River's mood always lifted at the sound of the TARDIS landing. Not that she was ever in a particularly terrible mood – it could happen but she enjoyed life more than she hated it – but there was definitely something in that noise that made her happy. Well, it wasn't exactly hard to pinpoint. She knew that noise meant her daughter. Time with her Danni-Girl was always welcomed and encouraged when she could.

Of course, she never expected it when she was out and about. It was always easier for them to find her when she was in Stormcage because she had always headed back there at the end of the night. She guessed now, though, that she didn't actually live in Stormcage she was going to have to see them somewhere.

She lifted up the cup of coffee, sipping on it like she didn't have a care, but her eyes were trained solely on the blue police box on the other side of the road. The little bistro was something she had found a long time ago and would frequently visit when she felt like a bit of a sit down.

The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS, his eyes quickly darting around and River frowned as he checked every single person in the area, quickly looking over the sea of faces. She placed the cup down as she realised that he was looking positively dishevelled compared to the normally prim and proper way a Twelve this early would portray himself. His expression was manic. He looked terrified.

Oh.

River was out of her chair without another thought for her favourite coffee. She pushed past the general public without caring about her manners and she came to a stop in front of him.

"Do you remember what I did when you killed her?" she asked him lowly and sharply. "So I would suggest that telling me you've lost her wouldn't be the best move for you."

"I didn't lose her," he replied just as angrily. "She was taken from me. And if remember correctly you didn't actually shoot me."

"That's because you wanted me to," she said. "Doesn't mean that I wouldn't be willing. What happened?"

"One minute she was by my side, the next Missy had her and I haven't seen her since," he explained. "Then Missy was killed and I have nothing to work on. Will you help this time?"

"Of course I will," River retorted. "I just want to make sure you know how much you failed her."

"Do you remember when your mother needed you help?" he asked in reply. "And I was the one gathering the army while you swanned in right at the end? Can you see why I'm a little bit dubious?"

"That was different," River replied. "She was just my mother. It's my Danni-Girl you've lost."

The Doctor's eyes quickly searched her face. It was quite obvious to anyone with eyes that she loved Danni above everything else, but to hear her state it so offhandedly was startling, even to him.

However it did raise another question. "Do you know where she is?" he asked her. "Because you knew what happened to Melody and you didn't say a word to anyone."

"That's because I am Melody," she reminded him tauntingly. "But I don't know where she is. I only found out about her being taken a little while ago and I found about it on my own. I've done a bit of research but," she shifted on the spot in slight embarrassment, "so far I've found nothing."

The Doctor stared at her, wondering if he should believe her, but she just stared back confidently. She hadn't been lying. She'd only heard about it in passing, but she'd not been able to find out which Danni it was. She had only seen her daughter a handful of times since then and while she didn't really care about the rules of time, even she knew that mentioning it to her red-headed first body wasn't going to work. Whichever Danni it was, it was definitely not that one. She'd just dropped a couple of cryptic hints and hoped that someone would have heard her.

Apparently no one had, and so all she had was that Missy was parading her across time and space, showing her prize off. There were stories of her all over the spot, but nothing River could get a proper hold of.

"Well, that's unsurprising," the Doctor told her mockingly. "Good thing I have been more productive."

He headed into the TARDIS first but she wasn't far behind her. He stormed up to the console and glass crunched underneath his heavy footsteps. She looked up and saw the mess the closest controls were in.

She followed him up, nodding at Clara who seemed to be the Doctor's main focus at the moment. "Hello again Clara," she greeted the brunette before frowning at the sight of the man next to her. "And a train driver?" she asked, confused.

"Chief Engineer, Ma'am," he corrected and the Doctor motioned to him.

"Perkins, River. River, Perkins," he introduced with a bored tone. Perkins tipped his hat.

"Ma'am," he greeted. "I've found something in the 74th century that might be worth looking into," he told the Doctor. "The Time Child visited with a strange, overexcited companion for three days."

"Good," the Doctor said before turning to Clara. "What about Jack?"

"The TARDIS keeps pointing us to a 21st century version of him," she explained apologetically. "I keep trying to make her go later but..."

He didn't wait for any more information. He flipped a switch by her and they all stumbled just slightly as the TARDIS set into flight. "Don't question the TARDIS," he scolded her. "Not when it comes to Danielle."

Curiously, Clara seemed to shrink away from the Doctor, almost ashamed of her own behaviour and River watched with interest. Clara had always been the boss of the group as far as she was aware. What happened to change the dynamic so drastically?

Clara, on the other hand, moved away from the Doctor and away from the controls he was currently typing on urgently. She was trying to help, but she felt just as helpless as she did when she'd seen Danny Pink being taken away on a stretcher with a blanket over him to keep him from view. She couldn't offer anything. She was too devastated, too numb, too guilty to do anything on her own.

She met River's eye and was surprised by the slight concern that she saw there. River never showed any emotion apart from mild annoyance when talking to anyone but Danni in Clara's limited experience. She just shot her a weak smile in reply and looked back at the console.

It was still a mess from where he'd smashed it to pieces. The glass was still all over the floor and the buttons scattered everywhere from where his travelling had sent them. It was actually a little dangerous to have so much debris everywhere, so she bent down to pick some of it up.

"Don't touch it!"

The two women looked at him, surprised at the pure anger on his face. Perkins, on the other hand, didn't look up from his work, as if he was used to the outbursts already. Clara didn't understand that. She'd been there with the Doctor when they'd picked up Perkins and she wasn't used to the wide-eyed fury that he'd show at any moment.

He stalked past her as she stood up, the TARDIS landing as he made his way to the door. "Leave it where it is," he snarled to them all. "Wait here."

The door slammed behind him and River watched him go, taken aback by his behaviour. "He's terrified," she commented, surprised. She never thought she was see him so emotional over Danni's disappearance. It was only really recently that she'd begun to accept that he did deeply care for her daughter and not be annoyed that Danni loved him back. She expected him to care, to be worried, but he was very quickly coming undone.

"Of course he is," Clara replied. "Part of the reason he's collecting you all is because he genuinely has no idea where to begin and he's stalling. The only clue Missy gave us turned out to be a dead end. She literally could be anywhere or anywhen."

River glanced back at the door and was yet again surprised by how concerned she was for the Doctor. She then turned to the smashed controls. "And I'm guessing he did that?"

Clara took another look at it, but was wise enough to not try and tidy it up. "I guess so," she replied. "He went to find her and when he came back for me it was like that." She motioned to the console. "I'll show you what we've been working on."

River could guess what they were doing just from the context alone but she walked over anyway. "Perkins is looking up any mention of the Time Child that the TARDIS wants to offer us," she explained. "While I've got to narrow down people who can help. He doesn't want me to look for his other bodies just yet, but I've got a list of people," she nodded at the screen, "and I'm basically making my way down it. Perkins was first, you were second, and after Jack we're going to see someone called Martha."

"Martha Jones," River told her. "She was his companion after Rose and before Donna. Who's Missy?"

Clara blinked at her in confusion, glancing over at Perkins who only offered a shrug in return. "Missy," Clara prompted but River really had no idea who that was. "The Mistress?" she offered but there was still no recognition. "The Master?"

Now that name River knew. Clara watched it flicker on her face, the usually rather outspoken but uncaring woman seemed rather horrified for the moment she let it show. Then she turned to the console. "I'll try and see what I can find," she told Clara. "I did a lot of research in university about Danni. I'll be a bigger help there than finding old companions. Martha has dealt with the Master before, that's why we're going after her next."

Clara nodded. "Whatever you think is best," she quickly agreed. She just hoped they could find Danni, and soon. Even with Missy dead, there was still so much that could have happened to her that they'd not saved her from. They needed to find her before something else happened.

~0~0~0~

The Doctor managed to make a path for himself as he walked down the streets of Cardiff. He wasn't sure why people were moving out of his way – actually, he could feel the look on his face and he knew exactly why. He knew Jack was going to be around here somewhere, but as he hadn't been directly outside the TARDIS when he landed the Doctor was furious.

He just felt so angry, and the anger was good. It was fuel, it was the fire he needed because thinking about anything else but how angry he was was just going to lead to disaster. He could be angry at Jack for not being where he was supposed to be. He could be angry at Clara for trying to clean up his mess. He could be angry at the people around him who were slowing down his search because if he thought about her just once…

His steps faltered. He paused in the middle of the busy high street and the whole world fell away. The hustle and bustle fell to a silence that buzzed painfully in his ears. The air around him felt so close it was trying to choke him. And the despair, the hopelessness made his knees weak and his resolve shudder like it was going to fall down.

He didn't let it. He took a breath and harnessed the anger once again. That was what he needed. He needed the energy to push him forward, to help him put one foot in front of the other until he'd walked the universe and found his wife. He had no idea what Missy could have done to her but he needed to save her and he knew there were going to be pieces to put back together again. He needed the strength because chances were that she wouldn't have it. Missy wouldn't have left her alone if something hadn't already happened to ensure that she wouldn't escape.

He spotted Jack coming out of a dark alley next to a cafe and he knew that the ex-time agent probably wasn't up to anything good. Not that it mattered. He stalked over to the other side of the street, where Jack caught sight of him and immediately went on guard.

"Doc," he greeted. "Never thought I'd see you without Danni leading the way."

"She is," he replied. "The Master has her."

Jack straightened, eyes flashing and making him look almost as dangerous as the Time Lord in front of him. He remembered the Master, and he remembered the Year that Never Was vividly. He also remembered the state that the Master had left Danni in. She'd barely been able to stand, and her eyes had only been for the other Time Lord. He knew that somehow, using the phantom noise he'd proclaimed to hear, he'd managed to completely control Danni and that her being back in his company was just going to make that a whole lot worse.

"Where?"

"I don't know," the Doctor admitted. "No one does. I'm here for your help."

All it took was a nod from Jack to tell him he had the immortal man's help and the Doctor turned, stalking back towards the TARDIS. He needed to go to the next stop. He needed all of his friends around him. The people who would help. Who'd never stop looking, who would never stop fighting.

Clara had suggested that he head back to his past selves because if anyone could find Danni, it was him. He agreed. He had a fresh set of regenerations and he'd use every single one if he had to. He'd use his entire life to try and locate her, although he desperately hoped that wouldn't be the case.

He didn't want them to know that he'd failed. That he'd done the one thing they both had done and failed to protect her from the Master. So far he had let him abuse her, then he'd shot her into the Time War to be bewitched by him yet again. Now that she was with Missy he had no idea what was happening to her… Would she bewitch Danielle again? Would she even want to leave?

He slammed the door to the TARDIS open and Jack had to swerve to not be hit by the ricochet. There weren't many people in the console room – he must have been one of the first the Doctor had come for – but he did see River stood by Clara. She looked over and he expected a snarky remark as a greeting. Instead, to his surprise, she just nodded in his direction.

"I've found a mention of her in 13th Century France," River told the Doctor as he stalked over to Clara to follow the trail she had find for Martha. "Apparently a Danni Fielding visited a small village in Southern France..."

"That was us," he dismissed. "We went for the food, ended up spending three days trapped in a dungeon."

The TARDIS shuddered into life and River looked up at the time rotor. "She doesn't seem to be well," she commented. "Perhaps we should stop and take a look..."

"She's fine," he bit back. "She's just upset. Do you blame her?" He stalked past them all, barely paying anyone any attention. His hands were still shaking, he didn't want them to know how much he was falling apart. He didn't need a bunch of panicking morons, he needed an army.

He knocked on the front door of Martha and Mickey's house. His foot bounced impatiently even though the door opened pretty quickly. Martha smiled in surprise.

"Doctor!" she said. "What are you..."

Her smile fell as she noticed just how manic he looked. It was slightly terrifying to see this particular body looking so frantic and disorganised. Even in the brief time she'd spent with him she'd come to realise that he never wanted the universe to see past his outer shell.

"What's happened to Danni?" she asked and he couldn't help but give her the smallest of smiles. Of course Martha Jones would work it out before he'd even had a chance to speak.

"The Master regenerated and has taken her," he told her. Martha took in a hiss of breath, her mind immediately flashing back onto the Valiant much like Jack's had done.

He could see the way he mind immediately started calculating, working out what could have possibly happened and what to do next. She was nothing if not a problem solver.

She glanced back into the house, then turned her attention back to him. "Mickey will be home in an hour," she explained. "I'll need to call my mum about Simon. Come back then."

He nodded, understanding. "Thank you," he offered softly because he couldn't exactly expect her to just abandon her young child, as much as he desperately just wanted her to follow him like River and Jack had done.

He turned to stalk back to the TARDIS but she caught his arm. "Doctor," she said firmly. The voice of a mother who was telling her child that they weren't getting sweets, one that definitely didn't leave room for negotiation. "We'll find her."

He swallowed and he felt his hands starting to shake again. She said it was a conviction that he just couldn't find it within himself to replicate. What if he didn't? What if she was lost in time forever?

He broke out of her grasp and was gone before he could answer her because he didn't trust his answer. He opened the door and Clara frowned when he entered on his own.

"Was she not in?" she asked and he shook his head, setting them into flight.

"She was. We're going back," he explained. "It gave me an idea. I'm dropping you all off. I'm wasting time explaining everything over and over again. You can all," the TARDIS shuddered yet again in a very turbulent flight, "explain and then when we're a group we can move onto what we're doing next."

"And what are we doing next?" Jack asked. "Surely you have a clue of where she is? Or at least when?"

The Doctor paused, his hands clenching on the console and he squeezed his eyes shut. His frustration was flaring at what was actually a rather reasonable question. Heaven forbid anyone ask him something stupid.

"My only lead was a dead end," he replied. "I have nothing else. That's what Perkins is for."

"Alright," Jack drawled. "And you've thought this through, have you?"

The Doctor turned to him. "What do you think?" he asked. "I'm making this up as I go along. It's all I know how to do, and all I have is the hope that I can pull it off one last time. All I know is that she's out there somewhere and she's waiting for me to find her, and so I'm going to. And if you have a problem with that, if you have a better idea, then," he spread his arms out wide, "I am all ears because I am desperate."

Clara stepped forward, a little shakier than she may have been in the past. "Alright, let's not start an argument," she said to the two men. "We don't have time for that. Lets get everyone together then we can work out where to go from there."

The Doctor didn't like the fact that she was right. He also didn't like the fact that Jack hadn't offered another idea for him to follow. He really felt out of his depth, and that happened so rarely it was even more unnerving than normal. He had to be certain, and sure of himself, and of what he was doing if Danni had any chance of being found safe and he had neither of those things.

He turned back to the console, checking the first location again. "I'm going to drop you off one at a time then pick you up an hour later. I expect you all to be ready."

~0~0~0~

It had been a rather dull week in London. There was nothing of any interest to take her attention, and while Vastra was rather content with spending time with her wife that didn't involve being alert or hunting, she did like to keep her mind sharp. When that wasn't done with solving cases, she spent her time doing puzzles. Word puzzles were her favourite, and she took them in her conservatory whilst Jenny attended to the rest of the house. Vastra had told her time and time again that the maid pretence was just that, but Jenny seemed to be rather taken with it despite how she would complain otherwise.

She looked up from her newspaper as Jenny walked in, looking rather spooked and suddenly the alertness was back. Vastra sat up straighter, placing the newspaper down onto her side table and reached for her veil.

"What is it, my love?" she asked her wife.

"We have a visitor, Ma'am," she replied.

Vastra raised her veil. "Very well," she said with a bit of a sigh. "Would they give you any details?"

"No," Jenny replied, which wasn't a rare occurrence. People seemed to think that because she was the maid that she didn't deserve to know anything. "But, Ma'am, the visitor..."

Vastra frowned as the concerned look on her wife's face didn't seem to fade. They'd had many visitors to their little household, and for the most part Jenny took them all in with a confidence and a slight air of annoyance at their attitudes towards her.

"What is it?" Vastra asked.

"It's Professor Song, Ma'am," Jenny replied, much to Vastra's surprised. "She's 'ere. She wanted me to let you know she's on her own."

Vastra brought her veil down, placing it on the table once again. She knew she wouldn't need it with the professor. "Very well," she replied. "Send her in."

She knew that something must have been very wrong if River was visiting them on her own. Her mind raced over the many things that could be happening, but when the other woman entered the conservatory Vastra was none the wiser to what she could possibly need from them.

"Professor Song, this is a surprise," she greeted as River sat down in front of her. "What do we owe this visit to? Surely anything you have come across in our city you can handle yourself?"

River crossed one leg over the other. "Oh, most definitely," she replied cockily. "However, I'm afraid it's much more serious than that." She leant back in the chair. "Do you know anything about the Master?"

Vastra frowned. "I can't say I know that name," she replied. "Although, convention and your appearance would suggest they are something to do with the Doctor?"

River nodded. "What about the name Missy?" Vastra shook her head. "The Master is a Time Lord," she explained. "He and the Doctor grew up together. Legends say that the Master is what the Doctor would be if the Doctor gave into his darkness."

"What do you believe?" Vastra asked.

"I believe it's much more complicated than that," River replied. "The Master hid himself at the end of the universe during the Time War, which means he was not locked away with the Time Lords when the Doctor ended it."

Vastra leant back, pressing her fingers together creating a point. "So he is out in the universe?" she asked. "You think he's here?"

River shook her head. "The Master's goal was always to rule the universe. In the distant future he will become Prime Minister and enact a plan to do just that."

"Was?" Vastra queried, just as River had expected. "What changed?"

"Danni," River replied simply. "His tenure as Prime Minister was short, but it started a time that she calls 'The Year The Never Was'. All but a handful of people will never know it happened."

"And the Doctor and Danielle were right in the middle?"

"Where else would they be?" River countered. "During the time Danni made deals with him, using the knowledge that she had from the universe she grew up in, to ensure the safety of her friends and the Doctor. He manipulated her, made her ill, and abused her in a way that she will never tell you, and I am certainly not going into the details of."

Her voice was hard, and Vastra had no doubts that if she had pressed, River would have left. "And Danielle?"

"During that time his mission changed," River continued. "It stopped being about taking over the universe and became taking it over with her. Then he died and didn't regenerate, but was brought back. I'm not sure of their following encounter, there is not much written in history about it, but it is the reason that despite everything Danni always insisted that he was a good man. He was sucked into the Time War, and that was the last this universe saw of him."

"I'm guessing Missy is another of his regenerations?" Vastra guessed and River nodded.

"It's short for the Mistress, apparently," River offered. "When she regenerated it seems that her mission changed again. She took Danni, and the Doctor said that she was killed by a Cyberman before he could find out where or when. Danni is somewhere in the universe, at any point in history, and we need to find her. You once joined an army to save my mother and you knew when and where she was. Will you help us find Danni?"

"When will the Doctor be back?" she asked River.

"On the hour."

Vastra nodded, turning to her wife. "Jenny, we're going to need to pack. Just the essentials."

Jenny rolled her eyes and turned to River. "What she means is that I have to pack," she translated, sounding much more like the Jenny she normally was, before heading out. River smirked slightly, turning back to Vastra.

"She's quite sassy, isn't she?" River said and Vastra nodded.

"Very much so," she agreed. "What does this Missy want with Danielle?"

"To keep her safe," River explained. "Her version of 'safe', however, is much different from pretty much everyone else's. And with her unable to make it back to Danni we don't know what state she will be when we find her."

"Then we will," Vastra said simply.

~0~0~0~

The universe was wonderful. Jenny could see why her father had taken to it so readily, and why her step-mum was able to just jump right into it with him despite being chucked around his time line. She could travel for the rest of her life and know she had barely scratched the surface. And yet, she would see so much splendour, so much life.

For example, right now she was wading her way through a dark green swamp with a camera in hand, searching for a small bird that she knew only nested within the square mile of where she was stood. She wanted to get a picture of it so that, when she saw the Doctor and Danni again, she could show the picture off. She hadn't seen them in a couple of years now but she wasn't worried. They'd always turn up eventually.

"Jenny!"

She frowned, standing up straighter at the sound of her name. Someone was calling her, which made absolutely no sense because the whole area was uninhabited and she had come on her own. They didn't sound particularly anxious. It was almost like they had been looking for a while and were getting rather bored.

Still, her preprogrammed training kicked in and she kept quiet, looking around for hiding places as well as the quickest way to get out of the swamp and to somewhere more defendable.

"Jenny!" the voice called again before yelling out loudly. "Oh, for fuck's sake!"

Jenny frowned to herself. She recognised the voice, didn't she? Was that…

"Clara?" she called out.

"Jenny?!" the voice replied. "Oh thank god. Wait there… wherever there is! Actually… Can you find me? I have no idea where I am!"

"Give me a second," Jenny replied, making her way to the edge of the swamp. "Keep talking! What can you see?"

"Just lots of trees," Clara told her. "What are you doing in the middle of a jungle?"

"It's a swamp," Jenny replied as she headed towards Clara's voice. "And I was looking for a bird. It loves the wet environment. I wanted to get pictures."

"Pictures? You are just like you mother, aren't you?"

Jenny chuckled to herself. "She's partly the reason I'm here," she said as she came spotted a flash of something through some bushes. That was Clara. "I knew she wouldn't be happy if I didn't take any."

She pushed through the bushes and saw Clara stood in a small clearing, absolutely covered in the green, thick mud that made up most of the swamps. That explained why she had sworn so loudly. Jenny couldn't help but chuckle again. "Did you fall in?" she asked.

Clara just shot her a look. "It's disgusting," she replied shortly. "How can you stand it?"

Jenny shrugged. "I can get changed," she offered. "It's quite fascinating, really."

"Give me a city break anyday," Clara retorted before shifting on the spot, looking a little nervous. "Look, about your mother..."

"Danni?" Jenny asked, concern rolling over her at the look on Clara's face. "What about her?"

"She's missing," Clara broke apologetically. "Someone's taken her, someone who only wants to hurt her but thinks they're helping her. We don't know where or when, but the Doctor's asked me to..."

"Of course I'll help," Jenny interrupted before Clara could even ask. "Where is he?"

"Dropping off more people to look for help," Clara explained. "He's collecting everyone else he can think of. There's a few of us."

Jenny nodded. "That makes sense," she said as Clara pulled out her phone. "I'm surprised he didn't drop you off closer. Has his driving got worse again?"

"No, I think he did that on purpose," Clara replied softly, not elaborating any more. He'd practically pushed her out of the TARDIS, where she'd almost fallen into the swamp for the first time. Jenny had been nowhere in sight and Clara knew that he was punishing her by making her wander through the jungle enviroment until she found the other woman. She'd only done it because she'd known that his want for help to find Danni would be greater than his anger at her.

Hopefully, anyway. It was a thought that she was clinging to because otherwise she really had no hope that he'd ever forgive her. Part of her, the selfish part, was betting on the idea that what Missy had done would outweigh what she had done. It was a weak hope, but Clara kept it. She didn't want to lose Danni from her life again. She couldn't lose everyone she loved in such quick sucession.

"Why would he do that?" Jenny asked her, confused. Clara looked up from the text to the Doctor she was sending to let him know Jenny had said yes, and wondered if she should tell their daughter the truth. It'd come out eventually, right?

"Oh, he's just pissed off at the universe," she offered instead. "Do you blame him?"

"I guess not," Jenny agreed. "Will he be long?" Clara shrugged. "Well, let's get these pictures anyway, then. She'll appreciate them when we find her."

Clara couldn't help but smile at her surety, but the pulled a face as Jenny headed back into the swamp. "I really don't want to go in there again."

~0~0~0~

The entire ship was protected from any unauthorised teleportation. It always had been, and it always worked. There had been zero unauthorised boardings since the ship first launched, despite numerous attempts.

Now, though, the whole ship was on red alert. The hallways flashed with the red lights that indicated anyone who couldn't or didn't hear the loud alarm that this was the case, and the guards and soldiers were all racing up to the State Room, ready to guard the door and the contents of the room with their lives.

None of them knew what to expect. It would have taken something rather big and insanely powerful to be able to just break through the defences, and yet the alarms had only been triggered because whoever it was had wanted them to be.

They all had steady hands but racing hearts as the figure approached, navy blue coat billowing behind them. They didn't lower their guns but their fear turned to confusion as what approached them was not some terrible beast, but just a humanoid man with black hair and a cheeky grin. He didn't look like a threat, but that didn't mean he wasn't one.

"Hello boys," he greeted jovially as he walked towards them. "Sorry about the noise, I've always liked an entrance."

"Stop where you are," the captain of the group called. "You are in breach of several Imperial laws, including..."

The man stopped in his path, hands up in front of him. "Yes, yes, I know," he interrupted. "I've broken into a heavily armoured ship carrying the Emperor, putting him and everyone else in danger yada yada yada… Look, I don't want to hurt him, I just want to talk to him."

"You will not talk to the Emperor," the captain replied. "You will be arrested under Article 23 of the Shadow Proclamation..."

"Oh, stop that," the man retorted. "You're pretty, but I'm just not interested. But, if you like, let's get straight down to business." His demeanour suddenly changed from flirty and carefree to him standing straight and looking much more foreboding. "You know I'm a threat because I wouldn't have made it this far without being one. There is no doubt in any of your minds that I can wipe you all out with barely any effort, so you know what is stopping me from pushing past you all and finding the Emperor myself?"

There was silence for a moment as the captain decided whether or not addressing him would be wise. "What?" he eventually asked.

The man sighed heavily, like he wasn't surprised by the answer but was terribly annoyed by it. "Manners," he exclaimed. "Being polite. You know, they really do not cost a thing! Now, be a dear and go tell the Emperor that I would like to talk to him. Tell him the Doctor sent me."

"I cannot allow you access to the Emperor."

"I don't think you have much of a choice," the man replied before pulling out a small device from the pocket of his long coat. Immediately every guard cocked their guns but all he did was hold it up for them to see. "Do you know what this is?" he asked. "It's a detonator. Go and tell the Emperor, or I will set it off before you can shoot me."

His tone was so confident that none of them had any doubt of his abilities. The captain took his time to deliberate over what to do, then he turned to one of his men.

"Go tell the Emperor," he commanded and his guard nodded, darting into the door. He made sure to shut it behind him so that the intruder couldn't get in.

Instead of looking impatient, or angry, or smug as was expected, the man just turned back to the captain and grinned. "So, what's your name?"

The captain frowned. "I don't think it's appropriate to flirt right now," he admitted bluntly.

"Why does everyone always think I'm flirting?" the man exclaimed, holding his hands up in exasperation. "Can't a man just say hello?"

The door opened again and they both looked expectantly at the guard. He looked rather bewildered. "He says to let him in."

"Really?" the captain asked in disbelief, whereas the man just started to walk forward towards the door.

"Thought as much," he told them. "They never say no. Don't wait up."

He disappeared inside, walking up to the throne that sat in the middle of the room. The Emperor, Ludens Nimrod Kendrick Cord Longstaff XLI so he had been told, sat in the middle of the room. The man came to a stop in front of him, giving him a small bow.

"My guard seemed rather scared of you," the Emperor commented. "Apparently you have a device that can blow up the entire ship."

"What, this?" the man replied, holding up his small device. "Nah, this just unlocks my car." He pocketed it again. "You've got to have a little fun, don't you?" He dipped his head again. "Captain Jack Harkness," he introduced. "It's nice to meet you, Porridge."

The Emperor looked slightly surprised. "No one has called me that in quite a while," he said. "So the Doctor did send you?"

Jack nodded. "He would come himself, but he's busy. Danni told me about you, though. She said you tried to help when she wasn't feeling herself."

A fondness appeared on the Emperor's face. "She was sad," he explained. "What does the Doctor want help with?"

"Danni," Jack replied. "She's missing. She was taken by one of the biggest villains the universe has ever seen and we don't know when or where she is. She might not even been in this time period, but we are desperate. As her father, and on behalf of her husband, can you help us?"

Porridge took a moment to think on it. The Doctor and Danni had tried so hard to save them all from the Cybermen at Hedgewick's. If the Doctor needed help then it had to be a dire situation. Even until the moment that he'd had them transported off the planet, the Doctor had fought to stop them himself.

"I will put out the order for her return," he told Jack. "I can have my army search through any leads that we may find."

"Thank you," Jack replied. "The Doctor asks that you contact him straight away if you hear anything," he held out a card to the Emperor. "Obviously, we would rather that only you had the number, but this is the quickest way to get in contact with us."

~0~0~0~

Silhouette felt free. It was something that she never took for granted anymore. Just walking down the street, the sun shining on her face, doing ordinary tasks in between shows, she felt free. Now that she'd had it taken away from her by Milton, even it was just for the shortest time, she knew that she'd never allow anyone to take it from her again.

She smiled at the little ding of the bell above her head as she opened the door to the small cafe. Just enjoying sounds for what they were seemed so much better when she could control what she was feeling. Or, rather, he feelings weren't being controlled at all.

She spotted Affinity sat at the back, his hat still perched on his head. They had once thought about going back to their names before they'd met Milton, but they wore them like a badge of honour now. She walked over to him, her smile slowing falling as she saw him talking to another young woman. She recognised her straight away and Silhouette straightened as she joined them.

"Jenny," she greeted a little more curtly than she might have done anyone else. "I didn't expect to see you again."

"I'm sure you didn't," the young cockney woman agreed. "Unfortunately we 'ave a bit of a emergency and we could use your 'elp."

Silhouette sat down on the third wooden chair around the table. A part of her worried that something else terrible was happening and they were checking with them because they thought that perhaps Affinity or herself had something to do with it.

"I don't see how we can help," she replied. "We haven't done anything since..."

"Oh, I know, don't worry," Jenny quickly reassured her. "No one planned to come find you. We do like to leave people alone it's just… Danni's in trouble."

"Danni?" Affinity asked with a frown. "What could have happened that you need our help?"

"'onestly, we don't know," Jenny admitted bluntly. "She was taken and we don't know where she is, or who she's with. We just know she's in danger."

"And what can we do to help?" Affinity asked.

"I'm sure your set of skills will come in quite 'andy," she said. "The Doctor wanted me to ask you for your 'elp. He wouldn't bother you if he didn't 'ave to, he's..."

"He's desperate," Silhouette finished for her. She turned to Affinity. "I never thought we'd ever have to encounter someone like Milton again," she admitted and he took her hand. "What happened with him was horrible."

"No one is going to force you to do anything," Jenny quickly replied, keeping to herself how insistent the Doctor had been that she retrieved them for his new army.

"We'll help," Silhouette said, surprising her companion who leant in a little closer.

"You don't have to," he told her.

"No, we don't have to do anything," she agreed. "They saved us from that. It's only right that we offer the same."

"Well, if you wish to help, then I am very happy to come with you," Affinity replied and they both shared a fond smile between them.

It had been easier than Jenny had expected. She'd thought she'd have to try and persuade them, but much like the rest of the Doctor and Danni's friends, they were happy to help when needed. "There's just one more thing I need to tell ya," she said. "The Doctor and Danni, their 'ome is called the TARDIS..."

~0~0~0~

The TARDIS was quiet when she landed. He hadn't changed any of the settings, but the Doctor knew it wasn't because of anything he did. His time machine could be very unpredictable at times, but sometimes he could read her as well as she could read him.

She was quiet because she was sad. And she was quiet because he was sad. They were both quiet because they were both devastated.

Now he was on his own, with only Perkins quietly researching away across the room, he could allow himself to feel it heavily. He pressed a hand against the console and took a deep breath in, letting it wash over him. The complete and utter uncertainty of what was happening felt like it was crushing him.

He just hoped that he was doing the right thing. It was exactly what Missy had wanted him to do – find an army and rage across the universe – but he hoped it was the right direction. Missy had wanted him away from Danni, he just wanted to move closer.

"Sir," Perkins called over, not looking up from his work. "Your wife is waiting."

It was a gentle reminder, but it did pull the Doctor out of his head for a moment. He walked over to the door. "Thank you, Perkins," he called back. There was no bite to his tone. He was genuinely happy that he'd picked up Perkins. Danni had liked him. She'd said he'd reminded her of her husband. It was the closest the Doctor was going to get to contacting his other selves.

Outside the air was warm, signalling that while summer hadn't quite finished, it was going to be rather soon. The street wasn't particularly busy but he'd chosen a quieter time of the day to land. The house in front of him was modest but very homely, and he knew that he was in the right place.

He hesitated before knocking. He hadn't wanted to come back without Danielle. This felt so wrong.

The door opened and the ginger woman that answered looked at him with the faint annoyance of someone who didn't want to be dealing with people today. "Yes?"

He couldn't help but smile slightly, even if it was a poor attempt at one. Still so very Scottish. "Hello Amelia."

She frowned, straightening slightly before looking him over with a critical eye. She glanced over his shoulder and saw the TARDIS and her face broke out into a grin. "Doctor?" He nodded and she almost launched herself forward, hugging him tightly. "Doctor!"

Normally he wasn't quite the hugging person, but he wrapped her up in one in return tightly, terrified to let her go. He had thought seeing her would flood him with memories of the last time he had seen them both. He had thought he'd be overwhelmed with images of graveyards and Weeping Angels, of his wife dying at his hand. But instead he couldn't move past why he was there in the first place.

She broke the hug first and he followed her lead. "I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow," she told him.

"Tomorrow?" he repeated, confused and she nodded.

"Yeah, for Tony's birthday," she told him before rolling her eyes. "Misaimed again, eh? Some things never do change."

He could have laughed. "That's why the date stuck out to me," he commented to himself. "I did wonder where it had come from."

"Stuck out?" she repeated before looking around, seemingly noticing something was awry. "Where's Danni?"

There it was. The answer stuck in his throat for the first time and all he could do was swallow and stare back at Amy. How was he supposed to tell her he'd let her down too? Just like he'd let down Amy and Rory.

Amy saw the struggle on his face. She'd seen her Raggedy Man upset before, she could recognise it on every face he'd ever have, even if this one wasn't quite so raggedy anymore. Although, the redness of his knuckles and the mess that was his hair weren't exactly clean cut. She wanted to prod more, press him until he told her, but instead she let her face soften.

"Come inside," she commanded gently and he shook his head.

"I can't," he replied. "I- I need to find Danni. She's..." He swallowed again, the lump building up as it tried to choke him. "The Master has her trapped somewhere. She's in danger. Missy – the Master – she..."

Amy remembered mentions of the Master. Mostly she remembered not being able to talk about the other Time Lord, but she could also remember the tension that would appear if the Master was even hinted at. She'd learnt after her first attempt at talking about the other man to just not even try.

"Who's Missy?" she asked.

"The Master's newest regeneration," the Doctor replied. "She's the one who… Who took Danni… My Danni-Girl..."

His hands were shaking again. He hated when they did that, but it was where the energy seemed to want to escape him. When he couldn't get angry anymore his hands would start to shake and until he could squash the feeling down they wouldn't stop.

Amy seemed to notice this. "Come inside," she tried again and he shook his head.

"I can't," he reiterated. "I'm building an army to find her."

"Just like you did for me," Amy said with a little fond smile he didn't join in with. Amy's army had been easy. He had known where they'd taken Amy and it was just some poxy little religious cult. He knew he'd have no problems stopping them. Of course, losing Melody had been the biggest blow but actually finding and saving Amy had been easy. With Danni he had nothing. No location, no time zone. Just one confirmed sighting by Clara that no matter how hard he tried, the TARDIS wouldn't let him go to. He was always just too late. He was sure it was the TARDIS trying to stop him interfering, after all even he had to admit that Danni wouldn't even be there to be saved if Clara hadn't stopped the Great Intelligence.

It was an annoying but true fact. He didn't have to like it.

"I need to go pick them up," he explained. "Amelia..." There it was again. That lump. He wanted to ask her if she and Rory would join in the search, but instead a pathetic little plea fell from his lips. "Please help me."

She nodded. "Of course," she replied surely, as if he'd had any reason to doubt them. "But come inside. It wasn't a request." She stepped out of the way, motioning him inside without room for argument.

He still rolled his eyes as he stepped in. "Little Amelia Pond," he said with a drawl. "Always looking after me."

"Of course," she replied. "Guess what?" He turned to her, brows furrowed. "Gotcha."

He actually laughed. A little bark that broke through everything and the tears started falling. She quickly pulled him in for another hug for just a moment, before pulling back with a stern look on her face.

"After we've found her," she told him firmly and he nodded, running a hand over his tired face. There was no time for him to break down.

"Of course," he agreed. He knew he could pull himself together until they found Danni. It was the culmination of everything that was happening. He needed to get his act together.

Amy led him into the living room where Rory and Brian were sat, both reading the newspaper in unison. They both looked up.

"Hello?" Rory greeted, a little confused as he looked to his wife.

"Oh. Rory, Doctor," she waved her hand to the Doctor and Rory blinked in surprise before jumping out his seat.

"Doctor? Wow, I wasn't expecting..."

"Yeah, we've done all that," Amy dismissed and Rory sighed like it was an everyday occurrence. "Danni's missing."

A silence fell over the room as Rory's face went from shocked, to horrified, to anger and then to determination. His back straightened and he suddenly became a man ready to battle for his family.

Then he broke the atmosphere with one small question. He shoulders sagged and an exasperated look overtook everything else.

"I don't have to dress up like a Roman, do I?"

~0~0~0~

Oh, what a lovely response to the prologue. Thank you all very much. I hope you all liked this chapter too :)

Reviews :)

Midnight Alley - Thanks sweetie! I do the same, it's nice to know other people are inflicted the same way :P

whitedwarf - Oh, you know I love your long reviews :D I'm glad I'm still managing to keep you on your toes, I hope I can do the same in this story as well! I shall always strive to surprise you all :D

BlueFlame27 - I'm glad you're liking it so far! Yeah, she's got the touch of Amy this time around XD

bwburke94 - I can't really say what the next big bad is. Missy, though, is not to be trifled with.

Authora97 - It's just what I do :P

silverhawk88 - I feel I answered this in your PM XD

erika - Yes :D :D

bored411 - I think everyone is. He's on his way, though :)

Jojo - Thanks sweetie! I wouldn't take the Christmas Special as everything that he knows, after all it was a dream-like state for both of them. We'll see more and more of him finding out as the story progresses :)

serenitysaiyan - I know! Pretty much, yeah :D xxx

Quinnmarie - Thanks sweetie! It's just her regeneration. With her not being fully Time Lord her regenerations are a little spotty. Hope you liked this one :)

AGBreads - Thanks sweetie!