I've been sat on this one for a while, obviously, but finally got around to finishing it. This is dedicated to anyone who got their exam results today, you all should be so proud of what you've achieved, but also specifically to 'beingextremelycleveruphere' who gave me the idea in the first place and 'CSIBakerstreet221B' who inspired me to finish it.
~0~0~0~
Danni frowned as she watched the Doctor spin around the console, not telling her much but obviously having somewhere very specific in mind. Sometimes she wasn't sure if she liked it when he surprised her, especially when the last time he had they'd ended up almost being jettisoned into deep space.
She'd been with Eleven for almost two months now. Two glorious, action-filled months with a very late on Eleven. Not quite Power of Three, she suspected, but at least after Mercy. She could tell by the way he held onto her like she was about to fade away, the way he had to steal kisses, hold her hand and show off just that little bit harder. He was adorable, and he was hers. This Eleven was hers. He'd married River, but he hadn't actually married her and he'd meant it when he'd proposed to her. She hadn't personally got to a point where they rectified that misunderstanding, but he might of, she hadn't lived through anything of the sort just yet.
"Where are we going?" She asked again, but he just shot her a wink.
"A couple of places." Was all he offered her. He was dressed in his classic tweed, but had sent her to get changed into something nice. After the argument over him saying what she was wearing wasn't nice, she had settled on a blue tunic dress with black skinny jeans and slightly heeled brown boots.
"A couple of places? Seriously, not even a hint?" She pressed and he shook his head.
"Nope. Stay right," He hopped over and bopped her on the nose, "there." She stood, slightly stunned, as he rushed over to the door and poked his head out, "Well, we're not waiting all day!" He shouted. He bounced back over to Danni and pulled her in for a hug, spinning her outwards then against his chest, "I can't believe that in 300 years I never thought of this before." He gushed and she laughed as he dipped her.
"I still have no idea where we're going!" She giggled. He snaked his arm around her waist, dancing with her as he took her hand in his.
"You're not supposed to." He replied, stopping for a moment to pull her up against him, "A total surprise. A night out you won't forget." He leant down, a pleased yet smug look on his face as his lips almost touched hers.
"Oh, get a room." A voice teased from the doorway. The Doctor barely looked in their direction, a quick flick of his gaze to ensure they were who they were supposed to be, then his eyes were trained back on Danni. However, her attention had been pulled entirely from him to the woman leaning on the door frame, one foot propped against it.
"River!" She cried happily. The Doctor dipped his head too late, she broke from his grip and rushed over to the bushy haired woman who was dressed similarly to her, in a khaki coloured rough-edged tunic top with matching boots, black leggings in between. She scooped Danni into her arms, the pair hugging tightly and the Doctor let his head hang in disappointment.
"Oh, it's so good to see you." River told Danni, letting her go and cupping her face, "How is my Danni-Girl?" She asked, looking positively joyful at the mere sight of Danni, who shrugged.
"Can't complain." She replied, reaching up and taking River's hand, "Would be happier if he'd tell me where we're going. Do you know?"
"No idea." River told her apologetically, "If I did, I would tell you. I don't like to keep secrets from you, Danni-Girl." She shot the Doctor a pointed look as they joined him around the console.
"It's a surprise for my Danni-Girl." He replied as River wrapped an arm around Danni's waist. When she didn't shrug her off, he pouted, "Don't know why I even brought you." He grumbled.
"Because seeing me makes Danni happy, and you want to make her happy." River replied with a smirk and he flicked a switch, causing the TARDIS to go absolutely tonto. River fell to the floor, letting go of Danni who fell against his side. He smiled widely as he held onto her, his hearts swelling at the smile she shot back at him. He gripped the console even tighter with his other hand, making sure to keep them both as steady as possible as River pulled herself up and dusted herself down. The two women shared a discreet, knowing look as the TARDIS landed with a thud.
"Ready?" He asked Danni and she shook her head.
"I have no idea." She replied, "Let's go." The trio headed for the door, the Doctor opening it to a wave of cheering and loud chattering. Danni frowned further as they stepped out into the cool evening outside. They were in a classic alley, out of the way and hidden to what appeared to be a large crowd at the opening. The people were stood behind a metal barrier, oblivious to the three people who had just appeared from nowhere.
"So, go on then, where are we?" River asked as they headed towards the huge group of people.
"Stockholme, Sweden." The Doctor finally declared as they began walking past all of the crowd, some of which turned to glare in envy at them. Danni stared to the side as the Doctor held her hand tightly, knowing she'd be pulled towards the people rather than the place. They were all in various degrees of dress, some in jeans and t-shirt and some in suits, so she seemed to have pitched it somewhere in the middle, which was good. A lot of them seemed to be holding flags or banners, as well as wearing brightly coloured tinsel wigs she remembered from holiday camps when she was a kid. Her parents had been big fans of home-grown caravanning holidays, having owned a static caravan in a holiday park about a hour and half from where they'd lived. God, she had loved that place.
"Sweden?" River asked, a wrinkle of nose showing her confusion, "Why Sweden?" They were met by two large, suited men with earpieces at the end of the walkway. The Doctor pulled out his psycic paper and, with a quick flash of it, the two men moved out of the way and let them into the giant venue they'd appeared next to. There was a stage at the back of the room, decorated in large lights and fixtures, seats stretching towards them on the floor in front of it. They were, however, lead to a balcony where a couple of hundred seats were positioned, elevated for a better view of the stage below. The seats were already being filled up around them as well as below them as music played above them. They were taken to the front of the rows, right in the corner where three seats were waiting for them. The Doctor sat down first, Danni in the middle as River perched on the end. Danni quickly leant over the edge as she looked around, like a child in a new place. Everything was fascinating. There was a line of boxes above them, like sky boxes at sporting events. Workers on the ground floor were scuttling about, setting up electrical things and making sure people were sitting in their correct seats.
"When are we?" She asked the Doctor, eyes trained below her. People were fascinating. Even boring things like this could hold her attention for hours. No planet, no time period he had ever taken her to would have been anything at all without the everyday people there. Both the Doctor and River smiled fondly at the way she was almost dangling over the audience below, before catching the other one's expression and frowning in annoyance.
"2019." The Doctor replied. The floor below was quickly filling now the top balconies seemed to be at capacity, maybe only one or two seats empty. They all seemed in fantastic spirits, singing along to what seemed like a hundred different songs whilst friends and families attempted to huddle together. More flags seemed to be waving already.
"Are we..." Danni trailed off before looking back at him, "Are we at Eurovision?" He nodded once and she cried out happily, dangling back over the side as River frowned.
"What? That stupid singing contest?" She asked incredulously and Danni glanced back at her.
"It's one of the best nights of television of the year!" She protested, "20-odd countries all sing terrible songs, everyone votes for Russia and the UK never comes anywhere close to first. It's camp, it's badly presented and it's highly political."
"It is camp." River acknowledged, "But I never understood what was so good about it. Amy would watch it all the time, I used to get bored and leave before the singing started."
"The reason millions of people watch it in the UK every year is singular and simple." Danni explained before pointing to the sky boxes she'd spotted earlier, "The commentators. I spent years of my life laughing at Terry Wogan getting increasingly annoyed and sarcastic, then Graham Norton took over and it was drunk and sarcastic. But it was wonderful. We never win, no one cares how good we are, or who will win. We just want to listen to Graham." The Doctor gently pulled her back into her seat before reaching into his pocket and pulling out three earpieces.
"These will link you straight to his feed. You can watch the show and still hear him." He explained and she grinned, popping it in before hugging him tightly.
"Oh, this is going to be awesome!" She exclaimed. He smiled at her joy, just glad his surprise had been a success before brushing his lips against hers quickly. He then pointed across the seats at a woman with every countries flag pinned in bunches all over her and her friend. He pulled out some Euros he'd found under the console and handed the notes to her.
"Go get a flag." He commanded gently. She nodded eagerly before scrambling up and politely asking if she could get past the rest of the crowd. River watched her go before turning to the Doctor, looking distinctly suspicious of him.
"Okay, why are we actually here?" She demanded, "There is no way you would sit through something as ridiculous as this on a whim. What have you done now that you're trying to make up for?" She had slowly become more forgiving of the Doctor, especially since seeing Danni meant she had to see him as well. Danni had to like him for a reason, and River tried so hard to see what it was. But Danni never could see how selfish he was, and there was no way he would sit through Eurovision, because there was no way he was a fan, without there being an ulterior motive on his part. He must have done something that could hurt her, and River was not about to sit back and let him devastate her Danni-Girl yet again.
"Because of this." He reached into his jacket, into one of his impossibly big pockets and pulled out a roll of paper. River couldn't help the roll of her eyes, what a show off.
"And what is that, exactly?" She pressed.
"Danni's calendar." The Doctor replied, "How she keeps track of how long she'd been away from her previous universe. And today would be her mother's birthday." River's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Any mention of her parents, the people she left behind in the other universe made her blood run cold. People who were so deserving of their claim on the best thing in her life just made her lack of claim so obvious. She didn't want Danni even thinking about her mother in the other universe, she should be thinking of her.
"So?" River snapped, now annoyed. The Doctor seemed slightly startled by how hostile River had become, but didn't comment as he flipped through the calender until he reached May. The calendar was of 2015, with May 16th marked with a cross.
"She would watch it with her mum and dad every year. When she hit university she even took her friend Claire home so she could join in the tradition. It's a couple of years later, but this one is the one she'd want to see." River glanced back, spotting Danni who was almost at the front of the queue, chatting animately with a couple of other women around her age. River did briefly wonder if Danni could even understand them, then remembered that the TARDIS would be translating everyone in the conversation so it didn't really matter.
"How did you get that?" She had to ask him. Danni was open and honest about everything but her previous life. She'd never known a time she liked to talk about everything she'd left behind.
"I might have taken it whilst she was in the shower." The Doctor admitted, "But the point is that today needs be something special so she isn't sad. I'm sure you can agree with that, Mels." He twisted in his chair, placing his arm over the back of it so he could watch Danni with her two new friends. He loved the fact that she was so friendly with everyone she came across. When one no longer had a family, they craved the attention of anyone who would offer it to them. He understood that all too well, but seeing her between two women from Romania, chatting as if they were old friends was heartswarming. She was as beautiful on the inside as on the outside in his eyes. No matter what happened to her, it never stopped her wanting to be good, which ultimately is what mattered the most.
As she turned to walk back to the pair, he leant in closer to River, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"And I would sit through an eternity of this if it made her happy." He whispered harshly, "Don't ever question my actions towards her again."
"Maybe you should marry her instead of me, then." River retorted and he smirked.
"I already did." River's mouth dropped and the Doctor moved back, the satisfaction of her reaction making everything that night even sweeter than it had been. Danni flopped back into her seat, grinning widely at the pair with three Union Ja- Oh, Union Flags, couldn't forget Rose – in her hands.
"I didn't know if you two wanted flags as well, so I just grabbed us one each." She told them excitedly, holding one to River. The blonde took it gingerly, still not overly impressed with anything that was going on, her mind still reeling from the fact Danni and the Doctor had apparently got married without telling her. Danni wasn't wearing a ring, though, so maybe it was just him.
The Doctor, on the other hand, took his flag happily, waving it like a child and making her laugh.
"People always assume that flags are bad." He started, "Burning them when they're angry, and seeing them as a sign of dominance. But, did you know, that there is an entire planet where they worship their flag as a God, believing that it's ability to unite the entire species together across the universe it what will bring peace to all?" Danni shook her head, looking as impressed as he'd hoped she would have.
"Really?" She asked and he nodded.
"They've never had a war or any conflicts for that very reason. And if, for example, you're caught fighting at school, you have to apologise to it for befouling it's image. Some train for decades under the most revered sewers just so they can have the honour of creating one." She looked down at the little flag in her hands, with a white stick to wave it with, then smiled.
"Huh." She replied, waving it slightly, "I wonder what they'd think of here, then." He shrugged, shifting his arm from the back of the chair to her shoulders, giving her a squeeze. River watched the pair, trying hard to squash the jealous feeling that appeared whenever they were together. Danni was just too young at this point, their relationship wasn't where River always hoped it would be whenever they were together. She craved the time Danni loved her back almost as much as she loved her, but it wasn't going to be for a while yet, it seemed. With the two of them on different time lines to the Doctor, it was always hard to match up. But soon that Danni would be back. And any time spent with any Danni was something she cherished, above and beyond all things. So, she sucked it up, like she always did, leant in closer to the cuddling pair and pointed out towards the stage with the end of the little flag.
"So, what actually happens?" She asked, and that look on Danni's face appeared, the one where she knew she could impart some new knowledge on someone. She always looked so happy, and it made River smile as she began to explain the process from start to finish, the Doctor lightly stroking her arm as they both listened to her, enraptured.
~0~0~0~
She had thought over the sound of the show, Graham would have been hard to hear. But there was just enough balance of sarcastic Irish host and amazingly awful novelty acts to get her through the night. She liked music, but straight pop wasn't her ideal genre so she was much more interested in the novelty acts. It looked like Poland were the one to beat in that regard.
At some point during the night she had migrated to the Doctor's lap, or he'd pulled her onto him she wasn't entirely sure. He'd wrapped his arm around her waist and would occasionally place little kisses on her cheek, or her neck, or would just lightly trace her side with the tips of his fingers as she talked to both him and River about the acts in question.
Then, as Sweden were performing their entry, she turned and smiled softly at the Doctor, leaning towards him.
"This is wonderful." She said into his ear, so he could hear her, "Thank you so much, Theta." She placed a quick kiss against his lips, one that was incredibly too quick for his liking and he followed her as she straightened, keeping his lips against hers as the crowd cheered as Sweden finished. When he let her go, a giggle broke from her lips, like a school girl who'd been kissed by her crush for the first time. Embarrassed by her involuntary reaction, she turned a delightful shade of red and he reached up, cupping her cheek as if he could feel the blush.
"Anything to see you smile." He told her and she ducked her head. He used his hand to gently lift her head and turn it towards the front, "The UK entry is about to come on." The darkened stage below lit up beautifully and in the middle stood a blonde woman with her hair up in a spotty bandanna that went with the stripy top and red skirt she was wearing. Her arms were covered in tattoos and her feet were in bright red stilettos and she looked fabulous. An old-fashioned rock 'n' roll tune filled the stadium and the crowd cheered.
"Never before have I seen..." The woman sung and Danni sat up even straighter. My Lord, that sounded good. Was the UK actually submitting a good song? That can't be right.
As the song progressed, the crowd below was having the time of their lives. In the seating above them, Danni had pulled River up and the pair were dancing like a couple of 1950's teenagers. The Doctor didn't join in, but watched the two women in amusement, just happy to see Danni smile. He always was, it lit up his life and he'd never tire of it, no matter how much time occurred between the jumps to him. The song finished, the woman bowed and the whole crowd cheered it's support.
"And that was Anita with 'Beautiful Morning'." The female presenter declared as Danni sat back down between River and the Doctor.
"That was amazing!" She shouted over the noise, "She was amazing." The Doctor chuckled stroked his fingers through her hair absentmindedly.
"Keep an eye on her, Danni-Girl." He replied cryptically and she tilted her head in mild confusion, but was only offered a kiss in reply.
~0~0~0~
The votes were coming in, and Danni was leaning against the railing in front of her in astonished disbelief. As the hosts rotated through the 39 participating countries that year, the UK actually began to climb higher and higher until, as Norway at number 33 handed them 10 points, they were at the top, the Ukraine just trailing behind them, a mere 5 points behind. Then, they won.
"We won?" Danni whispered in bewilderment and she spun to look at the Doctor, looking for confirmation. The smug look on his face told her everything she needed to know, "You knew, didn't you?" She asked over the raucous cheering, even Graham was celebrating in her ear.
"I did." He replied, standing up and turning her around, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting against her hair, "This is the first time they win in 22 years." She turned to River, who had her eyebrow raised in amusement at the stunned look on Danni's face.
"We won!" She cheered, jumping up and down in an infection joy that had the Doctor joining her moments later. She looked at River expectantly until the woman rolled her eyes and stood up in the fray, holding her hand out and let Danni take it. She didn't jump up and down like the two children, but she couldn't help but feel absolutely blessed to be there with them.
~0~0~0~
River had gone 'home' to Stormcage, ready and waiting for the Doctor and Danni to pick her up for another adventure. She'd been reluctant to leave, because she never wanted to not be with Danni, but she had a promise to keep so with a brief kiss on top of Danni's red hair, she'd sauntered out, declaring she wanted breakfast in bed the next day. Danni watched her fondly, reassured with the fact that River had wanted her life, that when it came down to it she wouldn't change it.
"She's something else, isn't she?" Danni commented as she skipped up to the Doctor, taking his hand in hers and swinging it happily.
"I can think of someone better." He replied cheekily, pulling her up against him and kissing her again. She loved it when he did this, took his time to kiss her almost lazily, with no urgency, like he wasn't expecting her to go anywhere. He dipped his head low so he lips rested against her ear.
"Tell me you love me." He whispered lowly and a genuine smile spread across her face.
"I love you." She replied sincerely, in a simple tone. He nibbled her earlobe playfully.
"Say it again." He commanded and she frowned, pulling back slightly.
"Of course I love you." She told him, "What's wrong?" A ghost of a grin spread on his face and he nodded. He kissed her once more then leant his forehead against hers.
"Absolutely nothing." He promised, closing his eyes for a moment, revelling in the fell of her in his arms before gently pushing her towards the stairs, "Go get changed into your comfiest pair of pyjamas, we'll watch a movie. Did we ever get to watching Captain America 3?" She shook her head, suddenly looking very excited and she rushed up the stairs, coming to a stand still at the top. She turned around, her hair illuminated by the lights above. She really didn't know just how beautiful she was to him. She forgave him at his worst every time, and awed him at his best and he felt exactly the same about her.
"You know, Spaceman." She called down as he was about to take them into the universe to float lazily through eternity, "You never said it." He frowned.
"Said what?" He asked.
"That you love me." She elaborated and he nodded slowly, looking decisively thoughtful.
"You are quite correct." He mused before hopping up the stairs, stopping two below her, "I don't love you, I adore you." He swore, "You are my reason for living, the only thing that matters in the universe." She blinked, humbled by his reply, "Now, go get changed." He bopped her nose and she smirked.
"Not coming with me?" She asked pointedly and he nodded back towards the console.
"Let me fly her away." He told her lowly, "Then I'll be there to help." He didn't move as he watched her leave, this time more impure thoughts flowing through his mind as he sent the TARDIS somewhere random, then chased after her.