Usually, with three very smart people in the room, the Doctor, Danni and River would have been able to act fast and appropriate to any situation they suddenly found themselves in. Unfortunately, all three were taken by surprise and that meant that they all just stared, dumbfounded, as the crowd around them continued to chant in favour of the king whose head currently was in a bag waiting to have his brains dug out for a diamond.

Danni, trying not to seem too out of sorts, reached forward and pulled the bag to her. Her main thought was that she could grab the bag and they could make a run for it. It wasn't much of a plan, but then again running made up quite a lot of their lives and there was nothing wrong with falling back into one of the classics.

"I'm assuming you don't have a plan for this?" she whispered to River, who shook her head. How could she have possibly expected this to happen?

Scratch held out his hands. "Give it. Give us the treasure," he demanded but no one did. He looked between the trio. "What is wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing," Danni quickly reassured him. "We just didn't want to interrupt your wonderful display of devotion," she looked at River, "isn't that right, sweetie?"

River quickly nodded along. "That's- that's exactly right," she replied. "You obviously care about him so much, we just wanted to make sure we weren't being disrespectful."

"We have paid, we will receive," Scratch told them, furious and they all shared a slightly panicked look again.

"Um…" Danni drawled, standing up and grabbing the bag. "Of course- of course you will," she reassured him. "Let me just-let me just check everything is in order."

"We will receive," Scratch demanded and she looked pointedly at the Doctor, but he looked just as out of his depth as she was. What could they possibly do except try and get away as fast as possible? The problem came when they got to the TARDIS and there was a large suit of armour waiting to kill them. She hadn't even begun to work out how they could get away from that.

"Fine, fine, be like that," she declared. "We're trying to put on a lovely show for you, which is more of a service than you paid for, by the way," she pointed out, "but if you're impatient and don't want it, then fine. Honestly, what happened to some manners, eh?"

"We will receive!" he shouted and she shoved the bag at him.

"Here, it's right here," she snapped. "If you talk to people like that no wonder you have to hide things in your head."

River stood up, seeing a rant about manners coming their way considering how Danni was glaring at Scratch. She moved over to her daughter's side, with her husband appearing on the other as they all tried to leave. "You know, it's been lovely, but er, we don't want to intrude on this special moment, so why don't we just leave you with the new baby…"

Scratch did not look amused. "You will remain."

"Is that strictly necessary?" she asked.

"I do not like surprises," he told them and the Doctor grimaced, thinking about what was in the bag.

"Well, it's going to be a funny old day. Oh, boy," he groaned as Scratch began to slowly unzip the bag. Danni let out a little noise of panic and he sighed. This was all River's fault. "You know what? I just can't stand idly by and let this continue." He grabbed the bag from Scratch's hand. "Death had been done this day!" he cried, climbing up onto a chair so he could tower over them all. "Noble blood has been spilled, and our tears will surely follow."

"Doctor, what are you doing?" Danni hissed, not liking the angry noises coming from their crowd. He just waved off her concerns as he made himself the main focus of the room.

"The sky shall crack, the ground shall heave, and even the rocks and the stones shall weep their rage." He jumped back down onto the floor, unzipping the bag. "Behold! The head of Hydroflax!"

Seeing the head of their beloved King did not calm down the diners, who in fact hissed in horror and anger at the sight of the head. He placed it on the table and knelt down in front of it. "Rest now, sweet prince. Walk amongst us nevermore," he said dramatically before standing up and clapping his hands together. "Shall we start the bidding at two hundred billion?" he declared.

"Oh my god, that's genius," Danni whispered as his ridiculous actions made sense. If they could get the crowd fighting over the head and not them then they could escape. She skipped over to her husband's side. "We apologise to you all for keeping this glorious artefact from you," she told the room. "We just had to make sure that you were truly followers of our great king, didn't we Professor Song?"

River quickly nodded, joining in on the charade. "Oh, my apologies to the truly devout," she said, arms at her side as she did.

"And shall we find out who is the most truly devout?" the Doctor asked.

"This is heresy!" Scratch snarled, as they had expected, but they ignored him. Danni quickly picked someone out at random.

"Two hundred over there from a most devout follower," she cried as River spotted someone behind them.

"Two hundred fifty million," she declared as the fake bid. She then made a 'call me' sign to the woman, who looked a little flattered. Had they been in a less precarious setting, Danni would have teased her about it. As it was, that was just going to have to wait until later.

"Silence! This is not our way," Scratch declared and the Doctor rolled his eyes.

"Well, it doesn't say much for your king if you can't put a price on his head," he told them, turning back to the table. "Let us see what the king himself has to say." He grabbed a knife from the table and jabbed it into the back of his neck. With a roar of anger and pain, Hydroflax woke up and all of the diners fell to their knees in worship of him.

Danni quickly grabbed the Doctor's hand. "Move," she told them both and they all ran for the door, only to be cut off by Flemming, the waiter who had shown them to their seats.

"Professor Song!" he greeted in a tone that suggested something very bad was about to happen. "Has the food disappointed you?"

"Oh, this is bad," Danni groaned under her breath as the sound of hydraulics came from around the corner. The large armour of Hydroflax appeared behind him and the rest of the room screamed, darting out around it. It seemed strange, considering that they were worshiping the king a moment ago, but people were fickle.

River grabbed her hand and the trio tried to run around it as well, but were quickly apprehended by security guards and marched back to where they had started.

"At last, I am whole again," Hydroflax's head declared triumphantly. "Come to me, my body." The armour stopped right in front of him but made no move to pick up the head and return it to its rightful place. "Well? Put me back."

"Scan in progress," the body replied, a light emitting from its stomach as it scanned the head.

Hydroflax's eyes glanced around, almost as if he was embarrassed by the display. "You don't need to scan me, just put me back."

"Tissue deterioration now irreversible," the cyborg told him. "Additional; the projectile inside your brain continues to move. Prognosis, death in seven minutes."

"Well, I refuse," Hydroflax declared. "King Hydroflax does not accept death."

"Orders requested."

"Whatever I need to survive, do it. Now," he commanded.

"Orders accepted. You need a new head."

No one quite expected that response, nor the fact that the body blasted the head as if it was nothing, leaving just ash and the diamond that had been lodged in his brain on the table.

"As I was saying, your Majesty," Flemming told the body, with no regard for the decimated head. Instead, he looked it up and down as he reconsidered his words. "Well, your remaining Majesty," he offered before walking forward. He snatched River's bag out of her hand. "If it's a new head you're after," he reached in and pulled out the blue TARDIS diary, "this is the guide to the very best."

River's eyes widened in panic as she tried to step forward to grab it back. "Don't touch that!" she exclaimed. "Give that back to me!"

The Doctor did much of the same but was pulled back by the guards holding them. They both knew what that diary contained, the life and times of both Danni and the Doctor, but Danni specifically. "I wouldn't do that if I was you," he warned lowly, his tone dark.

"The diary of River Song," Flemming continued. "The ultimate guide to the Time Lord known as the Doctor." He smirked greasily. "Long live the King."

Danni could never really explain what went through her whenever the Doctor was threatened directly. Whilst both the Doctor and River were surprised that they were looking for the Doctor, and not Danni who featured more in the diary that her husband, she just straightened, a burning rage inside her filling her up until she could almost see the red hue that appeared in cartoons. It was a primal protection that, usually, came out in pure rage but sometimes came out quiet and calculating.

"Give it back," she told Flemming simply. "Right now." He dismissed her by not even addressing her words and her head tilted to the side. "I said, give it back."

"No, I don't think I will," he said as he opened the book, flicking through the pages. "This is why you should always tip your waiters."

Danni squeezed her eyes shut, mimicking the actions of someone with a really bad headache. River shared a concerned look with the Doctor. "Sweetie?" she asked and Danni's eyes snapped open again.

"Flemming," she said loudly. "It is Flemming, isn't it?" He shot her a look like he didn't really care what she was saying. "Do you know who I am?"

"Unfortunately not," he replied sarcastically.

"Because I don't know who you are," she spoke over him. "But I know what you are. Your children eat their mother but not their father, and you only have two eyes, which makes you a Welrn, from Outeria Seven, am I right?"

"This is irrelevant," the robot declared and Danni shook her head. She hadn't removed her gaze from Flemming.

"It isn't," she promised the armour. "You see, that blue box you found with our dear king here?" She gave the armour a sarcastic little bow. "That's my home. River Song, over there," she pulled her arm free to gesture to her, "she's my mother. We went on a little adventure while my husband had a break and now I'm here talking to you. My name is Danielle Fielding. I'm the Time Child."

Flemming, to his credit, managed to pale his blue skin to show his panic despite seemingly having the upper hand in the situation. Danni, on the other hand, looked rather calm and collected. She had been expecting that response. It was the response everyone who had heard of her gave, one she rather enjoyed because it usually worked to her advantage; they responded with fear.

"What happened on Outeria Seven?" River asked her, seeing the change in the waiter and instantly knowing it wasn't anything good.

"I blew it up," Danni replied simply, much to her surprise. "Well, part of it anyway. You see, someone managed to realise who I was and tried to turn me over to Missy. I wasn't happy." She took one step closer but no one made a move to stop her. River looked around at everyone, the pit in her stomach growing and growing. They were all terrified of her. "I'm not very happy now, either, if I'm honest. You've threatened my mother and my husband."

Flemming looked and felt very much out of his depth and turned to the armour. "My-my King," he stuttered. "If she truly is the Time Child, then we have a much more valuable bargaining chip. If-If word gets out that we have her captive, both the Doctor and the other Time Lord, the Mistress, will come for her. You could have your pick of truly magnificent heads."

Danni snorted. "Oh, you know what will happen if Missy finds out you're holding me captive?" she asked. "She'll burn you alive and turn you into soup. Your children will forget all about their mother's taste when they're fed you. And if they join forces to save me?" She smirked. "You'll wish you'd never met me."

The armour stomped around so it was facing Danni. "Confirmation required," it declared before more whirring came from its torso. The space where Hydroflax's head used to sit was filled with the rather sweaty head of Nardole. He looked dazed and confused, which no one could blame him for.

"Is this woman the daughter of River Song?" the armour asked him. "The consort of the Time Lord known as the Doctor?"

"Huh?" Nardole blinked, looking around and down at Danni. "I think so, yeah," he replied offhandedly. "Here, can I stay up for a bit? It's really very whiffy down there." The body didn't listen, Nardole's head back into the torso as he continued to complain.

Danni stared, a neutral expression on her face. "You took Nardole's head?" she asked lightly before turning to look at River. "It took Nardole's head."

River nodded slowly. "I-I can see that," she replied.

"Danni, Miss Time Child, don't you think you should step back?" the Doctor encouraged pointedly. "Your husband wouldn't want you to get into trouble."

"It's a good thing he's not here then, isn't it?" she replied. His shoulder's sagged slightly and he knew he had to step in. However, he wasn't sure how quickly he could talk himself out of having his head chopped off without having an exit strategy. He just wanted to get her away from them all as soon as possible.

Danni let out a little laugh. A tired, resigned sound. "Well, that's just no good, is it?" she told them all. "I liked Nardole. He was annoying. It's hard to be likeable and annoying at the same time."

"Proceed faster," the armour told Flemming. "Or your head will be taken."

"The thing is," Danni mused loudly, jumping up onto the table when Hydroflax's remains were. "I used to be good. I used to care, I used to have a conscience. But then, something strange happened." She looked at them all, her face hardening. "I forgot."

The Doctor could barely breathe as he stood, frozen on the spot as they all stared up at her. She wasn't in a threatening stance, in a beautiful dress and her arms clasped behind her back, but she looked terrifying. He knew it wasn't just him, because even River looked horrified, and he realised this must be how she felt when he got angry. She would try and reassure him, bring him back to the light from the darkness taking over, but he couldn't even find his voice to speak up.

His mind went to Mercy, long ago, where Amelia Pond told him that he'd travelled on his own too long. Removing Clara meant that, for the majority of her life, they had only had each other, two people who struggled with living too long and feelings of grandeur over the universe. Add a lifetime of pain, and suffering, and war and Missy into the mix, and she quickly was losing herself to it and he had done a poor job of recognising it. What he'd mistaken for trepidation was a complete lack of interest in the world outside, something he had struggled with from time to time.

In front of him stood his younger self, pointing a gun at a man across a line outside an old western town, declaring and convincing himself that was he was doing was the right thing. Except, this time, he and River were the companions to the ancient god-like creature. He needed to stop it. He needed to help her.

"I want to make this very clear," she told the room. "I am not armed. I look fabulous, but I am not armed. But you threatened by husband. So I will win." She looked at the robot and gave one simple instruction; "Tell me I'm lying."

The blue light of the scanner ran across her from the chest of the armour. "Confirmed. The lifeform is not lying."

"Thank you, sweetie," she said as if the robot had handed her a drink of tea. She jumped down onto the floor and walked back to her place by the security guard who had held her back. "You see, I'm not good. I look good, but I'm not. I don't think I ever was, and there's definitely no going back now. So, I suggest, you step back and away." No one had seen her grab it, but before anyone could even blink she had stabbed a knife into the shoulder of the security guard next to her, twisting it. He screamed in pain and dropped the ground, bleeding heavily. She didn't even blink. "You know I mean it."

"Danni," River whispered, horrified and devastated. Her daughter looked at her and she saw nothing but coldness on her face. "Stop now," she pleaded and Danni shook her head.

"They can't kill me quick enough for me to stop," she told her mother. "There is nothing I won't do to save the Doctor." She looked up at the armour. "There's nothing I won't do to save my family," she warned it. "I will roast you alive."

River had never been one for emotional dramatics. She could be dramatic when it came to escape plans, or clothing, or attitude, but emotions were normally something she could keep in check with a cheeky grin and a sarcastic comment. When the bell tolled to tell them that another hour had passed, she could have sobbed in relief. The woman she was looking at was not the daughter, or friend, that she knew and adored. She was unarmed, but River didn't, for one second, doubt her promise to destroy them all and while normally she would have loved the fact it came from a desire to keep her safe, it just sat wrong.

"Danni, Danni," she started, reaching forward and grabbing her by the arm. Danni allowed herself to be pulled back over. "While we really do need a chance to talk about… well, all of this, I think that we should really stand here."

Danni frowned. "Why?" she asked, to both of her points.

River looked at the Doctor. "Exits?" she asked him. He seemed a little surprised that she was going to him for advice but he didn't question it.

"Four exits, two concealed, one in the ceiling and one in the floor," he quickly listed off.

"How do you know that?" Danni asked.

"While you were off stabbing people and being bad, I was looking for a way to get you safe," he replied. "I think the floor might be out of the question. Too tight for three."

"Cease this conversation," the armour demanded.

"Darling," River started, again addressing the Doctor. "In the event of a sudden meteor strike on the lower starboard decks, where would you say is the safest place to stand?"

"Meteor strike?" Danni questioned.

"Exactly here, I should think."

"Do you know what that isn't?" River asked before smirking. "A coincidence."

Danni grinned. "An escape plan," she realised. "You are good."

River gave a shrug, like it wasn't a big deal. "It's cheaper than a taxi."

"What meteor strike?" Scratch asked. River raised her finger in response.

"Alert. Meteor strike imminent."

"That meteor strike," she explained. The whole ship started to shake as it was bombarded with meteors on the outside. Danni quickly grabbed onto the Doctor as they fell through the floor, just as River had planned for. They landed together in the reception area and Danni cheered in delight.

"That was brilliant!" she crowed. "Can we do it again?!"

The Doctor brushed off her dress, clearing her from the dust and the rubble that had been caused by the floor collapsing. "We're still doing it," he chided lightly. "What's the plan?"

River looked around at the running people before she glanced upwards. The diamond was falling straight towards them and she got ready to catch it in her dress. "Just one…" she said slowly as she caught it. Danni rolled her eyes.

"The diamond? Really?"

"Do you really want to leave it behind?" she countered. "Do you think I would go through all this trouble if I could just find the wreckage and dig it up myself?" She motioned behind her. "I'm going to drive while you two inevitably have a heart to heart and deal with the robot." She turned and dashed off towards the bridge to stop the crashing and killing everyone.

"What do you mean by that?" Danni called after her before turning to the Doctor. "What did she mean by that?"

"She means the fact that you stabbed a person!" he retorted.

"So?" Danni retorted. "He was aiding and abetting the people who wanted to cut off your head!"

He threw his hands out to his side. "You stabbed someone, Danielle!" he exclaimed. "He was just doing his job!"

"And I was just doing mine!" she snapped back before pointing her finger at him. "And I don't appreciate your tone."

"My tone?!"

The ship shook again as the large armour of Hydroflax jumped down from the floor above, landing in front of them. "I will take your head."

Danni shot a glare at the robot. "Not now!" she exclaimed before turning her attention back to her husband. "I was trying to save your life!"

"You were showing off," he retorted. "You can't fool me, I'm the king of showing off!"

"Oh? So you can show off and I can't?" she snapped. "How's that fair?"

"This isn't about being fair," he replied.

"No, it's about me protecting you!" she cried. Her hand reached into the air and caught a falling silver ball without barely look. "This is about me not losing anyone else I love!" She turned to the robot and show it the ball. "Use this!" she commanded. "It will give you all the money you will ever need to get every head in existence! You want the Doctor's head? That's how you start."

"Demonstrate!" it demanded. She moved over and shoved the ball into the socket were a head would normally sit. Immediately the robot started glitching.

"Do you know what I never had while I was on the run?" she asked the Doctor. "Money. I had to beg and steal to be able to survive because big fish were out of the question. Nothing is protected by this universe as money."

His eyes lit up in comprehension and their argument was forgotten for a moment as the robot dropped to its knees. "Welcome to all the best firewalls in the galaxy," he to the robot. "Every stock market within a light year is arguing in your head."

"I do not understand," the robot stuttered out. "Do not understand. Do not understand."

"That's the way it is for most people," the Doctor replied. He took hold of Danni's hand and began pulling her towards the bridge, where River was hopefully saving them all.

Out of the corner of her eye Danni spotted something blue on the floor. "Wait!" she cried. "Wait!" She let go of him just long enough to grab the TARDIS diary off the floor. She took hold of his hand again. "She'd be so upset if she lost this," she explained.

~0~0~0~

River tried as hard as she could to pull the ship under control, but the meteors had done too much damage and there didn't seem much she could do but ensure that the ship crashed as safely as possible.

The Doctor and Danni ran in and saw that she was the only one fighting for their lives. "Where's everyone else?" the Doctor asked as something sparked nearby.

"They ran for it," she replied. "So should we."

"Can we even get back to the TARDIS?" Danni asked. "Your meteors have blown holes through everything!"

"They're not my meteors, although I appreciate that you think I can control space debris," River retorted. "I had this book, History's Finest Exploding Restaurants," she explained. "The best food for free, Skip the coffee."

"Almost die in the process," Danni retorted.

"Almost being the operative word," River replied. Danni held out the TARDIS diary to her.

"I picked this up for you," she said. "I knew you wouldn't want to be without it."

Touched, River took it and held it tight in her free hand. "Thank you, sweetie."

Danni smiled at her. "Anytime, Mum."

"Not to break up this lovely moment, but we need to get the navcom back online," the Doctor told them. "And re-route the thrusters."

"That's what I've been trying to do," River retorted. They all set to work, the Doctor and River using their respective sonic devices on the console whilst Danni tried everything she knew. Granted, she still wasn't quite as experience with landing crashing spaceships as she was with the TARDIS, but she could still help where she could.

"Can I just say something?" she asked as another spark had them all ducking for cover. "Hydroflax? Not my favourite stepdad."

"I married the diamond, not the king," River reminded yet again. "Who was your favourite?"

Danni paused for just a moment before realising that she didn't have that luxury. "Did you marry Nardole?" she asked curiously and River laughed.

"Unfortunately not."

"Well, I guess it'd have to be Cleo," she replied, pouting just a little. "She was lovely." She moved to the command seat to see if she could find some overrides to the security on the controls that were causing them all a bit of bother. "She gave me that golden dress, remember?"

"I do. You looked marvellous in that," River said fondly. "I was very…" She paused, moving from one screen to another as she caught a look at the planet they were heading to. "Hang on a minute. I recognise that planet."

"Well, that's nice. Maybe they'll name the crater after us," the Doctor retorted. He wasn't sure how they both had just fallen into banter after Danni's display but it was like River cared as much as she did. How was she not as worried as he felt? That Danielle had been someone he had barely recognised. She'd been the Time Child and he hated it.

"That's Darillium!"

Danni's hands stilled, a cold dread rushing over her. The Doctor also paused, instantly recognising the name and what came with it. He looked over at Danni, who was scrambling off her chair to fall to her mother's side.

"Are you sure?" she asked desperately.

River nodded. The sight outside was beautiful and Danni knew she had no idea what it meant for her. Suddenly all of her anger fell away to the pain of knowing they were heading squarely for the planet they'd avoided almost as fiercely as they'd tried to avoid Trenzalore. But, it would seem, they couldn't outrun it either.

"You know, the Singing Towers," River continued and Danni nodded. "You always say you're going to take me there for dinner and then you always cancel at the last minute."

"Because there's always more to see," Danni whispered. The planet below was so stunning, as she had found every planet to be from above. Any other planet and she'd have been as excited as ever to spend time there with River. "Things that are so much better than that."

River frowned as she looked down at her daughter. Danni, old or young, grumpy or happy, never found any part of the universe worse than the other. She almost looked like she was going to cry.

There was another explosion and the Doctor made his way over to the other side of the room, to a console that was quickly becoming a part of his plans. "Danielle, over here!" he called and she stumbled to his side.

"This is for the internal teleport," she said, confused.

"Yes. I can use the power cell to boost the thrusters," he explained. "River! If you could stop drooling at the view for a moment…"

"Oh, shush," she retorted, also joining them. He held out a strand of the bright blue wiring he pulled out from it. She grabbed it. "What's this supposed to do?"

"Get you out of here," he replied. She looked positively fuming as he sent her to the TARDIS with the teleport. As the cable dropped to the ground Danni grabbed his hands.

"What do we do?" she asked quickly. "We can't take her down there! How do we stop it?"

He wanted to tell her it was all going to be okay, but he knew it wasn't. He knew that, as they speeded down to the ground, that River's diary was nearly full and there was only one more place to go. Instead of saying anything he cupped her face, then the back of her head as he brought her closer to rest his forehead on hers. He heard her whimper but she didn't pull away.

The TARDIS quickly appeared behind them and Danni broke away before River could see how upset she was. River ducked her head out.

"I'm going to kill you for that," she told them. "We're going to crash any moment now! Get inside!"

They didn't need telling twice, the pair rushing over and closing the doors just as the ship crashed into Darillium. The force broke through the TARDIS and sent them all flying.

~0~0~0~

The Doctor woke up with sore ribs but not much else, which was surprising considering he was sure that a rather large explosion had sent all three of them across the console room. He sometimes wondered how he could be so lucky and survive everything. Sometimes he wondered if it was luck at all, or a punishment. He guessed he'd never really know.

He sat up and looked for Danni, unable to find her. He started to panic only to see the TARDIS front door open just slightly, indicated that she was most likely outside. He quickly checked on the unconscious River – alive, which was great – and he picked up the diamond for good measure before heading outside.

It was dark, and he was sure it would have been cold had there not been a burning engine just outside the TARDIS doors. Danni was sat on a piece of debris, staring at the fire and she didn't look at him until he sat down in the dirt next to her.

"This can't be it," she told him. "This can't be."

"Everything ends," he replied softly. "It has to otherwise what's the point?"

"I won't let her die, Theta, I can't," she whispered. "She's my mum."

"She'll always be your mum. Jack will always be your dad. I will always be your husband…"

"And Clara will always be my friend?" she cut in. "Until I forget. I always forget. I always…" She sniffed, wiping her eyes. "I can't live past everyone," she said. "Look what happens when I do. I lived past Clara…"

"That's not true," he tried to reassure her but she shook her head.

"It is true," she insisted. "I lived past her, she's gone from my memories like my mum and dad, like Rose and Martha and Sarah Jane. I lived past Clara because she's gone too and look what happens to me." She pressed her lips together, looking at the fire that burnt in front of them. "I stabbed a guy today and I don't care. I just- I don't care at all. I care more about that fact that I don't care than the fact that he probably went down with this ship.

"I never liked Me, not just because she was cold and unfeeling, but because I can feel myself going the same way," she admitted. "I feel like that girl who would shout and scream at the injustices in the universe has just gone away and left me angry and distant and I never wanted that- I never wanted that to be me because there's no coming back from that. I can't fix it. I can't be like her anymore."

"Yes, you can," he promised taking her hand and bringing it over his shoulder so he could hold it. "I know you can."

"No, you know you want me to be able to," she corrected. "Doesn't mean I ever actually will be."

He didn't say anything as he watches the flames dance through the wreckage. He wondered if this was what she had in mind when she had threatened to burn through the ship after they'd threatened him. He was sure she had envisioned something a lot worse.

"Long ago, I promised to save you from the Master and I failed," he started. "I then promised to save you from Missy, and I failed that too. I promised I'd help you get over losing your friend and, as it turns out, I'm not very good at that either. But I can promise you something." He turned on his seat so he could look up at her. She was only illuminated by the light from the fire and was still the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. "I can help you find yourself. I know I can."

"How can you be so sure?" she whispered.

"Because I was lost once too," he reminded her. "I was lost in regeneration and loss and pain, and you dug through it all and found me in that mess."

"You-You were always there. You were just scared," she protested.

"And I can tell by the way you're holding my hand that you're scared too," he replied. She looked down at where their hands were joined and saw how white her knuckles were. She hadn't realised it, but now she could feel it. "I know she's in there somewhere, behind the anger and the pain you're carrying. I see her all the time and I will help you find her too. I can help you find a Danni you're proud of being again because I watched you do the same for me. You have always been my best teacher."

She tried to smile. "You were the geography teacher, not me," she teased half-heartedly, reminding him of his previous body. "I think I'd prefer to learn from you than anyone else."

He opened his mouth to retort, but then stopped because when he actually thought on it, he didn't mind the idea at all. He could be a teacher. He'd make a great teacher.

"Do you really think you can fix me?" she asked quietly. "I think I'm beyond saving."

"You're not broken," he replied. "But just because you did something bad doesn't mean you're a bad person. Even the most reluctant can be redeemed with time." He brought her hand to his lips, placing a kiss on her palm. "I can't make you be something, good or bad, but I can help you decide that for yourself. I can show you how I see you every day."

"And how's that?" she whispered and he smiled brightly at her.

"As my Danni-Girl," he told her know that it would bring a smile on her tired, sad face. "One day you'll see yourself as I've always seen you. And I'll be there, nudging you on your way until you do."

She wanted to tell him how much she loved him, and she wanted to tell him that his love for her was simply astounding. Instead she continued to stare at the fire. "We live too long," she said softly.

"We do," he agreed. "But at least it's together."

He was right. At least, when it came to it, they weren't on their own. He'd hold her up to the mark and she'd do the same for him. They could very easy lose themselves to the darkness that was in both of them. She would never let that happen to him, so she couldn't let that happen to herself either.

So, she started with something that, in the grand scheme may have been small, but was very big to her. "I can't let her die like this," she declared. "It needs to be better. She deserves a good death more than anyone."

The Doctor nodded. "You're definitely right there," he agreed. He held his hand out in front of him and showed her the diamond he'd picked up. "Let's go make that happen."

~0~0~0~

River was confused, which took a lot of doing if she was modest enough to admit she was confused in the first place. It was obvious from the moment she opened her eyes that she was alone in the TARDIS so, tentatively, she took a look outside of her doors to see if she could find her daughter and her husband.

Instead of the wreckage she had been expecting, she found a woman at a check in desk with a bright smile. There was no debris, or carnage, or fire. In fact, it all seemed a bit posh. It was obviously a restaurant considering the ambient noise of people chatting quietly to one another and the clinking of cutlery on plates.

"Professor Song," she greeted, as if she had been waiting. "The Doctor and Danielle are waiting for you on the balcony."

"Oh," she replied softly, still as confused as she had been stepping out of the TARDIS. "Excellent."

"This way, ma'am," the receptionist told her, still bright and happy as she turned and led the way.

"Do we have a good table?" River asked, taking in the décor. She loved the colours, and the light suggested it wasn't dark outside, but dimming into dusk. She rather liked it.

"The finest in all the galaxy, ma'am."

She paused in her step. "Ah," she replied, thinking about the clothes she was wearing. Not nearly good enough. "Er, one moment." She pulled out her spray, giving herself one more spray to put on a dark red evening dress. "That's better, wouldn't you agree?" she asked the woman.

"You look lovely, ma'am," the receptionist replied.

"Good enough for a dinner date with my daughter, I should think."

She was shown to a red pathway, covered in beautiful archways with foliage growing over them, to not Danni, but a rather large red armour suit she had been certain she would never see again.

"Ramone?" she asked, tentatively stepping closer. He smiled at her.

"Professor Song," Ramone greeted. "Danielle will be with you in a moment."

"What are you doing here?" she asked, smiling now she knew he wasn't about to attack her.

"They pulled us from the wreckage, ma'am. Fixed us up. I've been working here ever since. Don't worry. The nasty part's all gone. Got deleted in the merger," he explained. She was so glad that he was alright, it just brought up a whole load of new questions.

"What about Nardole?"

"Oh, Merry Christmas, ma'am. Yeah, good to see you again," his voice replied from inside the suit. She grinned in delight.

"Merry Christmas, Nardole!"

"Sorry I'm off duty. I'm just having some me time."

She leant a little closer, raising her voice slightly because she wasn't sure how thick the metal armour actually was. "I imagine that must be quite a challenge."

"Yes, ma'am," he replied with a chuckle and she couldn't help but laugh as well. It was so nice to see them flourishing together despite what had happened to them. She reached out, running her hand over the cold metal of his chest.

"So, Ramone, you have a metal body now…" she started.

"Down, girl."

She turned to see the Doctor stood at the end of the hallway, in a black suit and his hair styled nicely. "Now that, my dear, is a suit," she told him as he headed towards her. "Much less magician than normal. In fact, she was sure she'd only seen him dressed so sensibly in the photos Danni liked to share.

He walked up to her, holding out a gold box with a red bow on it. "Happy Christmas."

"Christmas?" she asked, taking it off him.

"Not my idea, you know what she's like," he replied.

"What is she like?" she asked him, thinking back on the day's events. "Is she okay?"

"No, not really," he admitted. "She's struggling, but she'll come through. When you live as long as we do, eventually everything works out."

River nodded along, knowing the feeling well despite being younger than the two Time Lords. "What about Clara?"

"Clara's gone," he replied. "Bringing it up just hurts. I'd leave that alone."

She wasn't sure if he was talking about himself or Danni, but she didn't want to upset either one of them. So, instead of pressing, she looked down at the box. "I don't think you've ever given me a gift before."

"Well, with your diary filling up, I thought you could use something new to replace it," he replied. She opened it up and gasped in surprise at the sonic screwdriver inside. "When I saw the sonic trowel, I thought it was just embarrassing," he told her bluntly. "But, look," he took it out and set it off, showing her the blue tip. "Like mother, like daughter." He placed it back in the box for her.

"Well, thank you very much," she said honestly before glancing back the way he'd come. "Where's Danni?"

"Waiting for you," he replied, holding his arm out like a perfect gentleman. River wasn't sure how to react, after all she and the Doctor had always butted heads, but she was too happily baffled to care. So she took his arm and he led her the other way, to the table and the balcony. "You look lovely," he told her. "Less 'magician's assistant' than before."

"Oh, so you do see what you look like," she replied in a tease. "I'm not sure if it being a choice is any better."

Danni was stood at the balcony, looking out at the Singing Towers that it was pointing at and River realised that they had finally taken her on the dinner date they'd been promising her for years. The wind blew around them, causing her hair to waft in the breeze and the beautiful noise mistaken for singing to echo all around. Danni hadn't changed like her husband and she was smiling as she listened to the music, but for a smile so soft she looked so sad.

"The Singing Towers," River breathed, placing the present on the table and walking to Danni's side.

"Aren't they just beautiful?" Danni asked her and she nodded.

"Oh, the music," she breathed. "Listen to it." She took just a moment just to feel it, the sound humbling her in a way not a lot of things could. She opened her mouth when she saw the way Danni's eyes shone in the dim light. "Are you crying?"

Danni shook her head, sending her the bravest smile she could. "No, of course not," she said. The Doctor joined them on the other side of Danni, nodding out to the towers.

"It's just the wind," he explained. "It blows through the cave system and harmonises with the crystal layer."

Normally River would have been interested, but she couldn't help but be concerned at the way Danni looked. While she had seen her daughter with many faces, this one had always been the hardest to read. And yet, she could tell how upset she was. "Why are you sad?" she asked, resting a hand on her arm. Danni shook her head, closing her own hand over hers.

"I'm not," she promised. "I'm okay."

They fell into a drawn-out silence until River spoke up again, something heavy on her mind. "There are stories about us, you know?" she told the pair. "I look them up sometimes."

"Oh, that's never a good idea," Danni replied. "Why bother reading the book if you just jump to the last page?"

"Some of them suggest that the very last night we spend together, all three of us, together, is at the Singing Towers of Darillium. That wouldn't be true, would it?"

Danni knew what she was asking. She knew it because, what else would anyone ask in that situation? The one question everyone wants to ask, and the one no one wants the answer to.

"This isn't the last you see of us," she replied. She didn't want to lie. "It's just one of them."

River's throat closed up, a lump appearing along with the devastation at the thought that her diary filling up really was it. It explained so much – like the Doctor being civil with her, for one – and she couldn't help but wonder if that was why Danni had been acting out so erratically. Had they known all along?

Her daughter was sad because, despite them all being all across each other's time lines, this was the night her mother died. She swallowed the sadness away. Her Danni-Girl needed her.

"Not everything lasts forever," she stated. "Everything ends eventually."

"Except me," Danni muttered, keeping her gaze firmly on the towers in front of her. "I outlive everyone, it's all I'm ever going to do."

River slowly spun her so she was looking away from the towers and at her. "Nothing lasts forever. If it did, imagine how dull the universe would be," she said. "You can still enjoy it without holding onto it forever."

"It's good enough to just see it," Danni muttered. "I know, I just…" She pressed her lips together, eyes darting around before deciding she really didn't care if it was safe to speak or not. "You're my mum," she whispered. "I don't want you to go."

River cupped her cheeks with both hands, stroking her tears away. "I'm not going anywhere, yet," she promised before turning her back around. "And just look at it," she encouraged. "Who can be sad when you can look at that instead?"

Danni just wanted to hug her and never let go, to keep her from going to the Library and save her from giving her life for a Doctor and Danni who had no idea what she would become to them. But she did as she was told and looked out at the stunning display of nature, where the tunnels lined up just so that it made the world around them sing as if something heavenly was watching over them. Her sadness turned to a soft, bittersweet smile; it was really beautiful. How was it the universe, just out of nowhere, could create something as spectacular as two rock towers that could sing?

The Doctor cleared his throat, leaning on his forearms as he also looked out at the scenery. For all their fighting, he never wanted the time to come when he'd have to send River off to her death. He was determined to make it right, for both of them.

"We still have tonight," he told them both. River nodded, rubbing her own eyes to stop herself from crying. "I thought we could all spend the night. One last hurrah, as they say."

"Well, that sounds delightful," River declared, as if she really was the mother trying to get her unenthusiastic child to participate in an activity. "How long is a night on Darillium?"

"Twenty-four years."

Danni's head snapped to the side as she looked up at him. "What?" she asked, almost hopeful. He copied River's actions, turning her to face him.

"You gave me five hundred years on a planet at war. I can't give you that, but I can give you this," he replied. "What do you say?"

She laughed, nodding happily. She knew that River was going to have to go the Library, she knew that they'd move on from Clara and onto something new and exciting. She knew that, with his help, she'd find her joy in the universe again. But, for now, all she wanted was a family to keep her together while she cried. "Maybe we could call Jack?" she suggested, a little cheekily. She looked back at River. "I loved Cleo, but he'll always be my favourite."

River rolled her eyes. "Fine, if you must," she said without her usual bite at the thought of Danni's father. After all, as she'd come to realise, she'd slept with him for a reason. He wasn't too bad. "But I'm so not living with him."

Danni giggled again, a heaviness lifting from her as the silence they fell into felt much lighter, much more pleasant and much less sad. The song was truly beautiful and she closed her eyes, leaning over the edge the feel in the wind that blew it all around them.

Until, that was, the Doctor pulled her back over the railings. He took her hand in his, wrapping his arm around her waist. "What are you doing?" she asked him.

"Dancing," he replied. "What does it look like?"

"There's no music."

"Does there have to be?"

River leant against the railings, watching the two sway with each other to the angelic singing of the towers. Nothing lasted forever. Happily ever after didn't mean forever, it just meant time. This was perfect.

And they lived.

Happily.

~0~0~0~

Well, I hope you all liked it! Recovery is officially finished. I hope you all enjoyed the ride.

Thank you all for your continued support, and I hope you're all looking forward to the next story. It's coming June 3rd, Danni's 6th Anniversary, so keep an eye out for it.

Thank you.