Hello Everyone! Welcome to the new year and a new story! This is the fifth story in the, what I've now decided to call, Time Child Saga. It probably won't make much sense unless you've read the first four, but that's quite a lot of story so I can understand if you want to jump straight in!

This story is rated M, as always, for bad language, references to what can be considered triggering things and mild sexual scenes. As in nothing explicit, but definitely happening. If you want smut I'd head over to the Outtakes cause that's where it all goes!

There's also a sister account, OurDanniGirl, for stories written about the main character, Danielle Fielding, by other wonderful people. So, feel free to head over there as well if you need more of a fix, and if you want to add to the collection, drop me a message!

Oh, and as always, I'm on Tumblr for questions/following/talking to! DanniFielding on there too, keeping it nice and simple!

Enjoy!

~0~0~0~

It wasn't very often that anything that happened in London took Madame Vastra by surprise. People killed other people on a regular basis; the human race could be quite destructive when they wanted to be. They ripped off their own kind with fake offers of wealth and love and hope. Everything they took part in was purely for their own gain.

Of course, not all of them were so disgustingly selfish. Jenny, for example, was definitely an example of the best humanity could offer, but it did mean that even the most intricate murders and alien plots became incredibly mundane over time. So the appearance of a Tyrannosaurus Rex in the Thames was definitely something worthy of her attention.

The blue box it spit out wasn't quite as surprising, but it was also the subject of some scrutiny. The Doctor would definitely, accidently, bring a Tyrannosaurus Rex from the past and to present day London, but it was also just as likely that someone would steal the TARDIS and do just the same under the pretence of being the Doctor. For every hare-brained scheme the Doctor could have there was an enemy of the Earth that would do something incredibly similar.

"So it's him, then," Jenny asked her as she led both her wife and their friend down to the bank of the Thames. "The Doctor?"

"A giant dinosaur from the distant past has just vomited a blue box from outer space - this is not a day for jumping to conclusions," she replied, because at that moment anything was possible. "Strax, if you wouldn't mind?"

With a little bow, Strax walked away from the two women and to the blue Police Box. He gave the front door three solid bangs before pulling back. "Hello? Exit the box, and surrender to the glory of the Sontaran Empire," he declared. The door opened and a man none of them had ever seen before stuck his head out, smoke surrounding him from all sides.

"Shush!" he hissed before slamming the door, leaving Strax to stare at it, incredibly perplexed.

"Doctor?" he asked uncertainly. The door opened again and the man stuck his head out, grinning madly.

"I was being chased by a giant dinosaur, but I think I managed to give it the slip," he told the Sontaran in a Scottish accent before shutting the door again. Strax, completely baffled, turning to look at Madame Vastra and her wife, but they didn't seem to know what was happening either. He turned back just in time to see the door open slightly, letting out a bit more smoke as the man stuck his head out. He looked at Strax suspiciously.

"Sleepy?" he asked as Strax leant in closer.

"Sir?" he asked in return. The man opened the door fully and he stepped out, still staring Strax down as he advanced on in. Completely taken aback by the bizarre turn of events, Strax backed away under his intimidating stare.

"Bashful? Sneezy? Dopey? Grumpy!" he listed off, seemingly from nowhere until his attention was caught by Vastra and Jenny. "Oh, you two!" he cried, walking over to them and motioning to Vastra. "The green one..." He turned to Jenny. "and the not-green one." He stepped between the two, looking between them. "Or it could be the other way round, I mustn't prejudge!"

His attention was, once again, pulled from what he was talking about and he pointed at the TARDIS. "Oh, you remember, er..." he trailed off as Clara stepped out of the TARDIS, a bit ruffled up and looking a bit shell-shocked. The Doctor stared at her, looking pained as he couldn't remember her name. "Thingy, the, er," he nodded, bringing his hand to his face and rubbing his forehead. "The one I like. That's it, the one I like, not the one I don't." He turned away, "Names - not my area."

Clara took a few steps out of the TARDIS, so angry and confused that she didn't know what to do except glare at him. "Clara!" she snapped at him. "And will you stop saying that?"

"Well, it might be Clara," he rattled off, walking away and down the bank. "Might not be - it's a lottery."

Clara leant on the TARDIS as she tried to catch her breath. "It is Clara."

"Well, I'm not ruling it out!" he replied before noticing the roaring of the dinosaur that was currently trying to destroy London. "Oi, big man, shut it!" he shouted up at it before double taking at the sight of the dinosaur. "Oh," he cried excitedly, rushing over to stand just in front of the group, looking up at the dinosaur, completely fascinated. "You've got a dinosaur too!" The dinosaur roared and he winced slightly. "Big woman, sorry."

Clara approached him as calmly as she could, keeping an eye on the dinosaur as she motioned him away. "Doctor, listen to me. You... you need to calm down," she told him but he just pointed up at the dinosaur in warning.

"I'm not flirting, by the way," he told it. "I'm married, I don't flirt when I'm married." Clara nodded.

"That's right," she told him as Danni slowly stepped into the TARDIS doorway. She looked the same as Clara, a bit shook up but no worse for wear, but she stared at the Doctor with wide eyes. Clara caught her gaze but Danni was giving her nothing in return, so she turned to Vastra. "I think something's gone wrong." She explained.

The Doctor turned around, having heard her words. "Wrong? What's gone wrong?" he asked, approaching her before gasping, pointing at her. "Have you regenerated?" he asked before his hand went to his head once again. "I remember you." he told her and a ghost of a smile appeared on her face. Maybe this is what happened when you change heads, maybe his brain just needed a moment to settle in. "You're the one I like!" he cried. "You're the one I like, and, and..." He looked around, searching for something, his eyes landing on Danni. He motioned to her with both of his hands. "You're the one I don't!" he cried. "You're not the one I like. I remember. I…"

Vastra turned to look at their friend, the other Time Lord who was still in the TARDIS doorway. Danni saw her look over, looking for an answer but all she could do was stare back. This had always been a possibility. The Doctor had always claimed that it wasn't, that feelings and true desires stayed from one body to the next, but she had always been a bit dubious. Of course that had been the case when she regenerated, but that was only one case in many. He was a new man now, maybe she really was the one he didn't like.

The Doctor ran over at the sound of another roar from the dinosaur. "Reduce the frequency," he demanded of the lizard woman.

"I'm sorry? " Vastra asked him and he pointed upwards.

"Your sonic lanterns, turn them down." He pointed down to signal just how seriously he meant it. He shot his new friend a smile. "You're giving her a headache." He walked forward, arms out.

"Giving who a headache?" Jenny asked.

"My lady friend!" he exclaimed. "Just an expression, don't get any ideas. I'm married, remember?"

"How do you know?" Strax asked, confused and the Doctor turned to look at the Sontaran.

"Come on, Clara! You know that I speak dinosaur," he scolded lightly. Clara took a step towards Strax, pointing at him with her thumb, completely offended that he thought they looked anything alike at all.

"He's not Clara. I'm Clara," she snapped. "Doctor, look, just calm down. Your wife…"

"Well, you're very similar heights," he interrupted, like it was a reason to get her mixed up with a very lovely but still potato-looking alien. "Maybe you should wear labels." His eyes narrowed slightly, suddenly he looked like he couldn't focus on either of them and he started slowly to back awayh "Why... why are you all doing that?" he asked, becoming increasingly panicky as they all seemed to advance on him. "Why are you... You're all going dark... and wobbly - stop that."

"I don't think we are," Clara told him and he turned away, taking one last look at his lady friend.

"Never mind! Everyone..." He waved a hand in the air. "Take five." And he froze for a moment before falling forward, passing out on the dirt. Clara rushed to his side.

"What do we do?" she asked, looking to the Posternaster gang for help but she just got blank stares in reply.

"I don't understand, who is he? Where's the Doctor?" Jenny asked and Clara nodded to the man in her arms.

"Right here. That's him. That's the Doctor." Vastra turned, looking at Danni, who hadn't moved from the doorway. There were no tears, no laughter at his strange behaviour. She wasn't worried about him passing out, she just stared down at him as he laid in their companion's arms.

"Danielle?" she asked and Danni looked up at her, eyes blank. "Is she right? Is he the Doctor?" Danni nodded.

"He.." she started before trailing off. "He…" She looked over at Clara, who was standing up, staring at her like she expected her to break. "I think something went wrong," she told them. "How can… how can he just not like me anymore?"

~0~0~0~

One moment he was in agony, watching his wife cry and feeling every atom in his exploding, and the next he felt absolutely fine. Completely disorientated, but not dying any more, which was always something to be thankful for. Of course, for a moment, he couldn't really remember why he was going to die or if, in fact, he was going to die at all. He couldn't even remember where he was, or who he was, or who the two women staring at him were.

The yellow haired one looked a lot more concerned that the brown haired one, her face bright red and eyes shining as she held her hands out in front of her. He could understand that, he still hurt from his regeneration and he wasn't sure if anyone touching him at that moment was a good idea.

Who was she, though? The brown haired one looked upset, but not like the yellow one. He kept getting drawn to her bright brown eyes, even as he looked her over, trying to place her in his memory. He knew she was important, although he wasn't sure why at all. Was it her fault that he was so disorientated? No that wasn't it. He didn't like the fact that she seemed upset. That must be because of the regeneration. She can't have been happy with it at all. He was both happy and sad about that, although again he couldn't work out why. He knew he wanted it to stop, though.

He narrowed his eyes, stepping towards her, trying to take her all in, trying to sort out exactly what she was to him. She wasn't his companion, was she? No, that was the brown haired one. He remembered that, although he couldn't remember who she was at the same time. No, she was something else. She was something more than a companion. He didn't just like her, did he?

"You!" he exclaimed happily, the memory of her coming back. She was his wife! That was it! "You're the one I don't like!"

Danni stared back, completely stunned by the words that came out of his mouth, and by the deep Scottish accent he had. His words stung, though, they felt sharp as he exclaimed them at her like he was happy about it. She had no idea where that conclusion had come from, especially considering mere moments ago he was declaring his love for her.

He cried out, another wave of energy taking over him and he turned, falling against the console and smashing against a lot of buttons. "Doctor!" she called out in panic, helping him right himself.

"That's it!" he cried in triumphant. "I'm the Doctor. I'm the mad man in a blue box!" He turned to Danni, eyes wide as he took in his wife. That's who she was. She was his wife, and he was her husband! She wasn't the silly one he liked, oh no, she was the one he adored. "You're the one I don't like," he reiterated before turning to Clara, who had frozen on the spot, completely overwhelmed by the new man in front of her. "And you…" He frowned, puzzling over her.

"I'm Clara," she told him and he shook his head.

"No, no, no, that's not it," he dismissed, all hands and arms as he turned back to the console. "You're the other one. The one who I talk to, the one who listens and thinks I'm smart."

Well, that wasn't exactly wrong. Danni looked at Clara as the Doctor flicked switches and seemed to know what he was doing. Clara was the one who listened and thought he was smart, and he was the Doctor, the mad man in a blue box. Did that mean he really didn't like her anymore?

"What are you doing?" Clara asked him, pulling Danni out of her thoughts and back to her husband.

"I'm flying us away," he told her like it was completely obvious. "I don't want to be eaten by a dinosaur, do you?"

"A dinosaur?!" Danni exclaimed, rushing over and grabbing the monitor. Sure enough, they had moved. It looked like Earth, with green vegetation and blue skies. And, of course, the giant reptile that looked less than pleased to see them. "When did we move?!"

The Doctor turned to her, about to explain what had happened, when he frowned. No, he didn't talk with her, did he? That was the other one. The one he talked to and she listened, so what did the yellow one do? Kissing. He remembered kissing. He remembered liking the kissing, and he decided that was definitely something they needed to do again. But later, not when they were about to be eaten.

"You're not the one I talk to," he told her. "I talk with the other one. The- the not you one." He turned on the spot to Clara. "You're the one I talk to."

Again, Clara turned to Danni, who looked as overwhelmed as she felt. Danni knew what regeneration was like, how different the men could be that came from it, after all Clara knew that Danni had known three Doctors over her time. This was the first time she'd ever seen it for herself, though. Even though Clara had met multiple Doctors, seen their differences, she had never seen the change. It was all so sudden. One minute he was floppy haired and childish, the next he was angry looking and incredibly Scottish.

"When- When did we move?" she asked him and he nodded, as if he approved of her question.

"When I fell against all these buttons," he explained, motioning to the console with a flourish of both arms. "I don't know how to fly this thing, but we need to move before we get eaten. Perhaps there's a manual I could take a glance at."

"You threw it away, remember?" Danni prompted with a bit of a nervous laugh. "Perhaps you could…"

"No," he declared firmly. "We do not talk. I only talk to her," he jabbed his finger at Clara and Danni didn't really know what to do. He seemed so adamant, so angry that she'd even tried to interact with him she just froze, deciding it was best to keep quiet until he settled down a bit. She took a step back, giving him space as she gave Clara a little nod, telling her to do as he said.

There was an almighty roar and they all looked up just in time for the monitor to go black. "Oh, look what you've done now!" the Doctor snapped. "We've been eaten!"

~0~0~0~

Madame Vastra and Jenny were kind enough to let them use their grand house while the Doctor recovered from his regeneration, something Danni had been completely and utterly grateful for. She knew from experience that the time directly after a regeneration could be disorientating and downright confusing for anyone, so she tried not to take the Doctor's words too much to heart, no matter how much they hurt to hear.

It had been a bit of a job to get him into the carriage, but he stayed unconscious for almost the whole journey, which had made things a lot easier. They all sat in silence, which she appreciated even though she knew Vastra was desperate to find out what had happened to cause him to regenerate.

She looked over at her husband, with his new hair and his new face and… and those eyebrows, she wasn't sure where they came from. He had dirt on his face from where he fell to the ground, so she reached up to wipe it away, pausing when she caught sight of her wedding ring. Would he still want to stay married to her now she was 'the one he didn't like'?

She shook her head, clearing those stupid thoughts out of her mind. She was just being daft now. She could remember how manic Eleven…

Eleven was gone. He had always been her Doctor, both before and after she met him. She'd loved him on the show, and she'd loved him with both of her hearts when she had gotten to know him in real life. If he was still the Doctor then she couldn't see that changing, but she was never going to see him again. No jumping around the time lines anymore, she hadn't done that for over half a millennia now. No more floppy brown hair, no gorgeous green eyes. No bow ties.

"Danni?" Clara called gently, pulling her gaze away from her husband to their friend. "It'll be okay, something's just gone a bit wrong, but we'll fix it." Danni blinked back at her, only now realising that her eyes were full of tears, that she was on the verge of crying.

She cleared her throat, swallowing down the lump in her throat. "Oh, I know. It's just regeneration, it can be a bit screwy, but it'll calm down." She turned back to her husband, deciding to listen to her own words and she reached up to brush the dirt off his face.

The Doctor slowly came around to the gentle stroking on his cheek, the fingertips that even in this new body he knew were Danielle's. He didn't remember closing his eyes, and he definitely didn't remember getting into the carriage he was sat in when he opened them. She felt so soft, so incredibly gentle as he let himself do what he always liked to do and enjoy the caresses.

He stared at the lizard woman across from them, who was watching them both with a fond smile on his face. Why was she doing that? She wasn't allowed to smile when Danielle was touching him, no one was but him.

He shot up straight, away from Danni's hand with a wave of his own, smacking her away from him. "No touching!" he shouted. "I remember saying no touching! I don't want you touching me."

Danni flinched back as if she'd be burnt, cradling her hand with her wedding ring against her chest as he looked around, obviously disorientated.

"Where are we?" he demanded. "I don't like this room, it's incredibly too small! I want…" and his eyes rolled back up into his head as he passed out once again. He fell with a thud against the back against the wooden wall and they all stared at him for a moment, just in case he decided to wake up again.

Then Clara started, suddenly incredibly worried about Danni, who hadn't moved since she'd backed away from the Doctor. "Danni?" she asked unsurely and the blonde turned her head to look at her, eyes wide and shining again. She looked wounded, like a small animal that had been kicked, and Clara crossed the little gap between them and forced herself into the tiny space left on their side of the carriage. She wrapped her arms around Danni, pulling her close for a tight hug. "It'll be okay." she promised again.

Danni didn't shake, she didn't break down and cry, she didn't even hug Clara back and that's what worried the brunette the most. She just sat there, cradling her hand, until the carriage came to a stop.

~0~0~0~

The Doctor stormed away from the bed, arms waving manically as he became increasingly angry and upset. Nothing made any sense, and the green woman who was standing with his Danielle wasn't helping matters at all. He'd put their stupid long shirt on, which he had to admit was rather comfortable, but now they expected him to just stay in the room?

"It's ridiculous. I don't understand," he snapped. "Why would you want a room like this? Where's… where's the television?"

Danni took a hesitant step towards him, still worrying her hands together. When Madame Vastra had suggested that he should change into something a lot less dirty, he had been more than happy to strip the 'God awful suit' he had been wearing, stripping in front of them like he didn't care. Vastra had averted her eyes, and Danni hadn't felt like she could look either. He hadn't wanted her to touch him, chances are he didn't want her looking either.

"Sweetie," she tried timidly. "It's a bedroom, remember? It's for sleeping." He shook his head, turning to look at her. She looked different, her eyes weren't right, had she regenerated too? No, she still looked like Danielle, but something was off.

"Sleeping?" he repeated incredulously and she nodded, taking a step towards the bed and pulling the cover away for him.

"Like we do in the TARDIS," she confirmed. "You keep passing out, I think you need to sleep the rest of your regeneration off. Why don't you just lie down for a moment, see how you feel?"

He eyed the bed warily. He remembered the bedroom, or at least the bed. This wasn't their bedroom though, they weren't even in the TARDIS. And they certainly didn't sleep in their bed. In fact, when he thought back to their bedroom, sleeping was the last thing that came to mind. Why was she saying such silly things, there was much better use for the bed than sleeping.

But the green woman was there again. She was their friend, but he didn't want her to see his Danielle in such a position, no matter how beautiful she was.

It was with a start that confused both the women that he realised that where his thoughts were heading, and while it would be a wonderful way to burn off his excess energy, he wasn't in the best outfit to hide the thoughts.

"Get out," he declared. She was just going to have to go, it was best for both of them, otherwise who knew if he would be able to keep his hands off her.

"What?" Danni asked meekly.

"You need to get out," he told her. "You can't be in here, get out."

"Now, Doctor…" Vastra started, trying to be calm but her voice coming out as a bite. Danielle looked at a loss, and she couldn't blame the poor woman. She was sure there was something behind his hateful snipes but she wasn't going to let him hurt Danielle like that.

"No, no, it's okay," Danni replied, stumbling over her own feet as she rushed to the end of the bed where he'd disposed of his clothes. She scooped them up. "I'll- I'll go wash these, they're covered in sand. I.." She held them close, scurrying to the door. "I'll go to the conservatory."

She pushed passed Clara and Jenny, who had been listening outside the door for any clue to what was happening. Clara turned to follow, calling her name after her, but Danni didn't stop as she dashed down the stairs.

"She can't stay here," the Doctor snapped. "Anyone but her."

Danni didn't stop until she reached the kitchen, placing the clothes on the counter top as she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to catch her breath. He didn't want her, he had actually told her to get out. He wanted 'anyone but her'. It hurt. It burnt through her, the feeling of being completely rejected by a man who had loved her for over a thousand years.

She could feel the tears in her eyes, but she refused to cry, not again. She'd cried too much already, she needed to get a grip of herself. Her head was starting to feel sluggish because she was emotionally exhausted, because she wouldn't stop crying! She forced her eyes open and turned her attention to the pile of clothes in front of her. They were all wrapped together in a ball, which had been the only way she'd been able to get them out of the room as quickly as she did.

She pulled the shirt out first, folding it neatly despite it needing to be washed. They were his favourite clothes, he'd adored his purple suit, it needed to be kept nice and folded and neat. She did the trousers next, taking off the belt and wrapping it around her hand before placing it down next to her new pile. His waistcoat still had his pocket watch clipped to it; she pocketed it to make sure it didn't get lost. It was much too nice for that.

She paused as she picked up his jacket, holding it by the shoulders. His favourite jacket. The one he'd chosen when they'd first met Clara. She held it close, up to her face so she could take a sniff of the collar. It smelt just like him, with the faintest hint of something new. Her new husband. Or, at least, her husband for now. She couldn't see their marriage lasting if he couldn't even stand to be in the same room as her.

He really was gone.

She shrugged the jacket on, pulling it close so she could be surrounded by him. She thought it would make her feel better, but all it did was highlight the fact he'd never hold her again. Her Theta was gone.

She swiftly headed away from the kitchen at the sound of a thud from the floor above, heading towards the conservatory before anyone caught her mourning her loss.

~0~0~0~

Danni barely looked up from her chair when Madame Vastra walked in, veil on with Jenny by her side. She only gave them a brief glance before going back to playing with the cuffs of the jacket she sat wrapped up in. She knew the scent would fade away, that this was the last piece of Eleven she was ever going to have, so she wanted to keep it close.

"Clara upset you, then?" she murmured as Madame Vastra sat down.

"I fear she may have upset herself," she replied shortly.

"And that's why you're screening my friend?" Danni tightened the coat around her. "Because she is the upset one?"

"He is in no state to be able to properly judge the people around him, and neither are you my dear," Madame Vastra replied. "I'm sure she will be fine, but her words worry me."

"It's not Clara who should be worrying you," she murmured as the door opened, Strax showing in Clara with a short bow. Danni didn't blame her for looking suspiciously around the room, or at Madame Vastra who didn't say a word until she'd sat down in front of them at Jenny's command.

"Tell me what happened," were the four words that the lizard woman bit out, and Clara did just that. She told them about Trenzalore, about how the Doctor and Danni had left her behind. She told them about how the Doctor then left Danni behind, and how he was old and frail and dying. Then about how he was given a new lease of life, a new set of regenerations and how he'd regenerated. It was strange, listening to what was the last five hundred years of her life told as a story in a matter of minutes. All tidied up and dusted, neatly packaged with all the little details discarded. No mention of the time when she got knocked out by a Cyberman, or their four hundredth anniversary where they'd danced while the whole town was singing. None of that was there, it was just… gone, all gone.

"And then?" Vastra prompted again, much like she had been doing throughout the story.

"Why are you wearing your veil?" Clara asked in reply.

"And then?" Vastra repeated, snapping this time and Clara couldn't help the slight rolling of her eyes. She was expected to answer the questions but no one would answer hers. Typical, but she continued on.

"And then we got swallowed by a big dinosaur. You probably noticed."

"How did it happen?" Jenny asked, much gentler than her wife had done.

"I don't know, I don't know, we were..." she took a deep breath, incredibly tired by this point of rehashing what had happenen, "crashing about everywhere. The Doctor was gone, the TARDIS went haywire."

"He's not gone. He's upstairs," Jenny replied, with a little nod like she was trying to encourage Clara to agree.

"The Doctor is dead," Danni spoke up, staring across the room at all the lovely plants that Vastra kept in there to remind her of a warmer, more prehistoric climate.

"Danielle, you know what the process entails," Vastra replied firmly and Danni turned to look at her, eyes burning angrily.

"Are you trying to tell me how regeneration works?" she snapped. "Because who here has actually had it happen to them?" She paused for a moment, as if daring anyone to speak up, but Jenny and Clara just averted their eyes. "When I met you, I was a different Danielle. I was his Danni-Girl, and then I died. She died, she's gone, she's never coming back. I may still be Danielle, but she is gone. The Doctor died. His hearts stopped beating and he stopped existing. The man upstairs may be the Doctor as well, but he could just as easily not be. It's up to him, but don't you dare try and make it seem like he didn't die, because he did," she turned back in her seat, staring at the plants once again. "He's not coming back."

"He regenerated, renewed himself," the Silurian declared, realising now she had to snap two people out of their grief.

Clara looked at Vastra, eyes wide as she thought over all of their words. Danni was hurting, she could see that written on her face and she wasn't surprised given what had come out of her husband's mouth since he'd 'renewed' himself. Ha, that was a fine way to put it, renewed.

But they were all waiting for her reply, so with wide eyes but not much other expression on her face, she nodded. "Renewed, fine."

"Such a cynical smile," Vastra commented and Clara frowned in confusion.

"I'm not smiling," she retorted.

"Not outwardly," Vastra agreed. "But I'm accustomed to seeing through a veil. How have I amused you?"

She thought about denying it, but Clara quickly decided it was pointless hiding anything from them. "You said renewed. He doesn't... He doesn't look renewed, he looks... older."

"You thought he was young?" Vastra scoffed and Clara sent her a small glare.

"He looked young."

"He looked like your dashing young gentleman friend," Vastra replied, almost accusing Clara. "Your lover, even."

"Shut up!" Clara replied, laughing at the absurdity of the statement.

"But he is the Doctor. He has walked this universe for centuries untold, he has seen stars fall to dust. You might as well flirt with a mountain range."

"I did not flirt with him," Clara replied certainly.

"He flirted with you." Vastra corrected and Clara's brows furrowed. No he didn't, why would she even think that.

"How?"

"He looked young." Vastra offered. "Who do you think that was for?"

Clara's eyes narrowed, a foreign anger building her own up pretty quickly. She knew the feeling had come straight from the man who was asleep upstairs, "Danni," she snapped. "The face was for Danni."

"Exactly," Vastra replied. "He wore a young face for his wife, for the same reason I wear a veil."

"What reason?"

"The oldest reason there is for anything... to be accepted," Vastra explained. "Jenny, could you pour us some tea?"

"Yes ma'am," Jenny gave a little nod before turning around to the table that sat to the side of Vastra's chair, preparing the three other women a cup – she wasn't partial to the stuff herself, but it was more force of habit that she didn't make herself a drink.

"Jenny and I are married," Vastra continued. "Yet for appearance's sake, we maintain a pretence, in public, that she is my maid."

Jenny leant into the conversation, wondering if it should bother her more that she was completing the tasks given to her in private. "Doesn't exactly explain why I'm pouring tea in private."

"Hush now," Vastra replied with a hint of a tease to her voice. It would have been even more noticeable if the situation hadn't been so serious, but Jenny still turned to Clara with a bit of a roll of her eyes.

"Good pretence, isn't it?" she retorted.

"I wear a veil to keep from view what many are pleased to call my disfigurement," Madame Vastra continued as if she hadn't spoken up, "I do not wear it as a courtesy to such people, but as a judgement on the quality of their hearts."

Clara's lips turned up into a incredulous smile, immediately seeing the very thinly-veiled attack on her. "Are you judging me?"

"The Doctor regenerated in your presence," Vastra replied. "The young man he wore to appease the masses over his marriage to such a young woman disappeared, the veil lifted. He trusted you to accept him with his young wife. Are you judging him?"

Clara couldn't believe what she was hearing, on the glare that was being sent her way from underneath the black veil. "How dare you? How dare you?"

"Clara…" Danni called tiredly from her chair. She didn't want any fighting, she just wanted everyone to be quiet. However, even she could see that Clara was absolutely fuming.

"How dare you?" she repeated for a third time. "Is that all you think of me? That my head can be turned by some pretty little face like yours was with mine?" Vastra straightened, obviously surprised by her attack. "If you think for once second that he flirted with anyone else but Danni then you are not a good a friend of his as you think." She stormed closer, finger jabbing her direction. "I've been in his head, I know what he thinks and he can say the same about me. He didn't regenerate for me, or for himself, or anyone else. He regenerated for her," her arm swung out to one side, now pointing at Danni. "And that's all we both care about. I don't care about his face, Madame Vastra, I never did! He has been wrong since he regenerated because of what he's saying to our Danni-Girl!"

She turned, hands on her hips as she tried to calm down her breathing, gain some control over her rapidly exploding emotions but it didn't work. She turned, rage burning in her eyes as she shook. "He isn't the Doctor! Not because of his face, or his veil, but because the Doctor loves her. How dare you judge me for any reason than wanting Danni to be happy!"

"Clara!" she turned at the sound of Danni's voice, her chest heaving and her hands shaking. When-When had she gotten so close? She'd not even noticed the blonde approach her. "It's okay," she promised gently, pulling her in for hug. "It's okay."

Clara immediately relaxed, letting her friend hug her tightly, closing her eyes. Danni shot a look at Vastra, who had the decency to look sheepish back. "That was unnecessary," she said pointedly.

"I just wanted to make sure," she replied. "I often wondered what you'd be like when you lost your temper."

Jenny slapped the back of her head, defensive and Madame Vastra hissed in reply. "Oi! Married."

"The Doctor needs us," Vastra declared, standing up from her chair. "He is lost in the ruin of himself, and we must bring him home to his wife." She met Danni's gaze, who smirked slightly despite herself and the oversized jacket she was still wearing.

"You all think of me as so breakable," she commented, letting Clara go and smiling warmly at her. "I can look after myself, you know?"

"But where's the fun in that?" Clara replied with a smile and Danni nodded. She could look after herself, if she had to, but as she was feeling so very wounded by her husband's sudden change, both his physical and emotional it would seem, she would take any help offered to her.

Clara turned to Vastra, ready to offer her one last warning when she frowned at the sight of the lizard woman's face. "When did you stop wearing your veil?"

Vastra smiled. "When you stopped seeing it."

A roar and a loud bang interrupted them from their conversation and both Danni and Madame Vastra looked off to the left, matching frowns on their faces.

"That came from the river!" Vastra replied and Danni gasped.

"The dinosaur!" she cried in horror, wondering what horrible thing could have made her call out so loudly. "We need to get to her!"

"Strax," Vastra shouted, pulling up her skirt as they began to quickly exit the conservatory. "Bring the carriage, now!"

~0~0~0~

Danni was the first out of the carriage when they made it to the river, even before Strax had pulled it to a stop. There was a silhouette of a man on the railings of the bridge had caught her eye, and before she'd seen him, she knew it was her husband. She rushed over to him but before she could comment, or coax, him to come down, her eyes caught the burning pile of dust and flames below.

"Oh no," she whispered, coming to a stop and placing both hands on the railings next to where the Doctor stood. "I'm so sorry sweetie."

The poor dinosaur, she hadn't done anything wrong. She had been scared and alone and someone, some heartless person had burnt her. Killed her agonisingly slowly and they'd all heard her roar of pure pain, even from Vastra's house. How could someone do something to an innocent creature? She'd only been caught up by accident, and now she was dead.

The Doctor looked down at the sound of her sound voice calling out to the dinosaur, a hitch to her voice he knew meant she was upset. She was wrapped up in that stupid purple jacket, but maybe she had been cold. She was always cold, but it hurt to see her taking comfort from the other man he had been. He was starting to remember bits and pieces from when he regenerated, was starting to feel more like himself, and he remembered her begging him not to die. Perhaps she preferred that body, she had always found him attractive.

He looked down at himself. No, that can't be right, he'd not done too bad, he was sure of it.

He looked around, looking for someone to blame for his wife's upset in the mass of idiots gawping at the sight before them. He just needed to find the right… ah, Clara Oswald. "She shouldn't be here. Why did you bring her?" he demanded lowly of their companion.

"I'm sorry?" Clara asked, confused for a moment. Was he blaming her for the death of the dinosaur?

"Danielle shouldn't be here," he repeated firmly, missing the way she winced slightly but didn't move from looking at dinosaur below. "Why did you bring her?"

"She wanted to come," Clara retorted, fists clenching at her sides as her anger at him flared up again. "I didn't bring her. She's allowed to do what she likes!"

The Doctor resisted the urge to shout at their companion, after all not everyone could be as clever as he was, even if he was certain Clara had been one of the smarter ones. "She shouldn't be here. Take her away, leave her at the house with the stupid rooms."

Clara took a step forward, at the end of her tether with the man he friend had turned into, but Danni shook her head, stepping back from the railings. "I'll wait in the carriage," she replied meekly, pulling the jacket tighter around herself as she walked away from the Doctor. She paused by Clara, giving her a wobbly smile. "Don't let him do anything stupid, yeah?"

She didn't wait for an answer, diving into the carriage and pulling the door shut before anyone saw how devastated she really was. No words of comfort, no hugs, no promises to find out who had done it. All he'd done was try and get rid of her again.

She pulled her legs up onto the bench that was considered a seat in these sort of carriages, wrapping her arms around her knees in a mock of a hug. She could barely hear anything going on outside through the noise of the crowd, but that was probably for the best. She didn't need to hear him berate Clara for 'bringing' her, or how he didn't want her there again. She just wanted to go home, but she actually didn't even know where the TARDIS was. Her memories of London had all but gone and she wouldn't be able to navigate around it even if she could remember where they'd crashed.

The door opened to the carriage and she looked up at the kind face of Clara, who got in first and sat next to her. "He jumped into the river," she told Danni apologetically, and Danni couldn't help the small smile that accompanied the roll of her eyes.

"Of course he did," she mumbled. "At least he can still be the Doctor when he wants to be." Vastra and Jenny were quick to join them, sitting across from the two as Strax drove the carriage once again.

"We have murders to investigate," Vastra told Danni, knowing her love of a good murder mystery. "There's been a series of spontaneous combustions that the Doctor believes they are linked to the dinosaur's horrid demise. If we follow that path, we should find the Doctor again."

Danni nodded, although not as enthusiastically as she might have done in other circumstances. "He thinks it's the same person?"

"It would appear so," Vastra agreed. "You are most welcome to stay the night, I'm sure you could both do with some rest." Danni tilted her head, looking at Clara and realising, for the first time, how exhausted she looked. She'd been a terrible friend to her again, she really should be looking after her more. "Jenny will prepare your rooms for you when we return." Jenny nodded her agreement, knowing now wasn't the best time to point out again that she wasn't actually a maid.

"We'll share," Danni replied before Clara could thank them both. She looked at Danni, surprised and Danni shot her a quick look. "If you don't mind, Clara."

Clara shook her head quickly. "No, no that's fine," she promised.

Danni smiled her saddest smile at her in reply. "I don't really want to be on my own."