The Doctor skidded to a stop outside a door with a circular window, red light glowing from the inside of the room. It hadn't taken as long as he'd thought to get through the inner corridors of the TARDIS, the ones normally hidden from anyone but him and Danni, but once they'd regrouped they'd made it there in record time. The TARDIS must have been helping them, which meant they were on the right track to fixing this entire mess. The rest of the group fell to a stop behind him, Danni and Clara side by side.
"Where are we?" Clara asked as the Doctor peered into the room.
"Power source. Right, you lot, wait here. I'll check it's safe. We can only survive for a minute or two in there." He told them. Clara and Danni frowned at each other, the pair jogging up to his side.
"Um..." Clara started, tapping him on the shoulder and leaning in closer, "What happens if we stay longer?"
"Our cells will liquefy and our skin will start to burn." He explained lowly, as if trying to keep it from everyone but the hallway was so silent the entire group heard.
"I always feel so good after we've spoken." Clara told him, completely nonplussed by his words. He nodded.
"Marvellous." He replied, agreeing with her lack of enthusiasm about the room he was about to head into. If he could, he was also rather a large fan of not getting melted, or burnt alive like the zombies walking the hallways with them. However, they needed to go through the room to get to the heart of the TARDIS, so he needed to check that the way was clear. He could survive longer than any of them, he had to make sure none of them got stuck.
"Keep this door shut." Danni took a step closer as he reached to push it open, ready to head in with him. He shot her a look, his 'what are you doing?' confused face, "Stay here." He reiterated.
"I am." She replied, face straight but he knew better.
"Promise me." He insisted and she groaned, showing that she'd had no intention of staying behind, like he'd suspected.
"Doctor..." She started, trying to look everywhere but at him as she tried to think of a way around making the promise. He knew that the chances of anything happening to any of them was slim, because there really was no need to stay in the room for an extended amount of time. Still, he took her face in his hands, forcing her to look at him.
"You'll be fine." He told her, "Promise me."
"I don't want to." She whispered and he smiled warmly at her. She wanted to follow him, but she would never break a promise once she'd made it.
"Promise me." He repeated a third time and she sighed.
"I promise." She replied reluctantly. He placed a kiss on her forehead before gently nudging her towards Clara. Then, he opened the door, dashed inside and slammed it behind him. Danni immediately rushed up to the window, pressing herself against the door to watch him.
"He'll be fine." Clara told her, "He's not a total idiot, if he was going to burn he wouldn't have entered."
"I don't know." Gregor replied, "He was going to blow us all up because of her," he nodded towards Danni, who looked over her shoulder at him, "if he's trying to save her, then he probably would." Clara glared at him.
"Not helping." She snapped as Danni whimpered, looking in again. The light was so bright, shining over everything and making it so difficult to see him. But there he was, a silhouette in the light, rushing to the other side of the room. She had no idea what he was doing, she could barely make out his movements as she anxiously hopped from side to side. It would be okay - well, not okay but better - if he'd at least had some more regenerations left. But he didn't, this was his last life and the thought that he'd lose it while she wasn't there tore at her hearts. He had to stop being so reckless, risking his life all the time was not an option when he was the one with a singular life left. This must have been how he'd felt when she would do similar things. Being on the other end of that scenario was not fun.
"Lancashire. Sass." A female voice declared and she turned to see Gregor holding up a small device in Clara's direction.
"What is that?" She asked despite herself, turning away from the door as both women looked intrigued at the scanner in his hand.
"Intelligent sensor." He replied, he turned it to Danni, letting it scan the other woman, not expecting such individual results as it had given for Clara. Both 'Lancashire' and 'Sass' were words that the Doctor had used to describe the brunette, and as was its programming, the scanner had picked them up. At the very least, though, it should give some generic results, like species.
"Time Lord." It declared, "The Time Child. Never-ending." He looked down at his device in surprise as Danni giggled slightly.
"Well, would you look at that?" She commented, "I'm even in your databanks."
"Time Child?" Clara asked, "What is that?"
"It's my legend." Danni explained, "Spread across the universe. The Time Child, the being that'll end the Time War and save Gallifrey." Clara looked stunned and Danni shrugged, "I've heard it a few times, nothing ever seems to come of it, though. Species run screaming because apparently him in there," she nodded towards the doorway, "likes to burn planets if I'm in trouble. Also have yet to see too much in the way of planet burning from him. All seems like complete crap, if I'm honest." Except from in that terrible book, but she didn't want to think about that right now. Or ever again, for that matter.
Clara thought about it for a moment, about how she'd seen the Time Lord act around his wife, "What would happen if the TARDIS exploded?" She asked.
"The universe would crack." Danni replied, a confused frown on her face, "Splinter and die. It's happened before, but the Doctor stopped it. Why?"
"Because he was going to blow it up if he couldn't save you." She explained, "Compared to that universe-shattering reaction, burning a planet seems a bit tame." Danni shook her head.
"No, he wouldn't have actually done it." She insisted, "It's just a scare tactic."
"I don't think so." Clara corrected gently. Danni didn't want to believe her, but the look on her friend's face showed just how strongly Clara believed it to be true. She turned back to the window, watching his figure once again. Of course he wouldn't destroy anything just because of her. That man with the dinosaurs had just been a one off. He had been worried about the Ponds, and she had been so new, of course he acted a bit out of character. That's all it was. And the Library would have had that book in it as well, most likely. That's why the Vastra Nerada were scared at the thought of her. That was it.
The Doctor dove out of the room, rubbing her arm as he ran past her and in between Gregor and Tricky. She blinked, surprised to see Tricky looking like he was about to attack the other man. When she had missed that?
"Tricky, listen to me." The Doctor insisted, hand on each of their chest, "Ask yourself why he couldn't cut you up. He has just one tiny scrap of decency left in him and you helped him find that, OK?" Without waiting for a reply, he turned his attention to Gregor, "Now you. Don't ever forget this." He stared Gregor down, waiting for a reply. When the man nodded his head, the Doctor let them both go and headed to Danni, holding his hand out to her.
"Ready, Danni-Girl?" He asked gently, face full of joy at the mere sight of her. Her brows furrowed just slightly as she looked him over. How was it that she'd missed that? With Kazran, he would have horded her days and let the spaceship with Amy and Rory inside crash and burn.
She swallowed, shooting him a shaky smile and took his hand. She was being ridiculous. He had also locked her in a cupboard to the mercy of a werewolf. He wasn't an idiot, he was the Doctor. He motioned to the door with his head for the other's benefit, then chucked it open.
"OK, move, move, move." He cried as the roar from whatever was inside filled the hallway. They all ran ahead of the two Time Lords, but fell to a stop halfway along the platform that ran from one door to the other. He kept a tight grip on his wife's hand as he used the railing to walk forward, up to the amazed humans who were staring at the dying star suspending in the air. He took a glance at Danni and couldn't help the smug feeling at showing her something she'd never seen. Centuries of her knowing things were going to happen, even if that hadn't always been the case, still had him adoring her reaction to anything new.
Her eyes were wide, even as she shielded her face from the burning hot light that came from the huge exploding ball of gas above them. Completely mesmerised by the fuel source of the TARDIS, that's what he liked to see.
"The Eye of Harmony. Exploding star in the act of becoming a black hole." He explained in a shout to the group, "Time Lord engineering - you rip the star from its orbit, suspend it in a permanent state of decay." He began to tug Danni towards the other door, "This way." He commanded, "Quickly."
He quickly opened the door to let them out, only to see the two creatures he and Danni had encountered before, joined at the hands stood there and roaring. Danni screamed in surprise, but helped him slam the door shut to keep it out. They all dashed to the other side, where another creature was waiting for them. They were trapped, and the Doctor had no idea what to do. If any of them were even touched by the creatures, they would burn in the same way. But they couldn't stay in the room, either, for fear of suffering the same fate.
He looked down at Danni, eyes wide in horror. He couldn't save her. He couldn't stop her burning, either way she was going to die and it was his fault. Again. He'd chucked her out of the TARDIS, and now she was going to burn because he couldn't get them out.
No, he couldn't let it happen again. He placed a kiss on her forehead before dragging her towards the other door. Maybe the creatures there had moved, perhaps they had decided to try the other entrance.
Danni ripped her arm from his grasp, falling to a stop.
"What are they?" She shouted over the roar of the star, "If we're going to die, just tell me!" He opened his mouth, because he wanted to tell her. She'd be terrified that she burned like that, but they were together. He glanced at the door they'd entered through, where the creature that had once been Clara was trying to get in. She would never forgive herself knowing that another Clara had died in their care. If they were going to die, he couldn't let her die hating herself.
"I can't." He told her apologetically and her eyes narrowed in anger.
"You'll blow up the universe, but you'll never tell me anything!" She screamed, "People have died because of me. You've let people die because of me, but you can't tell me the truth! What the hell is wrong with you?!"
He looked terribly surprised at her outburst. Good, he should be. It wasn't right, telling her the truth should not be harder than hurting others in her name, "Tell me what they are!"
He walked back over to her, cupping her face with both hands, "Secrets protect us." He insisted, "Secrets make us safe..."
"Nothing about this is safe!" She retorted, "Tell me what they are!"
"Sensor detects animal DNA, human core element." The sound of Gregor's scanner was barely audible over the roar, but both of them turned to see him holding it up to the door they'd entered, "Calculating data. Calculating data." The Doctor let her go, shaking his head in horror as he dashed over to the others.
"No, no. Turn it off!" He shouted desperately.
"Lancashire. Sass." The computer declared in its factual voice, the Doctor not stopping it in time, "Identifiable substance. Clara." The Doctor looked at Clara, seeing her shocked face at the new information. He stepped forward, torn between his wife and his friend who had just found out she was on the other side of the door, a mindless, burnt up shell of what she was now.
Danni stormed over, ripping the device out of Gregor's hand and running over to the other door. The Doctor yelled in surprise, Clara forgotten as he headed to Danni, to stop her scanning the others, "Danni, turn it off, please." He begged and she glared at him, shaking her head.
"Enough is enough, Theta." She told him harshly as the device tried to identify the creatures on the other side of the door. Clara rushed over, fearing she already knew the result to the new scan and wanting her own questions answered. She didn't recognise the name Danni had called the Doctor, but it was a lesser question at that moment.
"Time Lord. The Time Child. Never-ending. Identifiable substance, Danni." It declared, "Time Lord. The Oncoming Storm. Identifiable substance. The Doctor." Her arm dropped to her side as she stared at the door, devastated. That was them. On the other side of the door, they were joined, hand in hand.
"How are they us?" She asked, "How is Clara dead again?"
"What do you mean, again?" Clara exclaimed, confused.
"It isn't just the past leaking out through the time rift. It's the future." The Doctor explained to them, "I brought you here to keep you safe, but it happened again. You died again. You both died, again."
"What do you mean, again?" Clara repeated, going hoarse from shouting but he just shook his head. They didn't have time for him to explain what happened to all the other hers. He didn't have time to waste on her. He grabbed Danni's hand, pulling her so she was facing him, even as she refused to look at him.
"I didn't want you to be frightened. That's all I've ever tried to stop." He explained, "Her death wasn't your fault then, and it isn't now."
"Why do people have to die because of me?" She asked him, "Everyone always dies, I don't want to be alone!" He shot her a smile, placing a kiss on her forehead once again.
"You'll never be alone, Danni-Girl." He promised, "Even long after I've gone, your father will always be there for you."
"But he lied to me!" She sobbed, "How can I forgive him for that?"
"You forgave me." He replied, however he looked at her apprehensively. Had she forgiven him? He'd lied to her again and again, and he was still doing it now. Could she ever trust him?
She nodded and he smiled, squeezing her hand. Then, the smile dropped off his face as he looked at where they were joined. The exact same way that the creatures were joined, "Hang on. As long as we interrupt the timeline, this can't happen." He quickly dropped her hand like it was already made of fire. At her hurt look he took a step closer, "As long as we don't touch, we can't burn." He explained, "When we get out of this, I'll never let you go, but you have to trust me." She bit her lip, nervous but she nodded again.
"How do we get out?" She asked as the door behind them was thrown open. The burnt Doctor and Danni headed towards them and the Doctor shoved her towards the centre of the catwalk.
"Move, move!" He shouted, terrified for her. She stumbled slightly, but they ended up in the middle as another pair of creatures entered, this time joined at the hip.
"Is that Gregor and Tricky?" She asked and he nodded, standing in front of her, as if he could be a barrier between them. They wouldn't get her while he was still standing.
"Honestly, a big friendly button!" Clara exclaimed, "How hard would it have been?"
"Yes, I know, thank you!" The Doctor snapped as the other door opened and the burnt Clara entered. It rushed in, grabbing Gregor's backpack with the TARDIS circuit still inside. Danni turned, ready to go help the man and the Doctor knew instantly that she was about to chuck herself right in front of the danger. Even after lying to his own brother, Danni wouldn't let anyone die.
So, he shoved her to Clara, telling their companion to look after her as he grabbed Gregor, trying to pull him away.
"Gregor! Gregor, let go of the circuit." He cried.
"Just let it go!" Tricky added, begging his brother to finally give up his prize. Gregor quickly shed his backpack, letting the TARDIS circuit go as Tricky grabbed a crowbar out of his own backpack, swinging it at the Clara and knocking her over the edge.
"Danni!" Clara screamed and the Doctor instantly spun around to see Clara shoving his wife to the floor as his dead self reached out towards her with a roar. It probably sensed that she was his Danni-Girl, even after death he would want her above all things. But, in her attempt to save her friend, the creature touched their companion, and the contact on her skin caused her to scream in abject agony as her skin began to blister. Her eyes widened before crusting over, going red as she began to turn into the zombie version of herself that had been chancing them.
"Clara!" Danni screamed as all they could do was watch as her skin dried and cracked, the stone-like surface covering every bit of her as she turned into the creature that had just fallen over the edge, "No, Clara!" The Doctor ran forward, grabbing her off the ground as she sobbed for the death of their friend. She weakly fought against her husband, trying to get to her friend who she had yet again failed to save.
"No, Clara! Not again!" She screamed as Tricky roared, taking swing after swing and knocking the two down. All that was left was the future echo of the two brothers, side by side and heading straight for them.
"Danni, Danni, Danni." The Doctor told her firmly as he struggled to hold her up, "Listen to me, I'm going to fix this." She shook her head and he forced her to look at him, "I am, I promise I am. But we have to move and we have to move now!"
"I killed her!" She wept, "I killed her again!"
"No you didn't." He promised, "We have to move." He nodded towards the two brothers and Tricky charged at himself. The force of his swing of the metal bar sent the creatures over the side, but he lost his footing and toppled over the side as well.
"Tricky!" Gregor rushed to the side of the platform, reaching out to his brother.
"Don't touch him, or time will reassert itself." The Doctor cried but Gregor didn't care, and he knew it. So, he took hold of Danni and rushed her past them just in time for Gregor to pull Tricky up and the pair to meld together into what they were supposed to be.
Danni shook her head, trying to break out of his grasp, "I have to get Clara!" She screamed, "I can't leave her!" The Doctor hated hearing her in such agony, but he wrapped his arms around her tighter and threw them both out of the door. On the other side was a stony ledge and he left her on the gravel to sob as he scrambled up, sonicing the door shut so the remains of Tricky and Gregor couldn't get to them as well.
Danni felt completely broken, her hands clenched on the stones as she sobbed. She'd killed Clara, again. It was all her fault, her stupid inability to look after herself had caused another Clara to perish. The scream echoed in her ears, Clara agonising as she was burnt by the creature that had once been her Theta. She'd been so young, she'd only just begun and had some many wonderful years ahead of her. Danni had stolen them all, just because she couldn't pay attention.
"Danni, look at me." The Doctor begged, kneeling the stones next to her. He helped her to kneel in front of him, "Danni, it's okay." He promised, pulling her in for a hug she obviously needed. She clung to him tightly, her face buried in the crook of his shoulder as she sobbed, "I'm going to fix this. I'll make it all okay again, I promise."
"Stop saying that." She whimpered, "This will never be okay, Theta." Clara was dead, again. She'd died trying to save Danni, again. How could that ever be okay? He couldn't just go back and save her, could he? She couldn't see a way going back in time in the TARDIS itself was even a possibility.
"No, I'm not having that." He told her, holding her so he could see her face. She was bright red, with those stupid glasses on that reminded him of Rorycam. Even as she cried her hearts out for their friend, she looked so stunningly beautiful he couldn't help but smile softly at her, "Clara died, and it's tragic and I'm not, for one second, trying to dampen her memory." He told his wife, "But she died because people die, and it was not your fault. She chose to push you out of the way, and she saved her life, but you did not do anything wrong."
"I should have stopped her." She insisted, "She was so good, Theta. Why did she have to fall off that cloud?" He sighed, hugging her once again, unable to find an answer he knew she'd like. Clara had tumbled off the cloud because she'd saved Danni's life. Clara had turned into a burnt out shell of a human because she'd saved Danni's life. He would always regret that it had ended up that way, but he given the choice it was the exchange he'd make.
"She really was just a normal girl, wasn't she?" Danni asked and he nodded, glancing back at the door. Poor Clara Oswald, in knowing him she had never stood a chance. None of them ever did.
"Completely ordinary." He agreed, tightening his grip on her all the more.
"Don't leave me too, Theta." She whispered, her voice filled with the devastation she felt, "Please, not you too."
"Never." He swore, resting his forehead on hers for a moment, revelling in the feel of her back in his arms once again after all they'd been through, all that he had put them through. He then pulled back, looking around the room they were in. They were on a ledge, a very stone-covered ledge that suddenly seemed very small and he helped Danni stand, manoeuvring her so they were side by side. He held her hand tightly despite saying they shouldn't touch until this whole ordeal was over. If they were going to die, let them die together.
"Where are we?" She asked with a sniff, looking over the edge at the ground below. Way, way below. A river seemed to be running through the cavern they were stood on, but the mist floating around them made it very hard to see it.
"The engine room. The heart of the TARDIS." He explained, glancing around. This wasn't right, though. They were definitely in the right room, he had been here too many times before to not recognise the door, but nothing else was right. The engine room was definitely not outside.
"Is it like them engines with Brian?" She asked, taking another glance at the river below, "Hydro powered, wasn't it?"
"Hydro-generators." He confirmed, "But no, the TARDIS is powered by the Eye of Harmony. This shouldn't be here."
"Dan-Dan-Dan-" They both jumped, looking to the left as the Voice Interface flashed in and out of existence, still showing the last regeneration of her husband. Danni took a step towards it as it continued to try and say her name, her Doctor tugging at her arm to try and make her step back.
"Sweetie, what's happening?" She asked the blue box that was trying to talk to her, "You can do it, tell us how to help you."
"JUMP!" Ten roared, startling her before disappearing into thin air once more. The room flickered, the light that had seemingly been streaming from nowhere dimming down so it looked like night.
"That's the second time she's done that today." She told the Doctor, turning to face him, "She's losing power, isn't she?" He nodded.
"That would explain the face." He replied, using his free hand to motion to his own.
"Oh, no, that's the one she uses to talk to me." She explained, smiling at his confused look, "When you sent me to the South Pole-" He protested but she shushed him, "She used him to tell me where I was. Then he's who Clara saw when she tried to get into her to save us from that pocket universe back in Yorkshire. And in library, before, he told me I had to stay put." She sobered up slightly at the thought of the library, the book she'd read there rearing its ugly head at her once again, "She says it's cause he calms me down."
"He calms you down?" He exclaimed, sounding incredibly jealous and she couldn't help but giggle at the pout on his face.
"She can't show me you, can she?" She reasoned, "I need to be able to know it's not actually you." He nodded, conceding to her point. They both turned back to the valley, looking down to see if they could find a way to the bottom.
"I'm your favourite Doctor, though, aren't I?" He asked, trying to sound like he didn't care, like he knew the answer and just wanted to hear her say it as well. She shook her head, not even bothering to look at him.
"You're the same man." She pointed out. He took that as a confirmation, glancing over at where the image of his younger self had stood. Quite frankly he had seemed rather vicious. If the TARDIS was trying to give them information to help her, why would she snarl?
His eyes widened in realisation, "This isn't real! It's a snarl." Danni watched as he picked up a stone, chucking it over the edge, watching it disappear into the mist.
"What do you mean?" Danni asked.
"What does a wounded animal do? It tries to scare everyone away." He explained quickly, "She wants to help, she knows we're trying to save her, so she's been sending you messages but she still so frightened. We're close to the engine. The TARDIS is snarling at us, trying to frighten us off while trying to tell us what to do." He turned to her, "We need to jump." She looked over the edge, only seeing the almost endless drop.
"Nope, not happening." She told him firmly, "I am not jumping to my death."
"We'll cross a portal to the engine." He promised her. She looked conflicted, knowing that if either of them knew what to do, it would be him, but still really not wanting to jump over that edge.
"Are you sure?" She pressed, "Because I can't- Clara died to keep me alive. I can't then just jump to my death."
He wasn't sure, he couldn't be even though he was fairly certain. Still, he nodded his head, turning her so she was facing him, "Trust me." He begged and she took a deep breath before wrapping her arms around his waist and his mind brought forward images of Amy and Rory on that rooftop, when they had jumped to what they had thought was their deaths. He did the same to her, holding onto her like he was never going to let go and she smiled warmly, if not slightly shakily, up at him.
"One." She started.
"Two." He continued.
"Three."
He smiled, "Geronimo." And in unison, they jumped.
~0~0~0~
The fall wasn't really much of a fall at all, in fact if anything it was more of a stumble as they landed on a floor that neither of them could see. The entire area was bright while, with no sense of perspective or surface to be seen. Around them pieces of metal floated lazily through the air like they were debris in space. Danni watched pieces move past her head, turning almost all the way around as she watched it fly. It reminded her of the Labyrinth, not for the first time that day and when they got out she was going to watch the movie.
"What is this place?" She whispered in awe, talking too loud didn't seem right in the open expanse of space they were in.
"The heart of the TARDIS." The Doctor replied just as quietly, letting her go to take her hand once more, walking forward very slowly as he took in the devastation, "The engine - it's already exploded. It must have been the collision with the salvage ship." Danni looked around again; what had once seemed wondrous now seemed absolutely terrible and her hearts clenched in grief at what the poor ship must have been feeling.
"Oh, you poor thing." She whispered to the blue box.
"She wrapped her hands around the force. Froze it." He explained, taking in his poor TARDIS. That blue box had always been there in his life, ever since he first ran from Gallifrey. They'd been through everything together, she had always taken him where he needed to go and he'd met so many important, extraordinary people because of it. All the Sarah Janes, and Roses and Aces that had been in his life, all because of that blue box who wouldn't let him run away too far from where he was supposed to be. He looked at his wife, who was reaching out, stroking one of the suspended pieces of the heart, trying to give the time machine some comfort - She had be conceived on this box, her very existence was because of the TARDIS.
"Can we do anything?" She asked him, looking at him with hopeful brown eyes that sparkled with unshed tears, "There must be something we can do." He shook his head slightly.
"Temporary fix." He replied gruffly, "Eventually, this whole place will erupt. There's no way I can save her now." He looked around again, tears welling up in his own eyes. There was nothing he could do, "She's just always been there for me, taken care of me." He stuttered out, feeling like he was losing a parent. He was, in a way. The TARDIS had always looked after him, taken care of him when he needed her the most, and now she was dying, "And now it's my turn and I don't know what to do. It... it just..."
"Oh, Theta." Danni whispered, pulling him in for a hug she knew he needed. He buried his face in her hair, shaking at the loss of his TARDIS. He shouldn't have turned the shields off, it had been an amateur mistake and it had cost him his home. It had cost them both their home together. Him and his Danni-Girl, with nowhere left to run to. It was such a stupid mistake, all because of one stupid little button.
'Please tell me there's a button you can press to fix this.'
'Oh, yes. Big friendly button.'
'So now would be a good time to use that big friendly button, right?'
'Honestly, a big friendly button! How hard would it have been?'
The Doctor lifted his head, mouth falling open as a wonderful, amazing, just-might-work plan jumped into his mind. Danni frowned at the joy on the face of the man who had just been almost sobbing in her arms.
"Oh, Clara Oswald." He whispered joyfully, "Saved us one last time."
"What do you mean?" Danni asked, confused, "What has she done?" He grinned, pulling out his sonic so quickly he almost dropped it, switching the settings before holding it up in the air.
"The rift in time. All the memories leaking out." He explained, scanning the air, "I need to find the moment we crashed. I need to find... the music." The sound of rock music filled the air and she frowned, still incredibly confused to why he was so happy. He didn't explain, though, just pulled her up for a quick kiss before taking her hand and dragging her away.
~0~0~0~
The screwdriver lead them into the console room and under the console before the Doctor found it. A glowing crack in time, vertical this time although it still didn't stop Danni questioning to make sure it wasn't the same crack from Amy's bedroom wall. The Doctor had found a little metal device on the console room floor and he pointed his screwdriver at it, using it to carve something onto its shell.
"What are you going to do?" She asked, "Chuck it in?" He shook his head.
"I did that once, all that happened was Clara picked up and got burned." He explained, "No, this time I'm going to take it through myself." He shot her a sideways glance, stealing himself for the protest he knew was coming, "There might be a certain amount of yelling."
"Why?" She asked suspiciously, "Is it going to hurt?"
"Things that end your life often do that." He told her lightly, like it wasn't a big deal as he headed to the rift. She gasped, grabbing his arm and stopping him in his tracks.
"Want to run that by me one more time." She commanded and he smiled reassuringly.
"Time's going to be rewritten." He explained gently, "It won't ever have happened, so it doesn't matter."
"It matters to me!" She cried, "You told me you'd never leave me."
He chucked the device in the air, "And this is me making sure I don't." She shook her head as she watched him head towards the rift once again, "Clara will be alive, none of this would have happened and the TARDIS will be fine. You'll see Danni-Girl."
"Theta?" She called and he turned just in time to see her fist connect with the side of his face, knocking him out cold and to the floor. Danni groaned in pain, shaking her hand out as she grabbed the device off the floor.
"Learnt that off my mum." She wrinkled her nose, "Nope, still hate that." She dashed to the crack, wincing in anticipation before pushing her arm through it. All at once her body exploded, burning from the outside in and she screamed at the excruciating pain that roared through her. She could barely see, but she pushed as far as she could forward, hand clenching around the device like it was her lifeline.
She didn't care that it was going to be rewritten, there was no way that she was going to be able to watch him die. She could do this, she could make it to the other side. The moment even part of her was out of the rift she was able to focus on the console room she'd reached, seeing flashes of the Doctor running around in her vision. Oh, she hoped she'd got that right.
"THETA!" She screamed as loud as she could and he was suddenly running towards her, taking the staircase two at a time. What was she doing? What the hell was going on? Danni was supposed to be in the theatre, and that crack was most definitely going to kill her.
"Danni, get out of there!" He cried and she shook her head, shoving the device in his hand.
"Press the button!" She screamed, "Please, save Clara." Then she was gone, dissipating in the air and leaving him in the TARDIS as it spiralled out of control.
"Doctor, what is it?" Clara cried from above him. He shook his head, he had no idea. He turned it over a few times before noticing the writing on the side 'Big Friendly Button'. He smiled proudly to himself, his Danni-Girl was so clever.
"Big friendly button." He laughed, pressing the button.
~0~0~0~
Clara yawned as she headed into the console room, running her hand through her hair. She'd woken up on the floor in the hallway, feeling like she'd missed something really important. She rolled her eyes good-naturedly as she saw the Doctor and Danni kissing like a pair of teenagers on the walkway, the Doctor holding her as close as he could before it became indecent.
"Come on you two," she called up in her best 'adult voice', "two steps apart at all times." Danni let go of the Doctor so suddenly he stumbled forward as he tried to continue to kiss her. Clara laughed, only to be rugby tackled by Danni, who wrapped her arms around her and squeezed her tightly, "Okay, hugging." Clara looked at the Doctor for help, but he was just smiling goofily at his wife, obviously just pleased to be watching her at all. Clara gingerly patted Danni's back, "What's gotten into you?" She asked the blonde.
"Nothing!" Danni promised, letting her go but smiling like she couldn't have been happier to see her, "Just very happy to see you, Clara Oswald."
"Well, as you should be." Clara settled on with a nod and Danni giggled, taking her hand and practically dragging her to the console.
"How about we go somewhere awesome?" She suggested, "There's this crystal moon, right, that is simply stunning. The Doctor proposed to me on it, but you still need to see it."
"Sounds good to me." Clara agreed and they both looked at the Doctor expectantly, "Go on then, Spaceman. Push the button."