The Doctor protested, straightening his tie, "I'm not-" Clara held her hand up.
"Not your time to talk." She declared, smiling sweetly at Jack, "That River woman said she had asked to be dropped off here from her cell. She's definitely not come here?" Jack shook his head, pointedly ignoring the Doctor who was looking between the two in disbelief.
"No, but River wouldn't tell him the truth anyway." Jack replied, "Come in, I'll try calling Danni's phone. Chances are she's still with her mother." He held the door open, motioning her inside with a wave of his hand, "She'll be able to tell us. After you." She smiled, a faint pink tint to her cheeks as she stepped inside.
"Thank you, Captain." She told him as she headed into the hallway.
"Oh, call me Jack." He flirted back, the pair leaving the Doctor stood on the doorstep. Had Jack really just tried to flirt with his companion? Had it actually worked? Clara must prefer older men, after all Jack looked quite old at this point of time, nothing like the young man he'd met back in war-stricken London. He must be turning to a big head any time now.
He huffed, pushing the front door open when he realised they'd just left him there, "She's my wife!" He cried in indignation, "I'll be the one to call her!"
~0~0~0~
Now donning blue dresses - a nod to her red-headed days that Danni greatly appreciated - River and Danni made their way towards the bar, laughing like they'd never fallen out over hidden secrets. Danni knew she should have stayed angry with her for longer, part of her was still fuming but she'd tucked that bit away for the meantime. She didn't have anyone in this universe to fall to when she was this low, the was only a handful of people she could turn to in her time of need and even less who would take her in. Her plan was to take Clara up on her offer to move in together and try and make a normal, everyday life in London with her. For now, though, she was more than happy to pretend nothing was wrong. In her head, her husband had just dropped her off for some girly time like he used to before everything went wrong, and wasn't out in the universe without a thought of her in his head. She wasn't homeless and penniless, she had an identity and a big blue box to live in and that magical box loved her as much as Danni loved her in return.
She reached into her little bag that she'd bought to put her stuff in, getting rid of the clothes she'd been wearing when her life had fallen apart in some sort of act of symbolism. She pulled out her phone and frowned at the screen as she went to check the time.
"Jack's tried to ring me." She told River, diving to the side of the pavement to let the rest of the public past.
"Oh, well," River started, doing her best to dismiss the phone call, "Probably just wanting a visit, when's the last time you went to see him?" Danni grimaced guiltily - oh, it'd been a while, hadn't it? She and Theta had just gotten caught up in so much, she really needed to go see her friend.
"I'll call him back and tell him to come pick me up when we go back to yours. He can help me set somewhere up for me and Clara to live." Danni told her, using her thumb to quickly dial back the impossible man. She had gone through her fair share of phones over the years, but somehow she always came back to 21st century smartphones. She wondered if it was a nostalgic feeling, going for something she remembered from when she was younger, or just her complete lack of technological skills and she already knew how to use them.
"No, don't do that." River told her, snatching the phone from her, hanging up before it could even start ringing, "If you ring him twice, the chances of you getting the same day twice are slim, you know how temperamental the TARDIS rerouting is." She rattled off, "Call him back when we get back and apologise, or tell him you're not going to answer, or whatever. He can wait."
Danni wrinkled her nose slightly as she shook her head, reaching for the phone. She'd never had any trouble with the TARDIS phone lines, but then again that had been when she'd been living in her. Maybe it didn't work for people on the outside, "No, I'll just call him quickly." She replied, "I don't like leaving people waiting like that."
"Look, sweetie, I know you're worried Jack might have forgotten you too." River started, wrapping an arm around her daughter's waist and pulling her up against her, "But he hasn't, you know he hasn't otherwise he wouldn't be calling you. If you call him now and tell him you're going to ring him back, and don't, then he's just going to be upset and you don't want that, do you?" Danni sighed, shaking her head.
"No, I don't." She murmured and River smiled at her.
"That's my Danni-Girl." She praised as they started walking down back the road, "Let's have a good time, then you can go ruin it with a visit to Captain Pervert." Danni giggled as River pocketed her phone, making sure no one could get in contact with Danni until she said it was okay.
"Leave Jack alone!"
"That man would flirt with his own mirror if he thought he had a chance." River retorted.
"He is not that bad!"
~0~0~0~
Jack hung up the phone the moment it went to voicemail, trying to hide the smile at the sound of his daughter's voice. He quickly pocketed the cell and turned to Clara, "She's not answering. I'll try again in a bit."
"What if she's in trouble?" Clara asked from where she was sat on his sofa, slightly surprised by his lack of concern considering what she had just seen outside the house, "Shouldn't we be going after her?" He shook his head, sitting down next to her and chucking his arm over the back of it. That was rather close, not that Clara was complaining!
"River would never willingly drop off Danni with me." He explained, "If she's using me as a diversion, she's probably taking Danni somewhere she thinks she can keep her distracted from the Doctor."
"Why?" Clara asked, confused, "Your Danni's father."
"Oh, River hates me." Jack laughed, "She hates anyone who keeps Danni's attention from her."
"How do you know, though, that she's with River?" Clara pressed, "She might have genuinely dropped her off here and Danni's out there somewhere."
"If River had really dropped her off, she would have insisted coming to see the 'fall out' of this whole mess, and if she didn't know where she was she would have had the Doctor find her. They're probably out getting drunk right now, Danni having no idea that he," he nodded towards the kitchen door, where the Doctor was currently pacing anxiously, probably taking stuff apart while he waited for Jack to call Danni, "has remembered her at all."
Clara shifted on the sofa, turning to face him better while simultaneously trying to not seem like she was, "I thought she was like, obsessed, with Danni? Why wouldn't she want her to be happy?"
"She'll tell her eventually, but for now she'll be enjoying Danni's attention. She wants to be the centre of her universe, but she cares too much to let her stay sad for long. It's where Danni gets it from." The smile appeared on his face again and it warmed Clara's heart. He obviously cared so much about for his daughter, it made her wonder why he'd given her up at all.
"What about you?" Clara asked, "What did she get from you?" Jack chuckled to himself.
"Good looks and excellent kissing skills." He retorted and Clara started in surprise, making him laugh all the more, "Oh, you have no idea about this family. Quite frankly it's a mess." He leant in closer, shooting her a smirk, "Now, want to see just what she got from me?" He asked and her eyebrows shot up.
"Woah, calm down!" She cried with a laugh, "Are you seriously coming onto me while we can't find your daughter?"
"Oh, River's probably taken her shopping." Jack told her, leaning in closer still, "Don't worry, you don't need to keep up with me."
She couldn't believe him, of course she could keep up with him! He thought himself so good, didn't he? Maybe he was, maybe she should just show him...
The kitchen door slammed open and Clara jumped back, startled and flushing a deep red. How had he done that? What a pervert! He was laughing, obviously terribly amused by her, "Oh, don't worry sweetheart, I have that effect on everyone." He told her as the Doctor stormed towards the front door.
"I'm not waiting anymore!" He was ranting, "River can tell me exactly where she is, I want my wife back!"
"Oh sit down!" Jack snapped, stopping the Time Lord in his tracks, "If you go in trying to pull the 'Oncoming Storm' nonsense on her, River's just going to hide her deeper. We need to get in contact with Danni."
"But what if she's not with River?" The Doctor protested, annoyed that no one seemed as worried as they should be. Danni could be anywhere. Maybe River really did drop her off and she'd been kidnapped, maybe she was hurt, or worse. And yet Jack was just flirting with his companion, "What if she's hurt and we're just sitting around?"
Jack's gaze hardened, "Do you think I don't care?" He snapped angrily and the Doctor nodded.
"Yes, I do." He retorted, "There was a time you tried to kill me because you didn't know where she was, how that has changed!" Jack turned to Clara, shooting her a soft smile.
"I won't be a moment, sweetheart." He told her, stroking hair lightly and Clara giggled. Her lips slammed together a moment later, absolutely horrified at her reaction to him as he stood up.
"Look, I know you're worried about her," Jack started lowly, "I am too, we all are, but you know this has got River written all over it. If you're going to be so emotional, what are you going to be like when you see her?"
"Emotional?" The Doctor snarled, his anger spiking as he took a step towards Jack. Clara actually thought he might hit the American, "I'm not going to stop being emotional until I see her again, Jack. And all that is happening here is that I'm wasting time on you when I should be looking for her."
"Where, exactly?" Jack countered, "She could be anywhere out there, the entirety of time and space, how are you going to find her?"
"I don't know." The Doctor replied, "But I'm not waiting around anymore. I need to find her." Jack sighed, reaching into his pocket and holding his phone out to the Time Lord.
"We know she's with River." He told him, "Use the TARDIS to find her with this, but come and get us before you go dashing off." The Doctor nodded, patting him on the arm as he moved to run out, but Jack turned it around and grabbed his tightly just below his shoulder, "You come and get me, Doctor," he warned, "otherwise I'm going to beat the crap out of you, understand?" The Doctor nodded, memories of the punch coming back to him.
"You can count on it." He promised and Jack let him go. The Time Lord sped out of the house, leaving Clara behind. Jack turned to her, smirk back on his face.
"Now, where were we?"
~0~0~0~
Clara couldn't actually believe just how much Jack was actually flirting for her, and to her credit she didn't fall for a single line of it. She couldn't be blamed for enjoying the chat up attempts of such a gorgeous man, though. She was never going to fall for it, but when the door burst open and the Doctor dashed in, a grin on his face to rival the Cheshire Cat, she was surprised by just how close they were sitting.
The Doctor chucked his hand over his eyes the moment he saw them, "Are you two kissing?" He asked, sounding horrified and Clara shot off the sofa.
"No!" She protested a bit too quickly for her liking, glaring at Jack as he smirked happily, like he knew she had been thinking about it, "Hang on a minute, I have to put up with you," she stormed over, pulling his hand off his eyes, "and Danni kissing every time I turn around, but when I might be kissing, you're all prudish?"
"That's because Danni is an amazing kisser, and you're- Well, you're Clara." He grimaced and she smacked him on his arm, "What was that for?!"
"For thinking I'm gross!" She retorted, "Just because I'm not Danni-"
"Danni!" He interrupted, "That's it! I found Danni!" Clara didn't know whether to stay angry or feel relieved that he'd found her, after all if he wasn't running in and demanding they leave right now, she had to be fine.
She settled with whacking him on the arm again, "Where is she?" She asked as he rubbed the sore part of his arm.
"Manchester, early 21st Century." He gushed, like it was the best place he'd ever heard of, which wasn't something Clara could quite agree with.
"Manchester?" She asked incredulously and he nodded.
"River took her there once a few centuries ago." He explained, like it explained everything but she just stared at him, "Don't you see? They're revisiting old haunts, River's trying to get her to remember being angry at me. If we hurry up, we'll be there just before closing time!" He dashed back out and Jack stood up with a bit of a groan.
"Why does he always have to run everywhere?" He grumbled, motioning for Clara to head out first, who glanced over her shoulder as they headed outside.
"Why would River take her to Manchester to make her angry?" She asked him.
"Oh, that's where she took Danni after she married the Doctor." Jack replied, holding the door open to the TARDIS and letting her in first.
"What, Danni?" She asked, because she'd seen pictures of their wedding day and they'd both been so happy.
"No, River." Jack laughed, walking up to the console room, "Oh, I haven't seen this one for a while." He commented.
"If you weren't so grumpy then maybe we'd take you more places." The Doctor retorted, "Do you have to keep bringing up River like that? It wasn't even a real wedding."
"Hang on!" Clara cried as the Doctor flew them all away, "That actually happened?!"
~0~0~0~
The music was loud, the room was sweaty and Danni was positive the guy who just bumped into her was on some sort of narcotics. The bar really hadn't changed, and it was excellent. She'd had enough change, she wasn't normality, she wanted stability and for some reason this dank karaoke bar in the back end of Manchester was fitting that bill just fine.
"When are we up?" She shouted over the music as she made her way back to the table where River was sat, two drinks in hand. They always sang 'Carry on My Wayward Son' every time, but the club had already been quite packed when they'd finally made their way in.
"Not for another seven songs." River told her, "I tried to get us sooner, but the guy was adamant." Danni shrugged, sitting on the seat across from her.
"Gives us more time to drink." She offered and River shot her a smile.
"Now that sounds like a good idea." She agreed before they clinked their glasses together. Danni had tried a Cheeky Vimto, much like she had when they used to go out, but this body wasn't too fond of them apparently. Now she was on wine and feeling rather sophisticated about it.
"So, let's get you back out there." River declared, looking around the room critically while Danni frowned in confusion, "Which guy can we get to dance with you?"
Danni choked slightly on her mouthful of wine, "River!" She scolded, "I'm married."
"It's just a bit of fun." River moaned, "He might buy you a drink, you never know! I'm not saying make out with anyone."
"I'm not dancing with anyone but you." Danni replied firmly and River rolled her eyes. Danni, especially this Danni, always took things entirely too seriously. She might have not liked the Time Lord, but for some reason the Doctor made her happy and River wasn't going to force her to do anything she didn't want to. However, if Danni happened to see that there were more people out there than the time travelling alien, then who was she to stop her chasing what she wanted?
"You used to be much more of a laugh." River told her bluntly before standing up, drinking the last of her own drink before grabbing the other blonde's hand, "Come on, you want to dance, let's dance."
"River, hang on-" Danni laughed but River wasn't listening, dragging her into the middle of the dance floor, "I was still drinking!" She shouted, wondering if River could actually hear her.
"Don't be a spoilsport!" River told her, letting the music that was playing before the next singer guide her movements with precision. Soon Danni gave in as well, smiling brightly at her friend.
~0~0~0~
There had been a queue to get into the club, but thankfully the Doctor had remembered his psychic paper, getting them in before anyone else. Clara had never been a massive fan of clubs, and this one was no exception to that room. Too many people in too small a room, with music that was too loud and no air conditioning. She had never seen Danni as a club-goer either, so the whole setting surprised her.
"Right, Jack, you go to the bar and see if anyone has seen them!" The Doctor shouted over the music, "Clara, head towards the DJ, I'll go one way and you go the other." They all nodded in agreement and split up. It became quickly apparent to Clara that it was going to be hard to find the blonde in the sea of clubbers, there were already too many of them in and blonde hair wasn't exactly uncommon in that particular time of history. She tried not to grimace as she pushed her way through the crowd, craning her neck to see if she could spot her friend. She didn't understand why they had to find her right now anyway. Both the Doctor and Jack knew she was out having a good time. Sure, she'll be so ecstatic to know the Doctor had remembered her, but was a club really the best place to break that news to her? At least, couldn't they have waited until she came out?
Not one of the people she squeezed past was Danni, and she quickly made her way to the DJ without a clue of where her friend was. The Doctor joined her shortly afterwards, looking over the dancers with a critical eye. If anyone could spot her, it was him.
"Maybe they've already left!" Clara shouted, wincing slightly at the song ended at the same time, the room filling with just the sounds of people talking.
"No, once they're here, they'll be here for the night." He told her, because he knew what the two were like. They'd karaoke until closing time then head off to either the hotel they were staying at, or back to River's cell. Music started up again, but he couldn't spot them anywhere. The room was too packed, even for him, he needed to step back into the fray and find her. He was getting desperate, he just needed to see that she was okay. He could deal with her being angry at him, if she wanted to stay with River then he was more than happy for her to do that, as long as he saw she was fine.
"Doctor!" Clara cried and he turned to look where she was staring. There on the karaoke stage stood River and Danni. She was wearing a short blue dress with a fitted skirt, her hair clipped up on side and heels he would have normally been surprised she could walk in.
"Though my eyes could see I still was a blind man. Though my mind could think I still was a mad man I hear the voices when I'm dreaming, I can hear them say." She wasn't as bad as he'd been expecting, maybe she wasn't as drunk as he'd thought she'd been. She and River looked like they were having a fantastic time, back to back as they sang the chorus into their own microphones. The crowd were obviously enjoying the song, cheering the two along, but he couldn't focus on anything but how beautiful Danielle looked in the spotlight shining on them.
He pushed his way through the dense but small crowd that was between him and Clara and the stage, fighting through without so much as a thought towards the people he was pushing out of the way, nor the companion he had left to huff at his disregard of her.
Danni grinned up at River, tilting her head back to look up at the older woman as they sang together. She'd forgotten how much fun this had been, they used to be such good friends. Maybe they could stay like this, like she and Jack were. There didn't need to be anything weird, she may been biologically her mother but it didn't mean she was anything other than that. She'd always adored spending time with her, there was no reason that should stop.
"I set a course for winds of fortune, But I hear the voices say," She sang loudly, turning back to look out at their adoring fans, only to see the purple suit and brown hair she'd been hoping to see all day, "Doctor!" She cried in surprise, staring at him, hope squeezing all the air out of her lungs as her attention was turned to her husband. What was he doing here, it couldn't be a coincidence, could it? He'd only be there because she was there, right? Unless he was convinced to go there by Clara, or River, in an attempt to get him to remember her.
But then he smiled that smile, the one that was just for her, holding his hand out to her and she knew he was there for her. She dropped the microphone, running towards him and jumping off the slightly elevated platform, chucking her arms around his neck. He caught her, holding her close and laughing in pure joy as she wrapped her legs around him, hanging off him as she buried her face in his neck. The crowd around them awed at the display of affection, and River glared at him for interrupting their girl night.
The Doctor held her up with both of his arms, squeezing her as close as the could as she sobbed in his shoulder, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." He murmured into her hair, "I'm here, and I'm not letting you go." He placed a kiss in hair, "I'm never letting you go."