If you want to help me financially, you can do it on
https://ko-fi.com/neverluckysmile
"Aaargh!" Both Craig and the Doctor cried, rubbing their foreheads from the collision between them. That wasn't the best idea he had, admittedly, but he needed Craig to see that they had to stay. People were being killed, and if the TARDIS exploded then the universe would explode along with it. He needed to stop that happening, hopefully then the cracks in the universe would disappear.
"If you don't both shut up, whatever is upstairs is going to hear you." Danni snarled, dear god they were hard work, "There's more pressing matters to be worrying about.
"Right." The Doctor replied, leaning against the wall, "Like figuring out a better way to transfer memories. I am never, ever doing that ever ever again..." Danni rolled her eyes as he turned on his earpiece, "Amy!"
"That's not what I meant." Danni told him. Craig pointed at the earpiece.
"That's Amy Pond!" He exclaimed, slapping a hand over his mouth, overwhelmed. His head was buzzing with information about the two in front of him. He wasn't entirely sure the Doctor had meant to focus mainly on the memories involving Danni, but he'd seen quite a lot of her and how he felt about her.
"Oh, of course, you can understand us now, hurrah." The Doctor retorted sarcastically, "Got those plans yet?"
"Still searching for them!" Amy replied loudly, obviously far away from the speaker.
"I've worked it out with psychic help from a cat." The Doctor explained.
"Doctor!" Danni snapped, "Will you listen to me for one moment?"
"Cat?" Amy asked, confused but not surprised.
"Yes, I know he's got a time engine in the flat upstairs. He's using innocent people to try and launch it. Whenever he does, they get burnt up, hence the stain..."
"From the ceiling?" Craig interrupted, pointing upwards and the Doctor nodded, patting him on the arm.
"Well done, Craig." He humoured, "And you, Miss Pond, nearly get thrown off into the Vortex."
"Lovely!"
"Doctor!" Danni cried just as there was a loud crash and she groaned, doubling up again. Oh, great, just what she needed. This was getting old, she was getting tired of this and quite frankly she had much better ways she could be spending her time. Especially now the Doctor and her... She blushed as the Doctor caught her, rubbing her back soothingly, eyes darting around.
"People are dying up there! People are dying. People are dying." Craig repeated, caught in the time loop.
"Amy!" The Doctor called into the earpiece, Amy responding with a scream. Craig shook his head, forcing himself out of the time loop.
"They're being killed!" He cried.
"Someone's up there." The Doctor told him.
"It's Sophie!" Danni told them, using the Doctor's grip on her to push herself up, "We have to save Sophie."
"Sophie?" He asked and she nodded. Craig and the Doctor looked at each other before rushing out to the stairs.
"Doctor!" Amy cried as they rushed upstairs, Craig and the Doctor first and Danni behind them.
"Hang on!" He snapped at Amy.
"Doctor! Stop!" Danni told him, "Listen to Amy, please."
"Where's Sophie!" Craig asked him but he held up his hand.
"Wait, wait! Amy?" He asked the girl over the earpiece, finally listening to Danni. She leant against the wall, her stomach rolling up into itself. Just a little longer...
"Are you upstairs?" Amy asked and the Doctor nodded.
"Just going in!" He told her.
"But you can't be upstairs." Amy insisted.
"Of course I can be upstairs!" He snapped. They didn't have time for this, Sophie was in trouble.
"Come on!" Craig urged. He wouldn't let whatever was up here have Sophie.
"No! I've got the plans, you cannot be upstairs, it's a one-storey building." Craig and the Doctor stared at each other, alarmed, "There is no upstairs!" They both looked down the stairs they were very much standing on. The Doctor turned to Danni, who nodded to tell him she had known. He turned back to the door and used the sonic screwdriver, letting them in. Danni blanched at the Silent spaceship inside the room, console sat proudly in the middle, spinning quickly on the spot to make sure there was no Silents left. She couldn't see anything and she sighed in relief. She didn't know what would happen if she saw one. She'd been calmer on this trip, had genuinelly enjoyed the normality and Craig was just as nice as she had thought he would be, but if she saw a Silent anywhere near the Doctor, she'd kill it before anyone could stop her. They weren't getting him.
"Ah, how very 1969." She stated with a nervous laugh, trying to hide the fact she was quite scared of the ship as well as it's implications. The last time she had been in one of these spaceships had been far from pleasant, the Silents had tried to wipe her memory of them and that... well, that really hurt. It had also failed, which she was glad of, but it didn't mean she wanted to be in another one.
"What?" Craig exclaimed, bewildered by the technology on the inside.
"Oh. Oh, of course!" The Doctor breathed, taking Danni's hand as they stepped in, "The time engine isn't IN the flat, the time engine IS the flat! Someone's attempt to build a TARDIS." He could tell that the place was making her uncomfortable, past the fact the time loops were making her ill. He did have a theory about that, but he hadn't told her yet. He wanted to be certain before letting her know.
"No, there's always been an upstairs." Craig protested.
"Has there? Think about it!" The Doctor countered.
"Yes. No. I don't..." Craig stuttered.
"Perception filter." Danni told him, "It alters your memory, makes you think that you remember it when you don't." There was a scream and Sophie appeared out of the shadows, a large electrical spike drawing her towards the console.
"Sophie!" Craig shouted at the sight of her and the three ran towards her, Craig grabbing her hand and Danni grabbing her on the other side as the girl sobbed, "Sophie! Oh, my God, Sophie!"
"Craig..." She whimpered as she struggled away from the activator.
"We've got you." Danni told her, "Keep fighting it."
"Craig! It's controlling her. It's willing her to touch the activator." The Doctor rambled as he reached them, pulling out his screwdriver.
"It's not going to have her!" Craig snapped, trying to pull her away. The Doctor soniced the activator, trying to get it to let her go but her hand slammed onto it. She started screaming, smoke coming from her hand as it began to burn her up.
"Ah! Deadlock seal!" The Doctor snarled. He really needed to fix that, there must be some software to allow it to work on them.
"You've got to do something!" Craig begged when suddenly the activator switched off, letting her go. Sophie slumped to the floor, unconscious, while Danni and Craig tried to soften her fall.
"What? Why's it let her go?" The Doctor muttered, confused.
"Because of you." Danni told him, standing up and taking his hand again, "It let her go because it can finally see you."
"Me? Why me?" He asked, looking around the room for any kind of clue. He saw a burnt up skeleton on the floor in a tangle of wires and headed towards it, pulling Danni with him.
"Because it wants a traveller." She replied as a hologram appeared behind them.
"You will help me." The image of an old man said.
"Right! Stop! Crashed ship, let's see. Hello, I'm Captain Troy Handsome of International Rescue. Please state the nature of your emergency." The Doctor rattled off.
"The ship has crashed. The crew are dead. A pilot is required." The hologram told him.
"'Troy Handsome'?" Danni asked and he shrugged, a smirk on his face.
"You're the emergency crash program. A hologram. You've been luring people up here so you can try them out." The Doctor snapped angrily as he soniced the image, it circling through the disguises it had used to lure the other people up to try.
"You will help me, you will help me, you will help me." The noise of the sonic screwdriver woke Sophie up, who clung to Craig as she looked around.
"Craig! What is this? Where am I?" She asked him.
"Hush!" The Doctor called over, "Human brains aren't strong enough, they just burn. You're stupid, aren't you? You just keep trying." He pulled Danni up against him, his grip tightening around her waist as he realised she could be next. She patted his hand to let him know she was fine. It wasn't ever going to use her, for the same reason it wasn't going to use Craig. She didn't want to go anywhere, she wanted to be exactly where she was; with the Doctor. If they had to stay at Craig's for the rest of time, she wouldn't want to go anywhere else as long as he was there with her.
"17 people have been tried. 6,000,400,026 remain." The hologram explained, the Doctor pocketing the screwdriver as her glared at the old man.
"Seriously, what is going on?" Sophie asked again as Craig helped her stand.
"Oh, for goodness' sake." The Doctor looked over the hologram's shoulder, annoyed, "The top floor of Craig's building is in reality an alien space ship intent on slaughtering the population of this planet. Any questions? No? Good."
"Yes, I have questions." Sophie replied, panicking.
"The correct pilot has now been found." The hologram stated, interrupting the conversation.
"Yes, I was worried you'd say that." The Doctor looked down at Danni, "That's what you meant, wasn't it?" She nodded.
"The universe's most travelled man." She told him, "A perfect pilot."
"He means you, Doctor, doesn't he?" Amy asked over the earpiece. The same bolt of energy that was pulling Sophie shot out, striking the Doctor in the chest. It began pulling him towards the console, Danni helping him resist it as she tried to act as some sort of anchor.
"The correct pilot has been found. The correct pilot has been found." The hologram repeated as the Doctor was slowly pulled towards it.
"What's happening?" Amy cried.
"It's pulling me in! I'm the new pilot!" He explained, wrapping his free arm around one of the pillars holding the ceiling up.
"Could you do it?" She asked, "Could you fly the ship safely?"
"No, I'm way too much for this ship. My hand touches that panel, the planet doesn't blow up, the whole solar system does." The Doctor explained, the bolt forcing his hand from around Danni's waist and towards one of the activators.
"The correct pilot has been found." The hologram continued.
"No, you can't have him." Danni cried, grabbing the Doctor's arm to try and pull him away, "You're not having him!"
"No...worst choice ever, I promise you. Stop this!" The Doctor agreed.
"Doctor!" Amy screamed, "It's getting worse." Danni agreed with her there as she finally let go of the Doctor's arm, her vision blurring as she fell to the floor. The Doctor looked at her, distraught he couldn't help her as she curled in on herself, the drumming still trying to get to the fourth beat.
"It doesn't want everyone. Craig, it didn't want you!" The Doctor realised and Craig nodded.
"I spoke to him and he said I couldn't help him!" Craig told him, snapping his fingers to trigger the memory.
"It didn't want Sophie before but now it does. What's changed?" He groaned in pain, "No! I gave her the idea of leaving! It's a machine that needs to leave, it wants people who want to escape! And you don't want to leave, Craig, you're Mr Sofa Man."
"Doctor!" Amy screamed.
"Doctor..." Danni whimpered and his eyes narrowed, he had to get to her.
"Craig, you can shut down the engine. Put your hand on the panel and concentrate on why you want to stay!" Craig turned to Sophie, who shook her head, terrified.
"Craig, no!" She begged him. He turned back to the Doctor.
"Will it work?" He asked and the Doctor nodded.
"Yes!"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes!"
"Is that a lie?" There was a paused and the Doctor nodded.
"Of course, it's a lie!" He shouted, "Craig, please!" Craig nodded, holding his hand out to the panel.
"It's good enough for me." He took a deep breath, "Geronimo!" He slammed his palm onto the activator and the energy shot from the Doctor to him, causing him to scream. The Doctor dropped to the floor, grabbing Danni and pulling her up against him. She gripped his arms tightly, her eyes squeezed shut.
"Craig..." She muttered, "It's gonna kill Craig." He brushed her hair behind her ear, cupping her cheek as he looked back at Craig. He didn't want to leave her, but she was right, it was going to kill Craig. He placed a kiss on her forehead and jumped up, rushing over to the man's side.
"Craig!" Sophie screamed as the Doctor tried to get into his eye line.
"Doctor!" Amy called again.
"Craig, what's keeping you here?" The Doctor asked him quickly, "Think about everything that makes you want to stay here! Why don't you want to leave?" He slapped him to get a response and Craig's eyes snapped open.
"Sophie! And I don't want to leave Sophie! I can't leave Sophie! I love Sophie!" He shouted and Sophie's mouth fell open. The Doctor grinned at him, chuffed he'd finally admitted it. Sophie walked over, standing next to him.
"I love you, too, Craig, you idiot!" She slammed her hand down on top of his, the console beginning to spark and smoke. The Doctor rushed over to Danni, seeing that it was working, the console was shutting down. He helped her to stand, looking over at the pair. She forced a smile at them, they were adorable.
"Doctor!"
"Honestly, do you mean that?" Craig asked her.
"Of course I mean it! Do you mean it?" Sophie replied, them both sounding unsure.
"I've always meant it. Seriously though, do you mean it?" He asked again and Sophie laughed.
"Yes." She promised.
"Ugh!" Amy groaned at the scene she could hear.
"But what about the monkeys?" He pressed and the Doctor growled, becoming impatient.
"Oh, not now, not again! Craig, the planet's about to burn! For God's sake, kiss the girl!" He snapped.
"Kiss the girl!" Amy shouted.
"Kiss the girl!" Danni groaned, just wanting them to hurry up now. The pair smiled at each other, then they kissed. They were released from the console, their declaration enough to short it out as Danni cheered, the effects finally stopping as she immediately felt better as the third and fourth beat resonated in her skull. She turned and pulled the Doctor in for a kiss of her own, the Doctor wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. He had been so worried, but he was right. The time loops were causing her to be ill because they were repeating the same time over and over again, taking them just slightly out of the normal time stream she was supposed to stay in. The fixed point on her arm was being torn away from it's rightful place, causing her to feel awful. Now they were back, she was fine. They'd have to be more careful in the future and make sure she was kept firmly in the here and now.
"Doctor! You've done it. Aha, you've done it! Oh, now the screen's just zeros! Now it's minus ones, minus twos, minus threes..." Amy told him, waiting for a reply, "Big yes!" There was still no answer, the two couples caught up in the moment, "Doctor? Doctor are you two snogging, again?!" The Doctor let go of Danni, blushing slightly at being caught but Danni beamed, pulling his head down so she could get closer to the earpiece.
"Oh yes we are!" Danni crowed, "And when I see you next, Amelia, you can have one too!" They all laughed for a moment until the hologram interrupted them flickering through it's projections.
"Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me." It cried, going through all it's voices.
"Big no." The Doctor stated, looking around the room as it began to shake, smoke now billowing out of the console.
"Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me." Craig tore his attention off Sophie and spotted what the Doctor and Danni had. He broke the kiss and Sophie looked around, concerned as well.
"Did we switch it off?" The Doctor shook his head.
"Emergency shutdown, it's imploding, everybody out, out, out!" He ushered Danni out in front of him and the four rushed down the stairs and out into the street, staring at the roof as it flickered into the image of a spacecraft, which then flickered and disappeared. The four panted, Danni more than the other three, and they stared at the now one-storey building.
"Look at them. Didn't they see that? The whole top floor just vanished." Craig asked, amazed as a father, carrying his baby daughter, walked past, not even fazed.
"Perception filter. There never was a top floor." The Doctor explained. Craig opened his mouth to ask a question but Danni nodded her head.
"Yes." She told him, "It's always like this."
~0~0~0~
With the stain completely gone of the ceiling, Craig and Sophie snuggled up on the sofa, unable to get enough of each other as they continued the kiss from the ship upstairs.
"So have we spoiled our friendship, then?" Craig asked with a smile and Sophie nodded.
"Totally ruined it." She confirmed.
"And what about the monkeys?" She laughed, those monkey's really had gotten to him, "We could save them together, you know. Do whatever we want. I could see the point of Paris if you were there with me." She smirked knowingly.
"First let's destroy our friendship completely." She whispered and he chuckled, pulling her in for another kiss. The Doctor and Danni emerged from the bedroom and Danni held a finger to her lips, motioning to the couple with her head. The Doctor nodded and they tiptoed towards the front door, the Doctor pausing to very quietly place his keys next to Sophie's.
"Oi!" Craig shouted, pulling their attention back over to the new couple. They walked over to Danni and the Doctor, who stood looking sheepish.
"What, you're trying to sneak off?" Sophie lightly scolded them.
"Yes, well, you were sort of... busy." The Doctor pointed out, Danni nudging him.
"We didn't want to disturb you." Danni added. Craig picked up the keys and held them out to the Doctor.
"I want you to keep these. Thank you." He told the man sincerely. The Doctor took them off him, smiling.
"Thank you. Cos I might pop back soon, have another little stay." Craig laughed, shaking his head.
"No, you won't. I've been in your head, remember? But I still want you to keep them." The Doctor's playful smile dropped slightly, touched by the gesture the man was giving him. He nodded, clutching the keys slightly tighter.
"Thank you, Craig." He told him quietly.
"Thank you, Doctor." The Doctor placed a hand on Sophie's shoulder.
"Sophie. Now then. 6,000,400,026 people in the world. That's the number to beat." He told her and she laughed,
"Yeah." She nodded and Danni hugged them both.
"It's been very lovely meeting you." She told them and they turned, shutting the door on the flat. The Doctor held up the keys, showing Danni who beamed, happy for him. She knew how much it meant to him to be let into someone's life so completely. She couldn't have been prouder of him.
~0~0~0~
The Doctor moved around the console, flipping switches and turning dials as Danni and Amy stood to the side, watching him.
"Back in time!" He explained, turning to Amy, "You need to go to the paper shop, leave that note for us." She nodded, leaning on the console next to him as he pulled out a stethoscope from underneath.
"Right little matchmaker, aren't you two?" She told them, "Can't you find me a fella?" The Doctor pointedly ignored her, while Danni saw her frown slightly. She obviously didn't like to say that, something in her head protesting but she couldn't put her finger on it. He held the stethoscope to the machine, sighing as he listened to it.
"Oh, rectifier's playing up again...Hold on." He grabbed Danni's hand, pulling her into another room, "You write the note and I'll change that will."
"You got a pen?" Amy called after them.
"Make sure it's a red pen." The Doctor called back.
"Hold on one sec..." Danni cried, rushing back in and up to Amy, "Forgot something." She grabbed the sides of Amy's face, pulling her down and placing a large kiss on her lips. Amy froze, stunned while the Doctor watched from the doorway, amused. She let go of Amy, patting her on the cheek, "There you go," She told her, "One snog, as promised. There might be one in the Doctor's jacket." She pointed to the tweed jacket on the pilot seat before rushing off, leaving Amy stood there. The Doctor wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a kiss of his own, feeling very left out.