It was surprisingly hard, not feeling much at all. Hard and tiring, and Danni really didn't understand how that could be a thing.

She sat in her armchair in the console room with a book in one hand that she wasn't reading. The Doctor had parked the TARDIS on a random planet and had suggested they go out for an adventure. Danni hadn't felt up to it. She hadn't felt like turning him down, either, though so the plan was to go out and have a walk around. The Doctor called it 'baby steps'. She called it exhausting.

Sometimes she just really wished that she would get upset. Since the Doctor broke the news to her that she had wiped her own memories she hadn't cried, or gotten angry, or sad. She'd just sort of… existed in some weird space where everything felt like an effort that she couldn't find to put into it.

And the Doctor was trying. She couldn't fault him for that. He was thoughtful and attentive, and he gave her space when he felt she needed it. That's what he was doing now; he'd left her to read for a while on her own. She appreciated it. She thought she did, anyway.

She couldn't find the want to miss Clara, which seemed awful to some extent. She was remembering more and more the times when this mysterious woman would have been there. Clara had a place in her memories but not in the life around it. She was just there, in the background, doing things to help Danni and her husband but there was no face, no emotion. It was almost like reading a badly written book. The character didn't matter. So, really, what was the point in trying to be emotionally invested? Nothing really mattered.

She glanced down at the book she'd picked up; A Midsummer Night's Tale. She loved Shakespeare still, she was sure that wasn't something that she was ever going to out-regenerate. She couldn't focus on the words. She couldn't find it in her at all to care about the prose, or the storyline, or the fact that it was a book at all. Everything just felt so… meh.

It was a stupid word, but she couldn't describe it any other way. Everything was meh.

Even the knock on the TARDIS door didn't quite stir her excitement. Usually someone knocking on the door whilst on an alien planet meant that something exciting, or dangerous, or fun was about to happen. Now she just had to get up off her chair and go check it out, which was a lot of effort and not something she wanted to do out of any other motivation than obligation. It was rude to leave someone at the door.

She opened the door onto the winter wonderland that the Doctor had taken them to and barely noticed the red brick, quaint houses that lined the street they were parked in. She acknowledged the Christmas lights somewhere in her mind, but all she could really think about was how cold the snow was. And that there was currently a short, round, bald man in a bobble hat too small for him stood in front of her looking incredibly nervous with a piece of paper in his hand.

A short, round, bald man in a bobbly hat too small for him, who was very much stopping her from sitting on her own in silence thinking about nothing at all.

"Wrong house," she told him. "Go somewhere else."

She was going to shut the door on him but he shook his head, still nervous. "Are-Are you Mrs Fielding?" he asked. Immediately she took him a little more seriously. Her younger experience usually led to her being called a 'Miss', disregarding her as too inexperienced to be married to the Doctor. She liked it when it was acknowledged.

"Why?" she asked. "Is it important?"

He nodded, still holding the paper in his hand. "Very," he replied, suddenly looking all business. "She wants you to come with me."

"She?" Danni repeated before shaking her head. She wasn't playing the pronoun game. "Nope, don't do house calls. That's never something I've done. Try next door."

He stopped her from closing the door on his face. "Please," he insisted. "It's a medical emergency."

"Then I suggest you find a doctor," she retorted. "I have one, it's amazing. I really would try it."

"Please, Doctor Song insists that it's you who she needs!"

Danni perked up slightly. "Doctor Song?" she repeated. "As in River Song?"

He bristled slightly. "I really must insist that you call her Doctor Song," he told her. "She says you can help."

That was probably true. She glanced back into the TARDIS console room and was surprised to suddenly, and deeply, just need to see her mother. She'd never really felt like that about River. She'd been a woman she'd hated, then a good friend, and then part of her family. But she had never, not even when she had run to her when she was upset, needed her like she'd needed her mother.

She scoffed at herself. She was just feeling a bit down, there was no need to get too sentimental. Her mother was probably long dead in a universe she couldn't get to, and she really didn't need cheering up that badly. It was just a hump in the road. She'd get back to normal soon enough.

She nodded to herself then turned back to the man. "Stay right there," she instructed. "Don't come inside." She shut the door and walked over to the console. She grabbed the phone off the top. "Hey, Theta," she said into it, knowing that it would be rerouted to him. "So, River's here and she knows we're here. I'm going to go find out what she wants. When you're finished doing… Well, whatever you're doing, come find us. I'm sure she's up to no good."

She headed out of the TARDIS and followed the man down through the streets. "So, who are you?" she asked.

"Nardole, Mrs Fielding," he replied. "Doctor Song thought that my more charming personality would convince you to come without your husband."

"Charming personality?" Danni repeated, amused. "No offence, but you don't seem very charming to me."

"You're coming, aren't you?" he replied matter-of-factly.

She couldn't disagree with him and almost smiled. She liked him already, she could see why River might have him around. "And River's in trouble?"

"Doctor Song," he corrected pointedly. "She says that you're the best in the galaxy."

"I'm the best in most galaxies," she replied. "Where are we?"

"You don't know what planet you're on?" he asked slowly, sounding suddenly very unsure about her.

"I don't know what planet I'm on most of the time," she explained. "They're not normally well sign-posted."

"Mendorax Dellora," Nardole told her. "Ruled by King Hydroflax."

Danni's nose scrunched up. "Oh, royalty," she groaned. "I hate royalty. So entitled." She looked at Nardole, thinking it was quite nice to be around someone who wasn't too much taller than she was. It was a nice rest for her neck. "You're not taking me to royalty, are you Nardole?"

"Doctor Song specifically asked for you," Nardole explained, obviously skating around answering her question. She tried to not turn on her heels and head back to the TARDIS.

"Alright, fine," she muttered. She stopped to point at him. "If this King… whatever his name is—"

"Hydroflax," Nardole told her.

"-starts bossing me about like he's better than me, I'm leaving and that can be on your head."

"Why me?" he exclaimed.

"Because you're the one who brought me, obviously," she retorted before walking off as if she knew where she was going. Nardole quickly jogged to keep up with her. "I don't mind being respectful, but only if I'm repaid in kind and royalty tends to not to be very respectful towards me or my husband."

Nardole didn't speak up again, probably because he knew that this particular king wasn't going to be nice and was worried that she'd just leave them in whatever trouble River had found herself in. Danni wasn't sure if she would follow through on her threat, but she wanted it out in the open. She didn't have time to explain it to everyone. Nardole had made her leave the TARDIS, he could deal with the fallout.

He led her out of the small town and into the surrounding woods, where a very classical flying saucer sat in the snow. It was red, round and like something out of an old-fashioned science fiction movie.

"That's it?" she asked, still very unimpressed. "Where is the string to keep it up?"

"That's highly sophisticated technology," Nardole told her. "Come on."

She followed him out and the snow seemed to pick up its pace, falling faster now there wasn't much to buffer it. "Tell me again why I decided this was a good idea?"

"I told you, it's because I'm charming."

The doors on the saucer opened and out stepped a figure in a long cloak, their head covered by the large hood. It was all very dramatic and Danni rolled her eyes. They were even bathed in a yellow glow from the lights inside.

"I feel like I'm in some sort of bad movie," she told Nardole as they approached them. "Is that what this is? Am I going to appear on some prank television show? I didn't sign any waivers about that."

"Well, you took your time," the figure called out and Danni almost laughed. She should have known that River would be right in the middle of the drama.

Nardole bowed. "Sorry, ma'am," he replied, motioning to Danni. "Mrs Fielding, as requested."

River pulled down her hood, a smirk appearing on her face, like she was very proud of what was happening around her. "Hello, Danni-Girl," she said.

Danni, on the other hand, felt such a deep relief at seeing her face that the moment she'd let go of the hood, she was throwing her arms around her for a tight hug. She wasn't sure where it came from, but she couldn't help herself. She was just so happy.

River, as always, loved it when Danni was happy to see her. It had been a while, but she knew the face well. This was the Danni who the Doctor lost, the one who had been taken by Missy. She also knew that this Danni was the one that would carry a gun and was as sassy as her mother could be. She knew this Danni as the one who would help her away Baby-Danni and would be there for her for the entire time afterwards. She was her best friend, her daughter.

And not very touchy-feely.

"Mum…"

River's heart soared at the little whisper, even as she became more and more concerned at her behaviour. She never called her mum, not really.

"Well, it's nice to see you too," she replied, pulling back to try and look at her daughter's face. Danni's eyes shone but she didn't cry, which was more like the Danni she knew this one to be, but she also held onto River's arms tightly. River smiled at her. "Perhaps I should drop in more often if this is the welcome that I'll get."

Nardole cleared his throat. "Um, ma'am…" he started pointedly and River nodded.

"Right, you're right," she replied to him before falling back into business. "Follow my lead, do as I say," she instructed. "It'll be over quickly."

"What have you gotten yourself into this time?" Danni asked, following River into the spaceship. "I'm not sure how I like the 'house call' business."

"You love it, I know you do," River dismissed. "Now shush, let me do the talking."

The inside of the flying saucer was exactly how Danni had expected it to be. There was one main room, that was also circular, with monitors inset into the walls. In the middle was a very large man in even larger armour and everything was coloured a dull red. She really wasn't impressed.

"Husband, I return to you," River declared, flinging her arms out as she walked over to the middle of the room and the man lying there.

"Where is my queen?" the man groaned in pain. She walked around to his head, which was dwarfed by the giant suit of armour he was in. In fact, he looked absolutely ridiculous and Danni had to press her lips together to stop herself from laughing.

"Never far from you, my love," River replied adoringly.

"That's the king?" Danni asked Nardole lowly as they watched from the side of the room. He nodded. "And she's married to him?"

"Yes," he whispered in reply, trying to get her to be quiet. Instead she sighed heavily.

"Oh, River, what have you gotten yourself into?" she muttered to herself. She was suddenly overcome with the rather large realisation that she wasn't getting herself into the middle of a happy romp, but rather a large deception on River's part. "Um, Doctor Song!" she called over. River gave her husband a loving look then walked over to Danni, who kept her voice low. "What is happening?" she demanded.

"We're surrounded by warrior monks with sentient laser swords, genetically engineered anger problems and not enough to do," she whispered. "Just follow my lead."

"I don't care what we're surrounded by."

"And we're being watched by four billion people," River continued, indicating to the masses of people being broadcast on the monitors around them.

"I didn't sign up for a stepdad," Danni hissed.

"My love, attend me, woman," the kind demanded rudely. River quickly turned and ran to his side.

"I fly to you," she said grandly.

"Stepdad?" Nardole asked her and she glanced at him.

"She didn't tell you who I was, did she?" she asked. He shook his head. "Then you're going to be in for hell of a surprise."

"My one true love. The only husband I will ever have. My time with you has been too short," River continued and Danni actually snorted in laugher, turning her head to try and stifle it.

"You have given me days of adventure and many nights of passion," Hydroflax replied, as if to get his own back for Danni's laugh, and she groaned at the idea of anyone being passionate with River. "The end is near. I feel it."

River continued to stroke his shoulder plates to give him comfort. Danni felt a little sick. "Forgive me, my lord. I have acted against your instructions," River said apologetically.

"My love?"

"If you die this day, this galaxy will drown any tears," River told him before motioning to the monitors around them. "Oh, look at them, your people! They watch and hope and pray. With so much at stake, I followed my heart. I disobeyed your orders and sent for the finest surgeon in the galaxy!" The crowds all cheered as she chucked her arms out, basking in their adoration.

Danni's mouth fell open and her eyes widened in horrified realisation.

What?!

~0~0~0~

"What the hell have you roped me into?" Danni demanded.

"It's not that bad," River retorted.

"I'm not a bloody surgeon, River!" she exclaimed. "What the hell are you even doing here?!"

River had relocated them to a side room to 'discuss plans' to save the King. Danni had followed a little numbly, acutely aware of how angry the man on the table appeared to be as well as how much had been dropped on her shoulders.

"I'm helping my husband," River replied, standing a little straighter. "I can't let him die." Danni just stared at her until she sighed heavily. She walked over to the table in the middle of the room. "Let me show you."

She brought up a large floating projection of the King's head. "Here's the entry wound, just below the hairline," she explained, showing off the wound on his forehead before zooming in to an internal scan. "And there's the projectile. It should have killed him straight off, but he's very strong."

"Well, then, he can say a long and probably rather messy goodbye because, as you seem to have forgotten; I am not a surgeon!" Danni exclaimed before frowning, leaning a little closer as she actually took a look at the scan. "What the hell is that?" she asked. She reached up to the scan, automatically trying to zoom in with her hand. "How the hell did he get a diamond in his brain?"

"At speed," River replied, a little cheekily and Danni snorted again.

"And you married this man?" Danni asked. River shrugged. "I'm a little insulted I never got invited to the wedding."

"You don't invite me to all of yours," River counted and Danni couldn't argue with that. "It's the Halladdi Androvar."

"And that's supposed to mean something to me?"

"It should," she replied. "It's the most valuable diamond in the universe right now."

"And it's in his head?"

"Hydroflax was leading a raid on the Hallassi vaults. the ensuing fire-fight, the whole thing blew up in his face, with the result that he now has the most valuable diamond in the universe lodged three inches inside his enormous head," River explained as Danni tilted the scan so she could see the diamond better.

"A raid on a vault?" Danni asked and River made a confirmation noise. She turned to River, suddenly very interested. "Were there tiaras?" River raised an eyebrow, amused. "What? I like tiaras!" She turned back to the scan. "And you expect me to be able to remove this diamond from his head?"

"No, of course not," River scoffed. "I expect you to be able to remove his head."

Danni blinked. "Excuse me?"

"I think it would be easier just to remove the whole thing, don't you?"

Danni stared at her mother for a long moment, surprised by how dismissive River was being about, especially, murdering a man. She had always had a bit of a disregard for other people but this seemed a little bit ridiculous. Actually, her being so affectionate with anyone like that seemed a bit ridiculous…

"You married the diamond, didn't you?" Danni stated before groaning at River's sheepish look. "River! What is…" She growled. "I'm leaving," she declared. "I didn't sign up for this."

"You never sign up to do anything," River dismissed before leaning against the table the projection was above. "The Halassi want their diamond back, so they came to me," she explained. "They weren't too happy someone had broken into their vaults and stolen it in his head."

Danni tried not to laugh at the idea of someone stealing anything by smuggling it out in their brain. It seemed a bit excessive, which made of a brilliant image. "I have to admit, I'm not too keen on people ransacking and pillaging, especially jumped-up royalty."

Seeing her coming over, River nodded and picked up her bag, emptying it out. There were a few random items that Danni was sure she'd stolen. "I think this will work," she said. "I did check it for leaks."

Danni started to nod along, as she'd seen the size of his head and the bag was pretty big, before she realised just what she was agreeing to. "I'm not helping you murder anyone," she said firmly. "You shouldn't be trying to murder anyone! Don't think I'm just going to help you because you're my mother."

"Do you know what that man is?" River asked. Danni did not. "King Hydroflax, the butcher of the Bone Meadows, who ends his battles by eating his enemies, dead or alive."

Danni scrunched her nose up. "Ew," she said, disgusted. River nodded her agreement.

"The murder of a creature like that wouldn't weigh heavily on my conscience, even if I had one," she continued. "And it shouldn't on yours. All we have to do is get in, turn the lights up, grab the saw and get out of there before anyone notices."

"Before anyone…" Danni started, incredulous.

"You're thinking too much about this," River dismissed. "He's dying already. All we're going to do is steal his head and scoop out his brains."

Danni opened her mouth to argue further as the hologram of King Hydroflax's head disappeared, revealing Hydroflax stood in the doorway. Both women looked as surprised as each other at his sudden appearance.

"Darling!" River greeted. "You're up and about!"

Hydroflax looked positively murderous. "False wife!" he accused.

"How much better you're looking," River tried again, hoping to placate him.

"You plan to take my head," he snarled in his rage.

"Never crossed my mind," River promised before she shoved the bag at Danni. "Is this your bag?"

Danni took it, her hearts pounding, and she clutched it to her like a shield. Hydroflax's lips pulled back into another snarl.

"Perhaps you should have just asked," he told his wife. He raised his large right hand and it began to spin. He turned his head to look at it and then, much to their surprised, pulled his head right off. He placed it in the middle of the table, where he continued to glare at them.

"Well! I wondered why we didn't share a bathroom," River exclaimed, sounding outraged.

"I have to admit, I didn't see that coming," Danni muttered.

"I'll have you flogged and flayed and burnt. I will crush every last remnant of you from this universe," Hydroflax promised and Danni's hands clenched on the bag, suddenly incredibly angry about his rudeness.

"How dare you! I'm your wife," River snapped.

"You planned to murder me!" Hydroflax pointed out.

"Don't change the subject."

"Why are you doing this? Who are you?"

River's hands slammed onto the table in front of her. "I'm Professor River Song," she told him. "You have an ancient artefact of great value to good people, and whatever it takes, I'm going to bring it home to them. You have stolen so much from so many, King Hydroflax, and I'm the woman who's going to steal it all back."

"What are you?!" Hydroflax demanded.

"I'm an archaeologist," River told him before reaching into her belt. "Look! I've got a trowel." Danni grinned as she set it off, showing that it was a sonic trowel, before she turned to attack the monks that circled the room. They seemed pretty easy to subdue, so River quickly turned her attention onto Hydroflax's armour, which was now attacking on its own. It was pretty badass, Danni had to admit, to watch her fight but they didn't have much time at all. She needed to help, and fast, so she did the one thing that she could think of; she grabbed the head.

"Alright, that's enough!" she cried out angrily. She held Hydroflax out in front of her, squishing his face between her palms. "Call him off!"

"Ignore her!" Hydroflax commanded. "Attack!"

Danni tightened her grip on his face. "I said call him off!" she demanded. "Or I'm…" She looked around. "Or I'm…" She rushed over to the wall where the words 'garbage disposal' were written in white. "Guess who's going for a ride?"

"Put me down!" Hydroflax demanded. Danni gave him a little shake.

"You were rude to my mother," she told him. She opened the shoot. "Sort yourself out or you're going to have a very long drop down."

Hydroflax, despite being incredibly not happy about what was happening, looked over at his body with an air of defeat. "Do not attack the female."

The body stopped its advance and River grabbed the bag as she ran over to Danni's side. She pointed it at Hydroflax's head. "Nobody move, or the head gets it," she threatened. Danni looked at her, less than impressed.

"'The head gets it'?" she repeated. "What are you, a villain in a western?"

"Oi, I am your mother, you know?" River retorted. "I'll ground you if you keep talking to me like that."

Danni scoffed. "You couldn't ground me," she replied confidently.

"And why not? Do you think I'm a pushover? I've just tried to decapitate a king to steal a diamond."

"No, you just couldn't stay still long enough to see the punishment through," Danni replied. River looked ready to argue, but then nodded, agreeing completely. Danni nodded her head at the trowel. "Love that, by the way."

River smirked. "Knew you would."

"Their threats are empty," Hydroflax spoke up. "Destroy them!"

The body didn't move from its spot. Instead its lights flashed as it spoke in a robotic voice. "Negative. Seventy eight percent chance of significant tissue damage."

"Do as you're told!" Hydroflax commanded, outraged. Danni shook her head at the tone of his voice.

"Everyone's always so rude," she said to River as if she was commenting on some people in the street. River nodded along, agreeing.

"Decision overruled," the armour replied. "Recommendation, chill." The amour deflated, slumping over as it took its own advice and decided to calm itself down.

"Oh, wow," Danni commented, actually a little impressed. "Vernacular friendly interface. Must have an onboard computer to scan the local language. That's pretty awesome." She looked to River. "Do people still say 'chill', though? Feels a bit outdated."

"I think so, I don't tend to brush up on planetary slang until I'm in the middle of it," she replied.

"Understandable," Danni said. "It's pretty awesome, though. Cybernetic co-pilot. Must have cost a fair bit." She looked down at the top of Hydroflax's head. "Guess that's why you were stealing the diamond in the first place."

"Speaking of which," River said, keeping her trowel raised as she pressed a button on her wrist communicator. "Ramone, prep for emergency extraction. Two to go."

"Standing by for teleport," a voice replied.

River held out the bag to Danni. "Put it in the bag."

Danni glanced between the head and the suit of armour, pondering the moral implications of stealing a man's head and running away with it to get a diamond out of it. Then, she realised, he'd been incredibly rude to both her and her mother and she didn't much care. So she shoved it in the bag as he protested.

"Ramone, twenty seconds to jump," River told her friend on the other side of the communicator.

"You will be crushed; you will be destroyed!"

"Oh, do shut up," Danni told him, giving the bag a little jiggle out of annoyance.

"You will beg my infinite mercy!"

"Try to follow us and I'll put him in a blender," River warned the armour. "Ramone, now!"

The cold immediately picked up as they were teleported out of the flying saucer and out into the woods where Nardole had brought Danni in the first place. Unfortunately, they were also a good two or so feet off the ground so the pair landed with a groan in the snow below them. Danni coughed as River shot up, holding her communicator up to her mouth.

"Ramone! Just once, can you get the height right?" she exclaimed angrily. As she continued to rant to the person on the other side of the communicator, Danni glanced over at the bag that held Hydroflax's head. It had rolled away from them when they'd fallen but was still, thankfully, zipped up.

"When I escape, I will bring terror to you and your family. There is no escape from the…" he was ranting, the bag shaking from his rage. Danni couldn't help it, she really tried not to, but her face broke out into a grin and she started laughing. A hard, deep, delighted laugh that had River turn her attention back onto her daughter.

"What are you laughing at?" River asked her, brows furrowing. "We're probably being hunted now as we speak."

Danni nodded into the snow. The back of her clothes was already soaking through. She didn't care. "Oh, I know," she replied through her laugh. "I-I know, it's just… Well, look at him!" She chucked her arm to her side to point at Hydroflax's head. "Look at him ranting and raving, but he's just a head in bag. We're-We're being threatened by a head in a bag." Her head tilted back as River started to laugh along with her. "I-I mean, how's he going to eat us now? He's got no stomach! What a waste!"

River really couldn't help laughing along with her daughter, delighted that they were sharing such a strange, and yet wonderful moment together. She was seeing her less frequently with age, but the adventures were always so much better when she was there. Especially when the Doctor wasn't.

"Prepare to die in agony and submit to my supremacy! Unzip this bag!"

Danni finally sat up, wiping the tears from her eyes. She felt genuine happiness and it was nice. She missed it. She hoped it didn't go away. She had known she was in for a bit of a treat when Nardole had appeared, despite her reservations. Who knew stealing a head would be such fun?

Her eyes widened slightly. "Oh no!" she exclaimed, looking to River. "We forgot Nardole!"

River looked a little surprised. "Nardole?" she repeated.

"Yeah," she replied. "He annoyed me."

"And you're worried about him?"

Danni nodded. "Of course I am," she retorted. "I liked him! And so should you!"

River did, actually. Nardole was quite dear to her heart, she just hadn't expected Danni to remember him whilst they were running for their lives. Although, now she thought about it, Danni was a bit more considerate than she was. She got that from her father, not her.

"You're going soft in your old age," River teased her.

"Oi, I'm not old," Danni protested.

"You must be older than me now," River replied. Danni pulled a face.

"That's true a lot of the time, though," she reasoned. "Time travel means we can be as old, or as young, as the other at any one point."

A rather good-looking man ran out of the trees, calling River's name and putting an end to any further time travel debates that may have been coming their way. "Professor Song!" River scrambled off the floor and over to him. "Sorry, Professor," he said, panting slightly. "Sorry about the height thing."

Ah, that must have been Ramone. She did wonder who was on the end of the call…

"Prove it," River challenged before pulling him down into a kiss. Danni groaned, standing up and brushing off the snow off her. The kiss didn't end, in fact it got a bit deeper and she turned to pick up the head.

Nope, still kissing.

"River!" she barked. River broke away, looking a little smug.

"Sorry. This is my husband, Ramone," she explained.

"Really?" Danni replied before shrugging. "Well, I like him better than the other one." She lifted the bag up to illustrate her point. "We should probably get going. TARDIS isn't too far away."

As they walked, Ramone smiled warmly at Danni. "We're not actually married," he explained.

"Ah, we are, in fact," River broke to him, a little apologetically. "I wiped it from your memory."

"Why?" Ramone asked, sounding a little hurt.

"Well, you were being annoying," River replied.

"Really, River?" Danni said. "You wiped his memory just because he was annoying? That's cold."

"I probably deserved it," Ramone spoke up, trying to relieve River of any guilt. Danni paused in the snow and pointed at him, her good mood gone and her anger back.

"No one ever deserves that," she told him firmly. "No one." She turned, storming away with the bag swinging, its contents complaining about the ride. River watched her go, brows furrowed and concerned. That was quite the mood swing.

She turned to Ramone, smiling at him. "You head to Temple Beach," she instructed, giving him a kiss. "I've already picked out your swimwear."

He smiled and she felt a bit bad for taking his memories. "Okay, but be careful."

She smirked. "Absolutely not," she retorted before jogging slightly to catch up with Danni. "Want to tell me what that was about?" she asked. Danni glanced out the side of her eye at her mother. She didn't want to get into the specifics, she didn't want to keep remembering what she had done. She just wanted to be left alone.

Then why was she still glad that River was there? Could her brain just make up its mind?

"You never told me how you happened to be here," Danni replied, skipping over her question completely.

"Well, that wasn't exactly an accident. This was the closest intersection with your timeline, so I crashed his ship here."

"Aww, I feel loved," Danni joked. "Guess you needed the TARDIS, eh?"

River shrugged. "It does help to have a time machine when planning a daring escape plan," she admitted. "But, I thought we could do this together. A little mother-daughter outing."

Danni smiled again, although she didn't quite feel it like she had been before. "Yeah, well, who can say no to that?" she said softly.