So it was Danni's birthday yesterday (22nd November) so we had a little celebration on Tumblr and off a wonderful suggestions, this is what I wrote to celebrate it!
Happy 28th Birthday Danni!
~0~0~0~
The Doctor opened the door, sauntering out with his hands in the pockets of his pinstriped suit, stepping slightly out of the way to let out an exceptionally excited Danni.
"Welcome to Parusala." He declared in his normal fashion, sounding like he didn't really care and was just explaining for the benefit of whoever he was talking to, "Seventh planet from its star, it spends most of its year in dusk, never quite light and never quite dark."
"It's beautiful!" Danni exclaimed, looking up at the sky above the city's many sky scrapers and monuments. The streets were teeming with life, the mass of people living their lives while ignoring anyone else. There were groups of tourists up and down the busy street, taking photos of various points of interest with the futuristic versions of cameras.
"It's the capital city of its continent." He explained, "Quite a small one compared to Earth, but still a couple of million inhabitants. Has a thriving wine quarter, it gets exported throughout the galaxy."
"We should try that." Danni pointed out, trying to keep in step with his longer strides. He pulled back slightly, letting her catch up. The weather was quite humid, so she'd gone with just a dress with no tights and a thin cardigan over her arms. She had her hair down, he liked it like that, it sat on her shoulders and dangled just down her back that if he were to stroke it…
"We will." He replied, coughing slightly to clear his throat and his thoughts. He hadn't meant to drift off like that, he never did but it had been happening more and more lately, "We'll grab a bite to eat, and then we're heading to The Tower."
"The Tower?" She asked, not commenting on the rather uninspired name, "What's that?" He pointed out down the street, to a rather tall, skinny building that seemed only slightly taller than the rest.
"That building there has a perfect dual view." He told her, "Look out of one side and you can see the entire city, and," He grinned, "Well, the other side's better seen than told."
"I swear you do this just to tease me." Danni commented, taking his hand and swinging it slightly, "Just give me a little hint, please!"
"No." He laughed, adjusting his grip so he could hold onto her hand tighter, keeping her closer while using the pretence of seeking comfort, "You'll see it soon enough. It opens in about a hour, so just enough time to grab a bite to eat." At the end of the street was a large square full of people, two sides lined with shops and two with restaurants.
"It's more organised than Earth." Danni pointed out as she let the Doctor direct them through the crowd, taking care not to lose her as he made a beeline for a particular restaurant.
"It was modelled on places like Times Square and Leicester Square, but built to try and keep a steady flow of people." He told her, "The shops were put in a specific order to try and encourage people to only walk around it one way." He stopped outside his intended destination, letting Danni have a look out into the street. Sure enough, the majority of people were moving counter-clockwise around the edge of the square, diving into the correct shops when necessary or to get food.
"That's brilliant." She said, amazed, "How did they manage that?"
"Finely tuned marketing, on the whole." He replied, "Let's go get a table." She nodded, turning to look at the building as they headed in. It had a navy blue canopy hanging over a few tables on the outside, the name 'The Happy Peanut' on a large sign above it in gold cursive. Danni figured that was the TARDIS trying to translate it into something she'd understand, because it seemed a bit of a silly name for somewhere that seemed so posh. The inside was dimly lit, just enough light to be able to see what you were eating but not enough to destroy the intimate atmosphere. The Doctor, still holding her hand, walked her to the podium where the host was waiting, "Table for two." He told the man who nodded, picking up to menus as he stepped from behind the wooden stand.
"This way, if you please." He replied in quite a strong accent that Danni couldn't really compare to any she knew. He lead them to the middle of the floor, the Doctor watching Danni drink the room in, waiting patiently for her to come back to him so he could pull her chair out.
"Thanks." She replied, surprised but grateful as she sat down and he grinned at her. The host handed them a menu each after the Doctor had taken his own seat across from her.
"I came here once, oh, many years ago." He told her, "And I can tell you, these are the best banana fritters I have ever had." He opened his menu, "I wonder if they still do them." Danni smiled softly to herself, his enthusiasm was always so infectious. She looked to the side, it was such a lovely place. There were a couple of empty tables, but most of them were full of couples, talking to each other of the candlelight. It was so normal, and so extraordinarily lovely. She was always running, sometimes it was nice to be able to sit down and have something to eat in peace.
Ten looked over the top of his menu, trying to be sneaky as she drifted off into her thoughts. The dimness of the candlelight caused her hair to reflect the mediocre lighting more than normal, it shining beautifully. Her top teeth rested on her bottom lip just slightly and, well, she always looked beautiful.
He really had no idea what he was doing, was this all correct? He had asked Martha, who had proceeded to make fun of him for no good reason, but it was times like this that made Donna's absent so glaringly obvious. She would have told him exactly what to do and when to do it. He wouldn't have to fumble around, did people even still pull out the other's chair? He should have just left it.
"Decided, Danni-Girl?" He asked and she looked back down at the menu, her eyes darting over it before she smirked, closing the menu and putting it down with a nod.
"Banana fritters." She declared, pushing the menu away from her. He frowned, looking back down at his own menu.
"I think they have some sort of bolognaise…" He replied, confused slightly because that didn't seem right either, and he had a plan to follow. She reached over and tore the menu out of his hands, placing it on top of hers.
"Nope." She told him, "You said they were the best banana fritters you've had, time to put your money where your mouth is, Spaceman." He stared, bewildered. Again he wished he was better at this sort of thing, but then he saw her smile. She was challenging him, but it was playful as well. She was having a good time.
"Okay, then." He laughed, motioning the waitress over. He handed her the two menus, "Two banana fritters, please." He told her and she wrote them down on her small tablet.
"And what would you like for your main?" She asked in what seemed to be a heavy London accent.
"Nothing else, just the fritters." He replied, "I've tried to find some as good as these, and I just can't. And I've been to a lot of places," He smiled at the woman, "we're quite the travellers." She nodded, pretending to be interested.
"So nothing else? Just the fritters?" She asked in clarification.
"Do you have custard?" Danni asked, sounding adorably shy and the waitress nodded, "Can I get some on the side?"
"So two banana fritters and a side of custard?" They both nodded and she shrugged, "Okay, it shouldn't be too long." Danni giggled as she walked off, turning back to the Doctor and smiling brightly.
"I think she thinks we're a bit strange." She told him and he shrugged, leaning back in his chair.
"Who wants to be normal? Normal's boring, you're extraordinary." He retorted without thinking, causing Danni to blush and look down, embarrassed.
"You're not so bad yourself, Spaceman."
~0~0~0~
Danni dipped the last bite of her fritter into her custard, popping it into her mouth with what was, quite frankly, an obscene moan. She pointed her fork at the Time Lord across from her, gesturing at him while she finished her mouthful.
"That's gorgeous. They were gorgeous." She told him heartily, "You were right, Spaceman. Best fritters ever."
"Didn't I tell you?" He replied, just happy she was enjoying herself, "All of time and space, Danni-Girl, and this is the place for them. And, oh, how I've looked."
"That's what we'll do from now on." She declared, "Look for the best foods in the universe. We could make a list." His brows furrowed and he leant closer.
"All of time and space and you want to make a list?" He asked incredulously and she shrugged.
"Any better ideas, Spaceman?" She challenged and one immediately came to mind that involved him leaning across the table and kissing her, kissing her and never letting her go again.
However, he had always maintained he was a coward so he put his own fork back down on his plate, signalling for the bill.
"Let's head to the Tower." He offered and she beamed.
~0~0~0~
Danni was laughing as they stepped out of the lift, the gaggle of other people leaving the large container with them and heading towards the other side of the large room it had deposited them. None of them were laughing like she was, but none of them had the Doctor's hands over their eyes.
"Come on, this is ridiculous." She told him through her chuckles.
"I think you'll find it's completely and utterly necessary." He replied, sounding insulted that she even thought otherwise, "You can't see anything, can you?" He asked.
"No." She promised, trying to shake her head but he just told her off for moving. He stopped, gently getting her to stand in front of him.
"Ready?" He asked.
"Yes." She replied.
"You sure?" He asked her cheekily and she tried to elbow him, missing completely.
"Come on!" She moaned like a teenager, "Let me see!" He sighed over dramatically.
"Fine." He replied, moving his hands and she gasped. He'd lead her to a large window which overlooked the city down below. She immediately pressed up against it, her palms flat on the glass as she looked over the top of the city. It was almost completely night-time outside, the city illuminated in chunks of yellow light that came from street lamps and building lights. They seemed to be separated slightly into blocks, probably different sections of the city where people lived and where they worked. The further out she looked, the vaguer the shapes became but if she looked down she could see vehicles and the crowds of people, moving together and yet completely separate from each other.
The Doctor watched as she pushed up onto her tiptoes, as if she was trying to get closer to the view. He knew she'd loved this, she loved people and their lives. She was in her element when she could see how they interacted and grew and lived, the bird's eye view of the city was a perfect example of that.
"It's wonderful." She told him, "It's like Christmas lights but on an entire city." He stepped next to her and she looked up. He crouched down slightly and pointed out and to the left where there was a small cluster of lights.
"That's the next town over, Frantial. It has this beautiful waterfall that has a layer of ice permanently over the top. The running water makes it look like the ice is constantly flowing."
"How is it ice?" She asked, "It's really warm, how can it stay frozen?"
"Ah, well, Parusala has its own artificial climate. The planet is actually akin to Iceland on Earth." He explained. She looked puzzled at that as well and he shrugged, "What can I say? Tourists."
"Oh." She turned back to look at the cityscape again. There was always something so stunning about and urban landscape, all that infrastructure and effort coming into something that worked together like a living being, "What's the other side?" He tutted playfully.
"No patience, do you Danielle?" He commented with a sigh and she shook her head happily, "Okay, follow me." She grabbed one of his hands, linking her fingers through his once again. He led her to a doorway in the opposite wall, stopping to cover her eyes again.
"Oh, not again." She laughed and he helped her walk through to the other side. She stumbled slightly but he managed to hold her up long enough to reach the other window.
"Ready?" He asked and she nodded. Without any messing around this time, he moved his hands, feeling complete relief at the gasp that came from her. He'd pretty much been completely confident that she would love it, but nothing felt better than knowing he was right.
"What the…" She whispered in awe, walking up to the window just like she had done on the other side. Down below was a bit more of the city, but if you looked straight ahead it was just like the view out of the TARDIS doors. Stars shone in the distance, coloured gas painted the darkness of the universe and she was sure she could see the neighbouring planet in the distance, only the size of a coin but obviously recognisable in the sky.
"Oh, did I not mention?" He told her offhandedly, "This is only half a planet."
"Half a planet?" she repeated, confused but still mesmerised by the view out the window. The sky stretched out further than she could comprehend, all those people and places and views just in the patch of the universe she could see always humbled her.
"When the galaxy was first formed, the structure of the planet was incredibly fragile." He explained, adoring the knowledge that even though she was staring outside, she was hanging onto his every word, "Eventually it began to crumble, but lucky the people living here were highly advanced and managed to save this side. It has an atmospheric shell wrapping it, creating the gravitational stability to not only hold the remaining half together but to keep its orbit around its star."
"That's incredible." She told him factually, "That's the next planet, yeah?" He nodded even though he knew she couldn't see him.
"That it is." He confirmed, "Happy Birthday, Danielle." She spun around, looking bewildered. He had a soft smile on his face, his slightly adorable but self-conscious smile.
"What?" She asked and he stepped closer, pulling her in for a much tenderer hug than she'd ever had from Ten. He wrapped his arms around her, leaning against her head gently.
"I'm sorry I've missed so many." He told her quietly, muttering into her hair, "But I promise that I won't miss any more." She looked up at him, brows furrowed and he smirked that boyish smirk of his, the one that always made her feel better.
"How did you know it's my birthday?" She asked him, still slightly confused, "I didn't know it was my birthday."
"Well, actually," He drawled out, turning her back around to look out of the window, "it might not actually be your birthday. I found your calendar in my bedroom, with everyday checked off up to your birthday, so I figured 'hey, why not?'"
"It's lovely, thank you." She told him sincerely, placing her hands on his as they rested on her stomach, "This is lovely. All that space just outside your front door. It's almost as good as the view outside your front door."
"Yeah." She felt him straighten up behind her, "She's pretty fantastic."
"Molto Bene." She replied and he chuckled, letting go of her. He sat down on the ground, motioning her to sit next to him.
"I actually have another present for you." He told her and she did her best not to show just how excited she was at that, running a hand through her hair and attempted to smile nonchalantly.
"Oh?" She asked he shook his head, chuckling at her behaviour as he reached into his pocket, pulling out a small device with a screen on it, maybe the size of a small tablet. He handed it over and she tilted it slightly.
"It's not the player," he told her before shrugging slightly, "unless you want it. Yeah, it is the player but it's also what's on it." He leant over, probably slightly closer than he needed to, and tapped the screen a couple of times. It made a couple of beeping noises, startling her into wondering if there were any chickens nearby. The screen turned on, but stayed black and split into four screens.
"Danni?" The top square flickered on and River appeared in it, looking confused until the feed on her side gave her a shot of the other side, "Hello, sweetie!"
"River?" Danni asked, surprised, looking over at the Doctor for an explanation. He didn't say anything, just ran his own hand through his hair like he was incredibly proud of himself. She looked back, ready to ask River what was going on when another block came to life.
"Danni-Girl!" Jack cried, as handsome as ever and with a martini glass in hand, "Happy birthday!" A smile of happy surprise spread across her face.
"Jack?" She asked.
"Is the camera on?" Another female voice asked.
"I don't think so." A male voice replied, "Danni?"
"Mickey?" She replied, "I can't see you."
"I didn't think so." He told her, "One moment." There was as shuffling and the third square turned on, both Mickey and Martha sat there, "That's it!" Mickey cheered, "Get in!"
"Oh, hush you." Martha scolded him while smiling lovingly at him, "Who are we waiting for?"
"Sarah Jane." The Doctor told her, making sure he was in the shot, "Let me just…" He pulled out his screwdriver, pressing it against the top corner of the device and setting it off, causing all of the current members of the video chat to wince and scold him all at one, "Sorry, sorry." He muttered, "Sarah, you there?" He called.
"Yeah, we're here!" The woman called back before appearing next to a very impressed-looking Wilfred Mott, "Sorry about that."
"Oh my god, it's them!" Wilf exclaimed, "Wayhay! Hello you two!" Danni beamed from ear to ear, shifting on the spot.
"Hello Mr Mott!" She cried back, "what's happening?"
"It's your birthday, sweetie." River explained gently, "We couldn't miss it."
"Too right we couldn't." Jack retorted, taking a sip of his drink. It was blue, Danni noted, "Where are you?"
"Er…" She looked up at the Doctor, "What's it called?"
"Parusala." He told her gently, and she repeated it back to the screen of people as if they hadn't heard him, like she was a child who had the full attention to every grown up in the room.
"Oh, I've been there." Jack replied, "Wonderful wine, can't remember much else."
"I haven't." River replied, obviously glaring at the part of her screen in the Library where Jack was, "Tell us about it."
"Yeah, I want to hear about this planet." Wilfred told her, "Alien planets, it's amazing!"
~0~0~0~
The video call lasted almost an hour, Danni loved to hear about how her friends were doing and there wasn't much funnier than listening to Jack and River flirting then fighting with each other.
That had ended, though, but the pair were still in the observatory, staring out into space from their places on the floor. Danni leant against the Doctor, feeling utterly serene. The Doctor would occasionally turn his head to look at her, and had even placed soft kisses onto the top of her hair.
"Thank you." She told him honestly, "For all of this. It's been wonderful." He tilted her chin up, keeping his finger underneath it.
"Happy Birthday, Danni." He whispered before dipping his head, brushing his lips against hers. She followed him as he moved away, keeping her lips pressed against his for as long as she could before going back to rest against him, the pair only moving once he realised she'd been so completely comfortable that she'd fallen asleep against him, a soft smile on her face.
