"A theme park!" Danni looked up from her cereal as the door burst open, the Doctor shouting before he'd even made it into the kitchen. He skidded in, his bowtie still hanging loose in his collar, arms in the air like he'd discovered something amazing. He looked so happy and she smiled in amusement at his eagerness.
"A theme park?" She repeated and he nodded.
"A theme park!" He confirmed, "Roller coasters, cotton candy, children running around completely out of their minds on sugar!" He hopped over to her side, grabbing the spoon out of her hand before pulling her out of the chair. She laughed in surprise as he spun her around, then out of his arms and back in again, "Haunted houses, water rides." He pulled her closer, "Tunnel of love." He murmured, dipping his head and capturing her lips briefly. She smiled into his kiss but he had moved away before she managed to fall into it, "We can take Clara."
She smiled, it felt like an age since they'd seen Clara. Well, actually, it had been a couple of months which was quite good for them. He'd wanted to take a break, showing off to her more than usual. It was his apology for dumping her with River without even asking, and she had to admit she'd been enjoying it.
She had always had a small worry, right at the back of her mind, that after she'd become more stationary he would lose interest in her. Before she'd regenerated he didn't have to spend all his time with her, compared to the span of time she'd jumped she'd barely been there at all, but he'd proved over and over again that it simply wasn't the case. It warmed her hearts that after all this time, she wasn't just an excitement to him. That her place in his life didn't exist only when she reappeared. And this was a fantastic example of that, because he still hadn't become bored, and he wanted to make up for his mistakes.
"That sounds like a great idea." She admitted, "I'll get changed. Which theme park? Disney?" He scoffed, letting her go and heading to the door again.
"No, somewhere even better than Disney." He replied, "Hedgewick's World of Wonders. I've got a golden ticket somewhere, I'm sure of it." He paused, hand on the doorway and Danni frowned in thought, "Are you okay, Danni-Girl?" He asked gently, worried about the way her happiness had been replaced by slight confusion.
She shot him a smile, always feeling slightly better at the sound of her nickname. More and more he'd been calling her Danielle, so it was nice for her to hear it, "Yeah." She promised, "I recognise that name, that's all." He grinned smugly, confusing her slightly.
"Oh, Danni-Girl, your old age is getting to you." He teased like she always did to him, "I suggested it just before we met Jenny, remember?" She thought back for a moment, then gasped slightly as she remembered the throwaway suggestion from his Tenth self before the TARDIS had other plans and took them to Jenny's 'birth'.
"Well, how am I supposed to remember everything?" She snapped, feeling her cheeks tinge slightly red in embarrassment, "I've been in this body for..." She paused, looking slightly upwards and to the side as she tried to count them, "Oh my god, it's been almost 12 years." She looked up at him, eyes wide in surprise, "How did that happen?" She asked quietly.
He walked over, taking both her hands and bringing one up to his lips, placing a kiss on her palm, "The longer you live, the quicker those years will seem." He explained, "It's a sign that you're happy." She smiled, because she was happy. So very happy.
"You know that means you've got three years to plan for our 20th anniversary." She told him cheekily, "I'm expecting something amazing." He placed a kiss on her forehead.
"Only the best for my Danni-Girl." He promised, turning to head out. His face fell into a panicked look as he opened the door; what was he supposed to do for an anniversary?!
Danni shook her head, picking up her bowl to move it into the sink. She really did love him, the fact that she met him over 17 years ago was amazing. Of course, for him it had been so much longer, but he seemed happy to follow her time line. She didn't like the fact that he'd spent so long on his own, so she busied herself washing her bowl, even though the TARDIS was always happy to clean up after her, before heading out of the room. A theme park will be a nice trip for the trio. She just couldn't shake the feeling that she'd heard the name somewhere else.
~0~0~0~
Apparently it was quite a cool planet, so Danni had gone with jeans and a white blouse, simple and comfortable. After all, it might by a full day of walking and ride-hoping, so she didn't want to be stuck in clothes that she wished she'd not worn.
The Doctor was waiting in the TARDIS for them, but Danni had decided to go call on their companion rather than wait for her to come out of the house. She held the doorbell down for a few seconds before rocking on her heels happily. Maybe she could use Clara to stop the Doctor taking her on anything too big. She didn't think she'd enjoy large roller coasters all too much.
The door opened, Angie on the other side and Danni shot her a warm smile, all ready to ask if Clara was there.
"Clara!" Angie called, "Your alien friend is here!" She raised an eyebrow in challenge, as if daring Danni to deny it, but Danni was too taken back to correct her. Clara rushed into the hallway, shooting Danni an apologetic look.
"Don't go announcing it." She hissed, grabbing Danni's hand and pulling her into the house, "Sorry, they worked everything out."
"What do you mean?" Danni asked, "Worked what out?"
"Artie found pictures of you taking Clara to loads of different places." Angie replied for their nanny, "You're in a few of them. Like when you took her to Yorkshire in the 70's." In the kitchen, Artie had the laptop set up ready to turn the screen around. There was a collection of photos open, but at the front sat one from when they were at Caliburn House.
"Ah." She replied, sounding incredibly dumb, "That's- that's actually quite clever. I can't believe that's never come up before." Clara's mouth dropped open in shock.
"I did think you'd at least, you know, try and deny it." She exclaimed, "I mean, some of these haven't even happened yet! Look at his one!" She clicked on a picture that made Danni's hearts skip a beat, a painful tightening in her chest as she stared at the black and white photo, "We've never been to Victorian London."
That was her Clara, her first companion. Her hands clasped in front of her, so much ahead of her that Danni cruelly took away by not doing as she was supposed to, "No, no we haven't." she whispered in reply before shaking her head, "I'm guessing they want something?"
"We want to come with you." Angie declared, sounding more like it was going to happen rather than it was something she wanted to happen.
"If that's okay." Artie added politely at the end, causing his big sister to roll her eyes at him.
"We're going to a theme park, I don't see why not." She reasoned, "Just one trip, though."
"Hang on, you're not supposed to say yes!" Clara protested, "You're supposed to say 'it's too dangerous', or 'no children on the TARDIS'. Not invite them along!" Danni shrugged, her eyes drawn again to the picture of her friend. Her dead friend, who had been brave and beautiful and she hadn't really thought about the other Claras for a while. She reached out, shutting the lid on the laptop and taking the picture away.
"Oh, live a little Clara." She retorted, distracting herself by thinking about the matter at hand and not the beautiful woman that her continued existence had destroyed, "We'll take them on a few rides, try some food and then bring them back."
"Can we get some cotton candy?" Artie asked, sounding rather excited and Danni shrugged.
"If they do it, I don't see why not." She replied.
Angie shook her head, "That sounds boring."
"Then don't come." Danni replied simply, not giving into the teenage moaning, although Clara wasn't sure if she'd even noticed or not, "Get read, I'll go tell the Doctor." On the way past she paused, placing a hand on Clara's arm before leaning in and placing a kiss on her cheek, "It's good to see you again, sweetie."
~0~0~0~
"Absolutely not." The Doctor said decisively, "We can't have kids running around the TARDIS, touching things with their sticky hands." He shook his head, "Not happening." Danni shrugged.
"I already told them they could come." She replied, "You can go tell them they can't, because I'm not."
"Oh no, you're the one who invited them without asking." He waggled his finger at her, "You're going to have to sort it out."
"I want them to come." She retorted, "It'll be nice!"
"No it won't. It'll be loud, and one of us will have to stay with them when they're too short of the rides." He retorted, motioning with his hand to show their tiny height. He quickly realised that what he'd indicated was, in fact, how tall Danni was so he made sure to lower his hand a little more.
"Since when did you not want to spend time with kids?" She accused, "You love kids, you always say they're much more fun that adults."
"Yeah, well...you see..." He stuttered, opening and closing his mouth as he tried to come up with an excuse other than 'I wanted to go on the 'Tunnel o' love' and children will get in the way', "Since when do you want to bring anyone on a trip with us who isn't Clara? You always say it's too dangerous for her, let alone anyone else!"
"It's a theme park." She retorted, "Not some alien planet full of killer animals." He opened his mouth, ready to give a giant speech about how all decision making was supposed to be between the two of them now – a last resort argument but he was becoming desperate- but then he saw the hopeful look on her face.
"You really want them to come?" He asked and she nodded, trying to look less affected than she felt.
"They had pictures of Clara all over the spot. And- And they had a picture of my Clara." His mouth fell open into a 'o' as she looked down at her hands, "I can't make it up to her, I can with our Clara, though. She's in this mess 'cause we're not careful in anything we do." He sighed, rolling his eyes.
"If anything gets dirty, you're cleaning it." He warned and she crossed over her hearts, her face breaking out into a grateful smile that had him smiling in reply.
"Anything and everything." She promised, crossing over her hearts just like he did, "Plus, we owe Clara after you got her preserved." He gasped in offence.
"I didn't do anything!" He exclaimed and she giggled, placing another kiss on his lips before turning.
"I'll go get them!"
~0~0~0~
Angie had acted distinctly unimpressed when she stepped into the TARDIS, arms crossed over her chest and a sigh already on her lips. Artie had adored the box, and was very vocal about this as well as his multitude of questions about how she worked, and how she maintained the 'illusion' of being huge.
"Alright, alright, enough questions!" The Doctor exclaimed, spinning around and flicking switches, "Let's get on with it." He turned around, giving his best 'father' look to the pair, "A few rides, one go on the Spacey Zoomer, and then it's back home for tea and bedtime." He turned around and Danni turned to the two kids.
"You'll want to hold onto something." She warned lightly, grabbing hold of the railing. Clara did the same, so Artie followed suit.
"Why? That's stupid." Angie retorted as the Doctor pressed a button with all the dramatics he always did, sending them into flight. They were all thrown about and Angie quickly grabbed onto the railing next to Clara.
"Told you." Danni cried with a giggle as they were rocked side to side. Then, as always, the rocking stopped and they all stumbled slightly at the abrupt landing.
"Right, everyone wait right here!" The Doctor ordered, trying not to see too rushed as he headed to the door, "Let me just check that we're where we're supposed to be." Danni and Clara shared a quick look and joined him as he opened the door. He peeked his head out first, a thoughtful frown on his face. Danni held onto his arm as she leant out next, followed by Clara. He looked down, eyebrow raised and Danni sent him a big, innocent grin. Outside were very fake-looking grey rocks and the Doctor decided they were in the right place. He hopped out, arms wide as he let the rest of his gang out.
"Well, here we are." He declared as the foursome looked around in vague confusion, "Hedgewick's World - the biggest and best amusement park there will ever be and we've got a golden ticket!" He jumped up onto a rock, arms still gesturing wildly, "Eh, eh? Fun!"
"Fun?" Clara challenged with a wrinkled up nose. All she could see was fake-looking moon landing site, complete with a static American flag and a painting of the Earth in the distance.
"This can't be real, can it?" She asked Danni as she sat on a rock. Danni shook her head, taking a perch next to her.
"Definitely not." She agreed, "I've been to the moon, it's much more barren that this." Clara looked surprised, having never heard that story before, but also slightly annoyed because she'd wanted to go there and the chances of them going back were quite slim, "Oh, you're not missing much." Danni promised, seeing the conflict on her face, "After the whole 'one small step for man' excitement, the moon is boring and always stays that way."
"It's not the moon." The Doctor told Angie, who seemed to be having trouble believing they were at a theme park. He bent down, though, grabbed a handful of the dust on the ground and let it run through his fingers. Definitely not the moon, good. That would have been embarrassing.
"Actually, I think it does look like the moon." Archie agreed with his older sister, taking in the dusty area they were in, "Only dirtier."
"Hey, guys it's not the moon, OK?" The Doctor retorted, offended that they didn't believe in his flying skills. Why did no one ever think he could get them to the right place, "It's a Spacey Zoomer ride, or it was." As he spoke, there was a creaking noise and they all turned towards it. A large rock next to where Clara and Danni were sat opened up and a man in a tattered top hat and suit stepped out. Danni shuffled back slightly, out of habit more than anything, so Clara rubbed her arm reassuringly. The chances of a bad guy coming out of a creaking door in a fake rock were quite slim, even with their luck. Still, not one to take that chance, Danni nudged her off and they went to stand by the Doctor.
"'Scuse I. I don't suppose you happen to be my lift off planet?" He inquired, "Dave's Discount Interstellar Removals?"
Clara shook her head, "'Fraid not." She apologised and he sighed in frustration.
"They were meant to be here six months ago." He explained, "That's Dave for you, see, unreliable." He rolled his eyes, like it was common knowledge.
"Well, that's 'Discount' for you?" Danni offered as a reply and he nodded in agreement.
"Stay where you are!" A female voice cried angrily and the man jumped into action, ducking back inside with a cry of 'oops'. A group of soldiers filed into the area, all taking position as their commanding officer stormed through, "Throw down your weapons and identify yourselves." She commanded as her small group pointed guns at them. Immediately the Doctor took a step towards Danni, but both she and Clara moved in front of the children. He couldn't help but smile slightly at her instinct to protect the children, but then again she had always been like that.
"No. No weapons!" The Doctor cried, hoping to calm down the situation. He held his hands aloft, showing them all the golden ticket he had found, "Golden ticket! Spacey Zoomer?" He bounced on the spot, but the confused look on the soldiers' faces had him coming to a halt. Oh, something was definitely wrong here, "Free ice cream? Tunnel of Love?"
"Who are you?" The commanded demanded, "This planet is closed, by Imperial order." Ah, that made their alarm at them being there make a lot more sense. The Doctor spun on the spot, pulling out his psychic paper and flashing it at Danni smugly. She grinned, it had been a while since he'd used it and she always loved to see what she became.
"How's this?" He held it up to the woman. Her eyebrows raised in surprise and the harsh look on her face fell to a polite, if not slightly annoyed, smile.
"Oh. Welcome, Proconsul. I wish they'd told us you and your wife were coming." He gave an indifferent shrug, but twisted slightly to look at Danni in amusement, "Any news of the Emperor?"
"Oh, the Emperor..." He replied in his usual tone of slight panic before he'd start to try and make something up, "No, no, none that you'd, er..."
"We pray for his return." The woman interrupted his ramblings, "If there is anything you need, my platoon is at your service."
"Right! Righty-oh." He replied, sounding rather pleased and Danni turned to Clara as he saluted the woman.
"Oh, great, now he has a platoon." She murmured out of the side of her mouth, "That is never going to end well, is it?"
"He'll get them to clean the TARDIS." Clara murmured in reply.
"He wouldn't let anyone touch the TARDIS like that." Danni pointed out and Clara nodded as the commander marched her platoon out rather aggressively. The Doctor turned to Danni, a huge grin on his face.
"I've got a platoon." He bragged and Danni giggled slightly.
"At least they're not Judoon." She reminded, bringing back memories of Martha and meeting another platoon upon the moon.
The man, still in his top hat, stuck his head out of his doorway, "Have they gone?" He asked.
"Yes." The Doctor replied, studying him closely. Not many people would hide from a platoon without a reason. The man stepped out, this time with a cane, "Uniforms give me the heebie-jeebies." He explained, "Come on." He motioned for them to follow him, and without much else to do, they all did, "They can't stop me being here, but they don't like it." He told them as they made their way to the doorway of the ride, which should had led to the rest of the theme park judging by illuminated map they walked past.
"Ha, ha! You see? I told you it was amazing." The Doctor declared as he clapped his hands together, looking over the sight outside, "Well, it used to be."
The sky above them was dark and full of clouds, the ground was concrete but plants grew from the cracks. Across the skyline was the remnants of roller coasters and free-fall rides, and on the floor in front of them was what was left of the Spacey Zoomer ride sign. It was desolate and derelict, but Danni couldn't tear her eyes away from it. It was beautiful in a rather sad way, a hundred thousand memories just wasted away. One day teeming with life, the next? Complete abandonment.
"What happened?" She asked quietly, feeling the Doctor take her hand. She glanced up at him to see him watching her, a soft, loving smile on his face at her awe.
"It closed down." The man replied simply, "Wish I'd known that before I landed here. But let me show you my collection." Angie sighed, rolling her eyes and Danni nudged her as they walked off, following the man back into the ride.
"Oh, come on, it'll be a laugh!" She told the teenager.
"No it won't." Angie moaned, "There's not even any rides, this is boring." Danni didn't agree, but she could understand why she felt like that.
"It'll get better." She promised as the man lead them to his door in the rock, then into a dimly lit room that seemed to be dressed with old furniture and chandeliers.
"Welcome to my show..." He told them, hopping in and taking his hat off, "Webley's World of Wonders. Miracles, marvels and more await you. I am Impresario Webley." He ducked in a bow as he coughed, obviously not as used to giving this speech as he once was. The group headed down the stairs into the centre of the room as he stood at the top, watching them take the room in. It was lined either side with waxwork dummies of people Danni didn't recognise. Angie walked around slowly, reading the plaques in front of them that told of their history whilst Artie dashed around like a kid a sweetshop. Clara was trying to keep an eye on the pair while Danni and the Doctor walked around slowly, hand in hand.
"You see before you waxwork representations of the famous..." Webley continued as headed down to join them, stopping in front of Danni and the Doctor to pull a sheet off one of them, revealing humanoid but definitely not human waxwork, "and the infamous."
"Who's he?" Danni asked the Doctor, who shrugged in reply.
"Not the foggiest." He admitted, "Someone infamous, though." Danni banged her hip against him playfully.
"You should be in here, Spaceman." She teased, "If you hadn't wiped yourself from existence. I wonder which one you would have been."
"Oh, the infamous, definitely." He told her, turning her around gently. His hands rested on her hips, fingers curling around them. She was so... soft.
"I was thinking more which you." She explained, "I think Ten." The Doctor's mouth fell open in outrage.
"I think he was your favourite." He told her and she shook her head, taking a step closer.
"He's not the one I'm about to kiss." She pointed out and he smiled as she pressed her lips on his.
"Anybody here play chess?" Webley asked, walking away from the couple, not surprised in the slightest by their change in thought direction. He'd seen many things in his life, a kissing married couple barely fazed him. The Doctor did raise one hand, but Danni pulled it back onto her hip and he kept it there.
Webley set his sights on his most probable target, the young lad of the group, "Perhaps you, young man?"
"Actually, I'm in my school chess club." Artie replied, a smile on his face as he turned away from one of the waxworks.
"Ah," That was good, he still had it in him, "follow me." He headed off into the next room, Artie, Angie and Clara following him. Danni broke the kiss, nodding in the direction they'd gone.
"We should follow them." She told him, and he agreed, but he also agreed that her lips had become much too red to just pull away from. A couple of quick caresses, then he took her hand back in his and took her into the room with the others. It was even dimmer in this room, a large device covered in a sheet sat in the middle of it.
"...to you all the wonder of the age, the miracle of modernity." Webley was saying, his voice low like he was telling a ghost story, "We defeated them all, a thousand years ago. But now he's back, to destroy you. Behold! The enemy!" He pulled the sheet away with a flourish, revealing something none of them had been expecting. A Cyberman. True, it had seen better days, but the sight of the silver robot caused Danni to scream in pure fear. It lifted its head ominously, staring at them with black, emotionless eyes.
"Cyberman!" The Doctor shouted, panicking, "Get down!"