Danielle wasn't sure how to act. She found herself walking slowly through the halls towards the console room, fingers playing with the edges of her dress as nerves caused her heart to beat erratically in her chest.
She'd kissed the Doctor.
She'd kissed him!
She'd kissed him, and then had headed to bed like nothing had happened. She had slept well and woke up feeling absolutely fantastic as she remembered the night before. Despite that fact, she had taken a long while to get dressed and actually leave her bedroom. Everything she put on felt wrong. Some things felt a bit boring and not nice enough. Some things felt like she was trying too hard and everyone would notice. She could imagine Jack teasing her about it already. And Rose! What would Rose say?
She eventually just decided to dress like she wasn't going to see anyone important, then to accessorise like she was. Nice makeup, a necklace, nicer shoes, that sort of thing. Then it could both look like she was making an effort whilst also looking like she just wanted to wear something nice for herself. At least that was what she was aiming for.
She had left her room feeling confident but it had quickly disappeared and now she was hoping for a long walk to the console room. She knew the TARDIS liked the change the halls at will, so it was really up to her, but she could always wish and hope the box heard her.
How was she supposed to act around him? One – or two - kisses didn't exactly a relationship make. A lot of the books she had read had talked about this awkward moment between two people. The part where they had to see if something was going to come from their little intimate moment. Books made it seem so easy, though, because it was pretty much guaranteed that the protagonist was going to get their partner. Nothing said that a nine-hundred-year old alien would want anything to do with a much younger human.
And the age thing was a whole different kettle of fish that she didn't want to even think of right now.
Still, she had to face him eventually. And sooner than she had hoped, as the TARDIS eagerly delivered her to the console room. There was no one else there but the Doctor, who was frowning deeply at the controls like they had done something to displease him.
She couldn't help herself. Her curiosity was always going to be her downfall. "What's wrong?" she asked. His head quickly snapped to look at her, looking startled and she stared back just the same.
Then he smiled and she couldn't help but join him, practically skipping over to his side. "Nothing," he told her brightly. She narrowed her eyes slightly in distrust.
"You're lying," she told him bluntly. "What's wrong?"
"Everything's fine," he insisted but she didn't believe him at all. He sighed, looking slightly embarrassed. "I was just…"
She leant to her side, looking at the monitor before he could stop her. She laughed in delight as he turned off the 'Game Over' screen it had been displaying. "Were you playing a game?" she asked.
"No," he quickly defended. "I was waiting for you lazy humans to get up. All you do is sleep."
"We had a long day," she pointed out. "Am I the only one up?"
"I think so," he replied. "But I only need one person to impress."
They both shared a silly grin again and Danielle realised she had nothing to be nervous about. "Go on then," she challenged. "Impress me, Spaceman."
He looked thoughtful for a moment, then a wolfish grin replaced it. He typed a couple of things, flipped a couple of switches then looked at her. "Ready?" She nodded eagerly and he flipped one giant switch. The time rotor flashed into life, making the groaning wheezing noise that Danielle had quickly become to love. The TARDIS shuddered as she set off into flight.
And then immediately stopped.
Danielle frowned. "Are we there?" she asked, because she wasn't sure. Usually the landing felt more like it was… well, a landing. That didn't feel like they'd done much.
"No," he grumbled to himself. "Let me try…" He flicked the switch back into place, then did it again. There wasn't much of anything. "What's wrong with you?" he asked the TARDIS. "You're showing me up!"
Danielle giggled slightly. "Maybe she doesn't like being used to show off in the first place?" she suggested cheekily.
"No, she loves to show off," the Doctor muttered. "Let me try again…" He flipped the switch yet again, but the TARDIS just shuddered again. He grumbled, flipping the switch a few times in quick succession. "Come on!"
"I don't think she's going to fly," Danielle offered pointlessly. "Is she not feeling well?"
"What's going on?" Rose asked, appearing from the hallway, tea mug in hand. "The shaking made me chuck my drink all over myself!"
"The TARDIS won't go anywhere," Danielle explained to her as the Doctor fiddled with the controls. He wouldn't have normally been too embarrassed about the TARDIS showing him up. Usually it just made him exasperated but he knew she would get bored eventually. Now, though, he was acutely aware that Danielle was watching and waiting. He wasn't sure how he felt about the kiss they had shared the night before; he wasn't sure if it had been a good idea even if he'd felt like he'd been 200 years old again afterwards. All he knew was that he was trying to show her something amazing and the TARDIS was not cooperating.
"What's going on?"
"Oh, great," the Doctor grumbled to himself. "Captain Flash has appeared."
"The TARDIS is broken," Rose told Jack, glancing over her shoulder at the Captain. Jack's eyes immediately lit up. He'd been wanting to get his hands on the workings of the magnificent machine since he'd settled down and realised that he wasn't going to die.
"What's up, Doc?" he asked. The Doctor shot him a small glare as he joined them all at the console. He stood next to Danielle, which the Doctor immediately hated and he moved around to stand between them, pretending that the monitor that sat between them was his goal all along.
"Nothing I can't handle," he told them all. Jack looked between him and the red head, who quickly averted her gaze and he instantly saw what had happened between them. He smirked and Danielle flushed slightly. How did he know?!
"See?" he continued smugly, pointing at the screen. "We're out of fuel. Simple."
"She needs fuel?" Danielle asked, curious. "What, like petrol?"
"More like temporal energy," the Doctor explained. "Used to be real easy to get a hold of, now not so much."
"What's the plan then?" Jack asked. "Head out into the Vortex? I assume she has an energy scoop." He was almost salivating as he looked over the console. All he wanted to do was take it apart to see how everything worked.
"Probably, somewhere," the Doctor dismissed. "However, I know a much better source."
"Than the Vortex?" Jack asked, very much not believing him.
"Yes. Cardiff," the Doctor replied. "Remember Gwyneth?" he asked Rose, who nodded. Danielle looked between the two.
"Gwyneth?" she repeated.
"She was a maid we met when we saw Charles Dickens," Rose explained. "She sacrificed herself to seal a rift that was allowing these things called the Gelfth to come through. They wanted to use dead bodies to take over the Earth."
"Well, closing the rift caused a scar, and the scar generates the energy that the TARDIS needs to refuel," the Doctor explained. He looked up at the rotor, a fond look on his face. "A couple of days will do you, won't it?"
"When, though?" Rose asked, eager to go on another adventure. He shot her a grin.
"How about your neck of the woods?" he replied. He quickly tried putting the TARDIS in flight, and this time it seemed she was more than happy to make the journey. "See some 21st century sights."
"What, in Wales?" she retorted before her eyes light up brightly, an idea coming to mind. "Oh, I'll contact Mickey. He can bring my passport."
"What do you need your passport for?" the Doctor asked, nose scrunched slightly like the idea offended him. "We have a time machine. We can go wherever we like."
She shot him a look. "When we need out passports and you don't have one, you'll be wishing you'd had the same idea."
"I can grab it, if you like," Danielle offered up, to everyone's surprise. "I'd better drop in on my mum," she explained. "I said I'd only be a couple of days; I'd better make sure she's not worried. I can drop in at your mum's and grab it for you, if you like?"
"How are you going to get there?" Rose asked. "We're grounded."
"I'll get the train," Danielle said with a bit of a shrug.
"Can I come too?" Jack asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "I want to meet the woman who gave birth to such a beauty," he said boldly. "Plus, 21st century transport? History knows that it's awful, I want to experience that in all its glory."
"Well, if you're going, why don't we all go?" the Doctor declared loudly. "A lovely day trip. We can see the sights!"
"Haven't you had enough of London?" Rose asked.
"And Cardiff's better?" he countered. "Since when were you such a stick in the mud?"
"Yeah, Rose, don't be such a party pooper," Danielle teased along with him. "Let's show them how us 21st century humans do it!"
She rolled her eyes. "Fine," she conceded. "But it's just going to be boring."
~0~0~0~
"It takes how long?" Jack asked as they walked through Cardiff Central, looking for the right platform. They'd left the TARDIS parked on Roald Dahl Plass and headed straight to the train station, which had been in itself a small journey away. Danielle was flicking through the train station's ticket machine, looking for the right journey.
"You're the ones who wanted to go," Rose pointed out a little smugly. She had known that the Doctor wouldn't have been able to stand taking the long way around on a train, he liked to be in control of the transport. Jack complaining, though, was just icing on the cake.
"But I thought 21st Century trains were super speed?" he replied.
"They are, just not here," Danielle explained. "It's only three hours." She glanced over her shoulder at them. "If you don't want to come..."
"No, no, I do," he said, poking at the screen to force her to buy the tickets before she cancelled them. "Next time let's take the old box, though."
"Oi, that's my time machine you're insulting," the Doctor scolded. To be honest, he wasn't best pleased with the travelling time either. But Danielle wanted to go home for a bit and he was curious to meet her mother. It had to be a better experience than Jackie, right?
Danielle smiled at him again and the flustered feeling he was now getting around her reappeared. He grinned back before nudging Jack rather roughly out of the way. He pulled out his screwdriver and pointed it at the screen. "Let me just..."
"What are you doing?" she asked him as the screen flashed that payment had been accepted and the train tickets began to print. "Spaceman!" she hissed, glancing around like they were going to get caught. "You'll get in trouble."
"Who, me?" he asked innocently. "Nah, I don't do trouble." He picked up the pile of orange cards and started handing them out.
"Is it trains that have personal entertainment?" Jack asked, chucking an arm around her shoulder and pulling her away from the Doctor, which she didn't really appreciate. She was hoping that they could sit together on the train. She just wanted to spend a little time with him.
"No, that's planes," Danielle replied patiently. "You're just going to have to talk to us."
~0~0~0~
"That was awful," Jack declared as the scuttled through the train station, three hours later and a lot grumpier for it. "How do they get away with that?"
"Because they have a country of people who need to get to work," Danielle replied. "All ready to pay their fares and be crammed together like sardines because they're being kept lowly and poor by the upper classes whilst being grateful that the train manages to be on time."
Jack looked at her in surprise. "Woah, where did that come from?" he asked, a little amused.
"She goes to Uni," Rose replied, like it explained everything. "Proper student, this one." Danielle pulled her tongue out at her, but her cheeks warmed up slightly in embarrassment as well.
"Our Danni-Girl, the social warrior," Jack replied, amused. "Speaking up for the little people. That passionate spirit has to come out somehow, right?" He nudged her jokingly and she nudged him right back.
The Doctor watched closely at the nickname, but she didn't seem annoyed at it. The train journey had been long and tedious and had started roughly, with Danielle taking the window seat of a four-seat table. He'd had every intention of sitting next to her but Jack, in his overly eager way, had sat down before he could. And with Rose sat in the other window seat, he'd been forced to sit at the farthest point away from her and it had soured his mood the entire way down.
Not that he'd wanted to hold her hand or anything. He wasn't even sure if their kiss the night before should lead to anything else. There were so many moral implications to it, many age related as well as his more recent past, but it didn't mean that he didn't want to spend more time with her. There was something captivating about watching her see the universe, something that even Rose couldn't match. He wouldn't have even minded if they'd spent three hours on a train to London together if they had been on their own.
They made it to Rose and Danielle's building rather quickly, and before he knew where his mind had wandered, they were on Danielle's floor – the below Rose, as he remembered. Again, he was about to step out and take control of the situation and send Rose and Jack up to Rose's, when Jack did the exact same thing, chucking his arm around Danielle.
"Me and Danni here will go to hers. Doc, you and Rose head up and grab her passport and we'll meet back up in a bit," he commanded, giving no one any chance of objecting as he steered her away.
Rose glanced up at the Doctor and had to suppress a laugh at the outraged look on his face. "Looks like you've got competition," she warned teasingly as she closed the lift doors to take them up to the next floor. "You're going to have to watch that."
The thought worried him greatly, although he wasn't sure why and he certainly wasn't going to let Rose think she was right. "He wishes," he grumbled.
~0~0~0~
Danielle tried to glance over her shoulder. "Jack," she protested weakly. "That-That wasn't the plan."
"No, but we can't exactly have a good girly chat with him hanging around, can we?" Jack replied. "And I can tell you have lots to talk about."
"I don't," she retorted. "Not if you're going to be obnoxious about it."
"I'm not obnoxious, I'm smug," he said proudly. "And you could have stopped at any point, but you didn't, which means you want to talk about it as well. So, everyone's happy."
Danielle did think about protesting more, but he was right. Her mind was still racing, going over every single little meaning she could find in the kisses she and the Doctor had shared. She didn't want to encourage his behaviour, though.
"You don't even know we're going the right way," she pointed out.
"And you would have said something if we weren't," he countered, again completely right.
"Are you always this annoying?" she asked him. "I'm starting to regret saving your life."
"Nah, you love me," he replied and he was right. She wasn't sure why, he was so different than the people she normally let into her life, but she already was so glad she had met him.
She pulled him to a stop outside her flat and quickly dug out her keys from her handbag. She chucked them onto a small table just inside, kicking her shoes off and leaving them discarded in the hallway like the teenager he supposed she was.
"Mum!" she called in, a long almost whine of a word. "Are you here?"
He shut the door behind him. It was a very modest, rather dull looking flat. The walls were pretty boring beige, with a living room at the end of the little hallway the front door led off. Even that wasn't particularly decorated, with only a few photographs and generic art pieces to show individuality. It was a little untidy, though. He walked over to the dining table that shared space with the living room and picked up one of the textbooks that had been left on there.
"Wow, you really are a bookworm, aren't you?" he called after her, flicking through some of her notes. They were even colour-coordinated, with highlighter and sticky notes. "Not much of a social life, eh?"
Danielle appeared back out of her mum's bedroom. "I like to study, so sue me," she retorted as she walked over and snatched the notes out of his hand. She flipped through them herself, making sure he hadn't messed them up. "Mum must have nipped out," she told him. "You'll have to wait to meet her."
She headed back into the hallway, checking all the spots that might show where her mother might have gotten to. As she had expected, there was a note on the side table in the hallway. It was where they tended to leave notes for each other when they were heading out. It was where she had left her own note, ready for when her mum had got back.
Danielle,
Got a call from work. Heading to Cyprus for a couple weeks. Probably won't be home in time to see you back off to school. Money in the usual place.
Mum.
Jack dipped his head around the corner and watched Danielle read the note, her eyes rolling when she got to the end and folded it back up. He was about to open his mouth and comment on how disappointed he was when she stopped as she turned, her eyes catching something on the floor. She picked up the other small piece of paper and, for a moment, heartbreak spread across her face.
"Hey," he called over and she started, surprised. "Everything okay?"
She nodded, opening the piece of paper. "Yeah," she replied softly, quickly folding the paper back up and placed it where her mother's note had been. "Yeah, it's fine," she continued. "Mum's gone to Cyprus, I'm afraid. You'll have to meet her another time."
She quickly headed towards the kitchen. "Sit down, I'll make you a cuppa," she told him. "I've just got to make sure she's not left any washing in the machine. She tends to do that."
Jack watched her disappear into the other room, the grumbling sounds she made suggesting that her mum had left the washing to sort out, and he quickly grabbed the note himself.
Mum,
I tried ringing you but I couldn't get through, give me a call when you can. I'm going to stay with a friend for a few days but if you need anything, just let me know and I'll be back in a flash.
Love, Danielle.
He didn't quite understand why her own note made her so sad, so he decided to find out. He walked into the kitchen and found her putting the washing back on. She glanced over her shoulder at him as the kettle started to boil.
"She's terrible with the washing," she told him. "She'll remember to put it on but never to take it out again and it'll just end up stinking the flat out." She moved over to the sink, picking up two mismatched mugs. "At least she remembered the dishes this time," she muttered to herself.
"Why did your own note make you sad?" he asked her. She frowned.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"You picked up your note from the ground and it made you sad," he clarified. "What I don't understand is why. You wrote it and there wasn't anything special in it."
She shook her head, not at all surprised that Jack had just picked it up and read it without asking, he seemed like that kind of person. She considered telling him a quick lie but, with a glance at his kind face and how nice he had been to her, she just couldn't bring herself to.
"My mum has gone to Cyprus for a few weeks," she explained. "And she didn't try and call me, she didn't try and find out where I was or if I needed anything. She just left me a note where I'd left her one and gone on her way."
Jack's mind quickly connected the dots. "But your note wasn't there, it was on the floor," he continued and she nodded.
"Which means she never even read it," she confirmed. "She had no idea where I was and she didn't care. She just shoved me some money in the cutlery drawer," she opened it for effect and pulled out a small envelope, "and went on her way." She chucked it back in. "You know, Jackie was frantic from the night that Rose went missing," she told him. "She never stopped looking and Rose was gone for a whole year before the Doctor brought her back. My mum pisses off to Cyprus with absolutely no idea where I am." She opened her mouth, ready to continue her rant, but she closed it again. Jack really wasn't sure what it was that made him want to make it better, maybe it was the way that she refused to let him be the worst he could be despite knowing him for the whole of 24 hours, but the young woman just tugged at his heartstrings.
"It's her loss," he offered and she shrugged.
"That's just something people say, though, isn't it?" she replied. "I mean, what's she really losing? She's off seeing the world, meeting new people. I'm just…" She shrugged. "I was making you a cuppa," she declared. "I haven't forgotten."
Jack watched her navigating her kitchen with ease, which wasn't surprising because she lived in the apartment. She obviously had a lot more to say but wasn't letting it out. She was probably used to it, which made him feel rather indignant on her behalf.
"She doesn't mean anything by it, you know?" she told him as he didn't move. "It's not that she doesn't love me, or that she didn't want me. I think it's just that when I'm not there she kind of… I dunno, forgets me?" She set the kettle back down before grabbing the milk. "Sugar?"
"No, thanks," he replied offhandedly. "That sounds rough," he tried and she shrugged.
"It's always been like that," she replied, handing him his drink. "I love my mum a lot. I don't hate her, I just want her to, you know, be here sometimes." They sat in the living room. "What about you?" she asked. "You lost some of your memories, do you have a family?"
He did, once. His thoughts drifted to his brother, but he quickly pushed it aside and smirked at her. "How about we talk about what happened after we talked last night?" he replied pointedly just to watch her face flush. He chuckled. "That good, eh?"
"I-I don't know," she admitted, glancing at the door. She wasn't sure if she wanted to talk about it at all, let alone if the Doctor, or worse Rose, walked in and heard them. She looked back at Jack, who was waiting as if he wasn't going to leave her alone until she told him something. "I-I did what you said. I asked why he didn't dance with me, so we… well, we did…"
His grin spread widely. "Yeah?" he asked. "I knew you wouldn't let the universe tell you what to do. How much," he smirked slightly, "dancing did you do?"
As he'd expected, she'd straightened, almost offended. "None," she quickly told him, obviously embarrassed. "We just-we just kissed. There was no-no dancing."
"Oh, don't you worry, there will be," he promised. Her brows furrowed, a frown appearing on her face and he sat a bit straighter himself. "Everything alright?" he asked.
She glanced at the door again. Jack knew what he was talking about, didn't he? He seemed very knowledgeable in that part of life, somewhere she was severely lacking. Would he laugh at her? She didn't want anyone to laugh at her.
"Does-Does everyone want to, you know, dance?" she asked in a whisper, leaning in close so none of the invisible people who may have been around could hear her. "Cause… cause I don't know if I want to. I don't want- I mean, I don't know if he even does, but if something- something comes from this, which it might not, I just- What if I don't ever, you know, dance?"
Jack's mouth opened in an 'o' of realisation and he realised that her shyness wasn't just about her inexperience, but that she didn't feel right about it in general. This was a conversation she probably should have had with her mother, which just highlighted how much she wasn't present in her life considering she was talking to a guy she barely knew about it. Worst still, he wanted to help. What had she done to him?
"No, not everyone does," he explained patiently. "And not everyone wants to all the time. And some people may only want to after years of never wanting to, and some people will just never want to. And some people will always want to."
She looked so relieved that he felt terrible no one had told her this before. He'd grown up into quite a liberal person in that regard, but he'd also come from a society where, really, anything went as long as everyone involved was willing. The 21st century really was backwards in more things than its transportation.
"Really?" she asked quietly and he nodded.
"And don't let anyone tell you otherwise," he warned. "If they try, send them my way," he grinned, wiggling his eyebrows. "I can put them straight."
She snorted. "Sounds very unlike you," she teased and he laughed.
There was a heavy knock on the door and the two looked at each other, confused for a moment. "Is that your mom?" he asked and she shook her head.
"For all the things she's forgetful about, her keys normally aren't one of them," she replied as whoever was outside knocked again. She took a peek through the peephole and smiled at the sight of an impatient Doctor greeted her. She opened the door, just happy to see him again. "I thought you'd be longer."
"Rose got her passport, then her mother started berating me for not coming back earlier," he explained. "So I thought I'd come meet yours instead. She's probably nicer."
"Well, you're out of luck," she explained, letting him in. "She's gone to Cyprus."
"Oh," he replied, although he didn't sound particularly put out. He'd really just wanted to get away from Jackie Tyler and make sure that Jack wasn't doing anything with- or to – Danielle. "Well," he continued, a bright grin on his face. "All the more reason to head back sharpish, then, right Captain?"
Jack leant back in his chair, knowing exactly what the Doctor was doing. "Actually, Danni seemed to have a few chores to do, didn't you?" he asked her. "And the TARDIS can't exactly go anywhere until she's refuelled. Why don't we all spend the night?" He shot Danielle a look. "We can all bunk together," he suggested. "Unless you don't want to, Doc?"
"I never said that," the Doctor replied before he'd really thought about what he was suggesting. Danielle looked up at him, alarmed. Was he really suggesting…?
There was another knock on the door. "Danni!" Rose called through. "You in there?"
Danielle felt rather overwhelmed. She'd never really had anyone over to her flat before, and now there was three people demanding her attention. "There's-There's too many people calling me Danni," she muttered to herself, heading to let Rose in. The blonde stepped in without being invited, which Danielle didn't actually mind.
"Is the Doctor here?" she asked, sounding like she had a bone to pick with him. "My mum's ready to rip his head off. Do you know what he said to her?"
"I can imagine," Danielle replied as they headed into the living room. "Apparently we're spending the night here."
Rose's nose scrunched up. "Why?" she asked, baffled. Danielle shrugged.
"I have no idea," she replied. Rose had already set her sights on the Doctor before she could ask for her help to get them back to the TARDIS.
"You!" she exclaimed. "You upset my mum!"
~0~0~0~
It was tough, having them in her house, because until she had met the Doctor she really hadn't thought about bringing people home to just 'hang out' in a long time. Her university friends were just that – friends for university – and she didn't speak to anyone from school and hadn't since the last day. Her home was her space to get away from the people in her life and now they were firmly sat in it. Rose had taken over the armchair, legs chucked over the arm, and Jack was on the side of the sofa close to her. The Doctor was sat on the other side of her, making Danielle take the only place left; slap bang in the middle.
Not that she minded, but she spent the entire time acutely aware of how close he was. Should she reach out and grab his hand? Should she lean against him? Should she… should she kiss him?
No, that seemed like a terrible idea. Especially with Jack and Rose just sat there, arguing over what to watch on television. Plus, as she glanced out of the corner of her eye at him, it just didn't feel right. She just enjoyed being close to him. She shifted a little over to the side, away from Jack and towards him, and saw him watching her. She smiled at him and he smiled back and she settled back against the sofa back.
Up until she met the Doctor she wouldn't have even considered having anyone in her home. Now, though, she really didn't mind.
She found him in the kitchen as she headed to bed, Rose already having taken up residence in her mother's bedroom despite having her own home on the floor above and Jack had taken the couch. He seemed to be nosing through her cupboards but she didn't mind. She had come to know that standing still wasn't his cup of tea, and considering how anxious to leave she was starting to feel, she figured she was getting the bug as well.
She smiled softly; they'd not really gotten to spend any time together after all. She'd been looking forward to that as well. He just fascinated her so much, and he made her smile.
He turned and grinned sheepishly. "I was just looking for the biscuits," he offered like it was true. She nodded along anyway, knowing he was just being curious.
"Bottom cupboard by the fridge," she replied. "I'm just—" she motioned behind her, "I'm heading to bed. Rose took the other bed, and Jack's on the sofa so I'm not too sure where you'll go, but you said you don't sleep so…"
He nodded. "I'll be fine," he promised. "We'll get going first thing in the morning."
"Yeah, first thing," she agreed. "All of time and space, right?"
"That's it."
She didn't know where she suddenly got the spark of confidence again, maybe it happened when she was tired, but she placed a kiss on his cheek. "Goodnight, Doctor," she said softly before darting out, grinning secretly to herself.
She missed his own little smile as his fingers brushed against his cheek.
~0~0~0~
I bet you're really surprised about me updating this, eh? I haven't forgotten, I just haven't had time. I hope you enjoy this little deviation :)