Clara couldn't quite pinpoint what was wrong. She hadn't been particularly tired when she woke up, just the same grogginess that everyone felt when they first opened their eyes and had to start the day. Her boyfriend was still asleep next to her – thankfully neither of them were snorers – and that wasn't something she'd been able to enjoy in a little while.
It wasn't particularly cold, either, despite leaving one season and heading into the other. Her birthday was soon, and by extension so was Danni's, but she wasn't one for worrying about her age so that can't have been it either.
If Danny had noticed her strange mood, he was polite enough to not mention it. Morning conversation stayed on work, which was something they tried not to talk about all the time, but as they were both getting ready and they were both heading to the same place, it was very hard not to fall into the topic.
But that wasn't what was bothering her either. It was a strange, almost itchy feeling. Like she couldn't get comfortable, or stand still, because something was keeping her moving. Something that had her gripping everything she touched slightly tighter, had her knee bouncing as they sat on the sofa and enjoyed breakfast together. It had her face set in a constant frown even though she wasn't experiencing anything to be frowny about.
She couldn't shift it even as she stood outside Danni's new bedroom door, wondering if she should open it and tell her she was heading off to work. The door looked wrong, but she didn't know why either. Nothing about what had happened was any cause for concern, so why did she feel like this?
"I get the feeling that I should be jealous," Danny Pink said as he snuck up on her. "Standing outside other people's doors looking like you're ready to rip the door off."
"I don't look like that," Clara replied, although she could feel the way her brows were furrowed, like she was glaring at it. "I'm just coming down with something. Let me tell her I'm off then we can go."
"Do we have to?" he asked, sounding almost desperate to stay off, and not just because he wanted to spend time with her. "I have triple Year 7s today."
"Ouch, sucks to be you," she retorted, showing her total lack of sympathy for him. She pressed a kiss on his cheek. "Give me a mo."
Danny hung his head, but headed off to the door as instructed. Clara stared at the handle for a few more, long, seconds before opening it up into the dark room inside.
Jack was on the bed, one arm dangling out and looking just as undignified as he probably hoped she'd never see him. Danni was curled up the opposite way, much like she would always do in Clara's bed. At least it was a Danni habit, rather than one she'd developed because Clara was there.
They were both sound asleep, though. Not even the door opening and shining light in on them stirred them.
Suddenly she felt a little guilty for wanting to wake up her friend, who she knew was going through an incredibly tough time. Still, she slowly stepped into the room, moving around the bed and knelt in front of her sleeping best friend.
She looked so peaceful, which was nice. Nothing could touch her when she was asleep.
Clara reached out, putting a hand on her arm. "Danni," she whispered as quietly as she good, giving her a gentle shake.
"Mmm?" Danni replied, half awake.
"I'm going to work, ring me if you need me," she told her. "I'll be back in a flash, okay?"
"Mmm," she replied and she was asleep again. Clara waited a moment longer to make sure she really was back asleep, then she headed out of the room after her boyfriend, still unable to shift the feeling of wrongness.
Danni slept on, oblivious to her friend's turmoil, but Jack opened his eyes when the door shut. His instincts had been to wake the moment Clara had entered, ready to attack if needed. Of course, it had only been Clara, but he knew that there was more to Clara than she was letting on. He just wasn't sure Clara saw it herself.
~0~0~0~
Danni woke up with the distinct feeling that someone had been talking to her, however the room was dark and the man next to her was snoring faintly. She rolled onto her side, smiling at the sight of her father there. She had to wonder just how strange they looked to the outside world, but their relationship worked for them, so she didn't see the issue.
She had to wonder if how well he slept. Captain Jack Harkness always held such weight on his shoulders, a weight she didn't even know how to relieve. She just hoped that she could be a good friend when he needed it, a bit of distraction in his life.
She placed a hand gently on his arm, then shook him roughly. "Jack! It's time to wake up!" she exclaimed, giggling at the way he jolted awake, his hand going for gun she knew wasn't there.
"Danni!" he groaned. "I thought- I could have hurt you."
She wrinkled her nose. "Nah, don't be daft," she scolded. "Get outta bed, I want breakfast."
"And why do I have to be there?" he asked as she climbed out of the bed herself.
"You don't," she replied brightly. "You just don't want to miss my excellent company."
He rolled his eyes, but couldn't help chuckling as she turned the light on. "Like father, like daughter, eh?" he commented.
She nodded. "Exactly," she opened the door. "Plus, I'm having a shower while you cook."
She giggled as she headed for the bathroom, listening to Jack's cries of protest. No matter, he would do it, she knew he would.
~0~0~0~
Jack knew that Danni had been expecting the Doctor for one of their 'date nights', but as was in the unofficial title of the event, he had expected him that night. And yet, while Danni was getting ready for the day after her shower, the familiar sound of the TARDIS appearing filled the flat.
He took the frying pan off the heat and stuck his head out of the kitchen, looking for the Doctor, who appeared only a moment later. His eyes scanned around for his wife, but the room was sorely lacking her. He had expected to find her reading on the sofa, pretending that she wasn't waiting for him, much like he had pretended to not jump straight from Wednesday with Clara to now. He hadn't expected to see the American Captain who was waiting for him instead, plastic spatula in hand.
"Look what the cat dragged in," Jack greeted with a tease in his tone. "I can't say I was expecting to see you."
"The feeling is entirely mutual," the Doctor replied. "Did Danielle call you?"
"Apparently, she's been going through a lot lately," Jack retorted. "Something about being left to save the Moon and her husband doing a runner."
The Doctor rolled his eyes. Of course she would have gone to Jack; no matter how much she denied it, the man was becoming her father more and more in her mind. Still, she could have been slightly reserved in the information that she'd given out.
"We are working through it," he replied calmly. "Without the need for immortal men to stick their nose in."
Jack pointed the spatula at him. "Let's get one thing straight, Doc," he started. "If she calls, I'm coming, and you don't have a say in it," he waited to see if the Doctor had anything to say. He straightened slightly, but didn't say a word, so Jack continued. "Would you like any eggs?"
That surprised the Doctor, who had been on the receiving end of Jack's ire about Danielle on more than one occasion. He'd been punched, roughed up and shouted at, but never offered food before. "Is that it?" the Doctor asked, unsure of how he felt about this development. "What happened to the fist-happy man who attacked me last time?"
"Last time you just left her for five months and expected forgiveness," Jack reminded. "She's told me about your old body before. You seem to have grown up since then, and are trying to earn it rather than expecting it. Honestly, when she told me about your little arrangement, I was actually surprised you'd agreed to it. He never would have."
"Well, we are in agreement there," the Doctor replied. "And, whilst I wasn't looking for your approval, thank you," Jack's eyebrows shot up in his surprise. "I don't require it, but Danielle does, and I'm sure she's grateful that you are here."
Jack smirked. "Well, a little eye candy never did hurt anyone," he retorted just to see the Doctor's slightly uncomfortable squirm. "Danni-Girl, your husband's here!"
~0~0~0~
Danni had been changing when she'd heard the TARDIS appear in the hallway. She was hit by a flurry of emotions – happiness that he was here so early, worry at what could have brought him at a different time this week. Horror as she realised she was walking around in a pair of tights and her bra and looked anything but stunning. Excitement at the prospect of another day, as well as the promise of a 'gift' that he had said was waiting for her.
She looked at her outfit that she had laid out on the bed. A nice black skirt and white blouse, a classic of her wardrobe and still as effective as ever. She didn't have time to accessorise it more than a headband, but that was fine. It was her makeup she was more concerned about.
She didn't wear an awful lot, because running around usually caused her to sweat and that very rarely worked well with even the most expensive of make-up. It was one thing that the TV show she had watched centuries ago had never shown in a true light. Everyone always looked amazing as they ran from monsters. It never worked that way. But for nice occasions she found that it boosted her confidence, and was something that human beings never grew out of as their species advanced, and she guessed that was part of her as well.
She hadn't even been planning on make up at that point. She wasn't planning on doing much that day, just spending time with Jack and finishing off her bedroom a bit. She was going to get help from Jack when she was getting ready later that evening, but that was now all out of the window.
"Danni-Girl, your husband's here!"
Danni grimaced at herself in the mirror. She wasn't ready for him at all, was he going to take one look at her then get straight back into the TARDIS and fly away again? However, she didn't have a lot more time, otherwise it was going to look like she was actually trying to make an effort, when she'd seen enough shows to know that you had to look like you'd put effort into your appearance, without actually looking like you'd put any effort into it at all.
She stepped out to see Jack looking a little smug, and the Doctor looking as neutral as always. Both men turned their attention to her, but it was only under the Doctor's gaze that she blushed. She really felt like this was a proper second date. Like they'd only just started dating each other, rather than the five hundred years that they had behind them. That was probably a good thing, though, because it made it feel incredibly excited about the day ahead of them.
"I wasn't expecting you yet," Danni told him, brushing her hair behind her ear as she closed the step closer.
"No, I can see that," he replied, shooting Jack a very pointed look. The captain rolled his eyes, then stepped into the kitchen, telling them both that the eggs would be burning in a very amused voice.
"You look well," he told her and again her cheeks warmed up.
"So do you," she replied softly. He reached out, taking her hand and placed a kiss on her palm before letting it drop again.
"I thought that you might enjoy a day out," he told her. "I didn't expect you to have company, I can come back this evening."
Danni's eyes widened just slightly, and she glanced back to the kitchen door. She really didn't want to leave Jack, especially considering how he dropped everything to come see her. But she didn't want to turn the Doctor away on what was only their second date, even if it was to come back later that day. She didn't want to give the message that she didn't want to try and fix their relationship, because she did. That was why she wanted to look her best, why she was excited to see him, why she flushed under his gaze. Their personalities might change slightly, but she stilled loved him dearly.
"I…" she started.
"Go on the bloody date!" Jack shouted from the kitchen and she felt her cheeks darken and warm up, this time in embarrassment.
"Just give me one moment," she told the Doctor, then slipped into the kitchen. Jack was plating up one portion of the eggs he had been scrambling on his plate, but none for anyone else.
"You shouldn't have been listening," she hissed, closing the gap so she could whisper.
"I wasn't, there's a door between us," Jack pointed out. "Go on your date, I'm not going anywhere."
"I don't know…" she replied, but Jack could hear the half-heartedness in her voice. He placed the pan down, turned to her and placed a hand on each of her arms.
"Are you excited?" he asked and a little smile spread on her face. She nodded. "Then go on the date. I'm still here for a couple of days."
"But what will you do?" she asked him. "I can't leave you here all day on your own."
He shrugged. "I'll get some work done, go see a couple of friends. Don't you worry about me," he placed a kiss on her forehead, then turned her around, nudging her towards the door. "And don't be out past curfew!"
She stuck her tongue out at him, but headed into the living room feeling a lot better about leaving with the Doctor. The Time Lord hadn't sat down, and he smirked smugly at the look on her face, telling him she was coming with him. He held out a hand, and she took it eagerly.
"Come along, my Pet," he purred as he led her to the TARDIS.
~0~0~0~
Danni couldn't stop looking around the console room. Each time she saw the TARDIS, it felt like she was seeing her home again. She felt like she was supposed to be in the infinitely large time machine, and the hum and warmth of approval spoke the same for the magical blue box. She and the TARDIS had always got on, and it seemed like she was missing Danni just like Danni was missing her.
"Don't look up?" Danni asked, nose crinkled as she tore her eyes from the time rotor. "Why not?"
"Because you can't," he replied like a spoilt child. "Does there have to be a reason?" He flipped the final switch and with a small jolt they were flying through the vortex once again. There was barely any movement, a small shake of the room and once again Danni had to marvel at his flying skills. He'd once said seven people were needed to fly a TARDIS properly, which had explained his terrible driving abilities in his previous regenerations. Now, she wondered, if he'd just made that up to disguise it.
"With you? Yes, normally," she teased back and the Doctor shot her a look. She had the cheeky little smile on her face again, the one that told him she was only being playful, and not angry.
He rolled his eyes. How was it he could never deny telling her anything?
"Because you'll spoil it," he finally offered. She was terrible when she knew she was in for a surprise. She'd always try and work it out before it was time. "In fact…"
She watched him head down the stairs to underneath the console, coming back up with a baseball cap. She shook her head. "Nope, I'm not wearing that," she told him firmly it. "It'll ruin my hair and I'll look ridiculous."
"It is only for a moment, until we get outside," he retorted, placing in on her head before she could protest further. "No one will see how ridiculous you look."
The hat was a size or two too big, and she had to tilt it upwards to be able to glare at him. "Can't I just use my hands as my own make-shift shield?" she asked and he shook his head as the TARDIS made a soft landing.
"No, I don't trust you not to peep," he told her bluntly, to which she had to agree even if she didn't tell him so. After all, all she wanted to do was go outside those magical doors and see what was in the sky and left to her own devices it would be the first thing she'd do.
She nodded, pulling the hat back down so it was sat properly on her head. "Fine, but you better not make me walk for ages in it."
"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it," he purred and she nudged him before taking his hand.
"Oi, I'll take it off," she warned him even as they headed for the doors. He made sure that he took a step back to allow her to open them, secretly proud of himself for remembering that she loved to do that. She seemed rather happy that he did as well, the smile on her face proving that. Even though he knew what she was about to see wasn't particularly spectacular, when she pushed the door open and stepped out onto the tarmacked road, she still looked amazed at their new surroundings. Almost six hundred years and she still saw every planet like it was her first.
"Where are we?" she asked as she took in the busy street. No one seemed to notice the randomly appearing blue police box, or the people who stepped out of it, but then again they never did. There were a lot of people on fancy bicycles, ones that looked like they were from Victorian England, and yet somehow looked more modern than that. The people were dressed up in a variety of smart and casual clothing, meaning there wasn't a dress code to the planet. She'd been to a few of them, she wasn't massively fond of the uniform look.
There were no cars. Or car equivalents, maybe they were much more of a 'green' race compared to humans. That would make the mass of bikes make a lot more sense.
It was also quite cloudy, but there was still enough sun shining to be able to see everything. Each planet was different, but the further along in history you went, the more the human influence would appear on planets. The species were humanoids of varying colours, heights and weights. The buildings were made of a dark stone, but looked like sky scrapers. Sometimes she wished they could see something distinctly non-human, but then again how many ways were there to build buildings?
"This is Runford," he explained. "Near the year three hundred thousand," he offered his arm to her, and she linked hers through it without hesitation. "They're quite an ordinary bunch, however they do like their festivals. I thought you would like to visit the stalls and experience the culture in that way you like."
"Oh, you know you love it too," she retorted. "You've always been just a big a people watcher as I have, you just don't like to admit it."
She smirked as he didn't reply, instead walked her to the edge of the pavement. "Are you ready?"
She frowned. "For what?"
"To take off that ridiculous hat," he clarified. She nodded eagerly and he reached out, grabbing it by the visor to whip it off. She frowned. The sky was blue, with a couple of clouds but nothing worth wearing a stupid hat for.
"What was that all for?" she asked.
"This," he replied, turning on the spot and using his grip on her to turn her with him. Her eyes widened, and she gasped just like he had expected her to.
The way he had parked the TARDIS had been completely deliberate. He wanted to ensure that, should she look up before he was ready for her to, she would see nothing but sky. However, behind them was the sight he truly wanted her to see.
He wanted her to see the land mass that floated above them. He wanted her to see the hot air balloons that rose and fell from the ground below. The air around the land mass looked completely full of the brightly coloured balloons, but he knew that it was only a portion of the bright sky.
"What on Earth…" she started.
"Actually, we're not on Earth, so that's not quite the right…" she shot him a look and even he knew that continuing to explain what was wrong with her words probably wasn't the way to go right now. "It's the residential area," he explained. "Once the planet was colonised, they started building banks, and offices, and quickly ran out of room. So, with the help of a gravity engine, they created the residential district above us."
"What's with the hot air balloons?" Danni asked.
He shrugged. "Preferred way of transport," he replied. "The planet has limited resources, so the more combustible fuels are used for interplanetary travel. The less so are enough to raise the balloons off the ground. And, of course, they are aesthetically pleasing, and that matters to some people."
Danni smiled, nodding, as she watched the balloons slowly move in the sky. "They are definitely very pretty to look at," she agreed before tearing her eyes off the magical sight. "You said something about a festival?"
"I believe I did," he replied without giving her any more information. "Care to take a trip to the local park?"
She beamed. "I thought you would never ask."
~0~0~0~
The park was teeming with life. Stalls were set up in little streets, that all lead to an open grassy area where people were working on more hot air balloons. There was the noise of children running around, pestering parents, and people talking among themselves, and created a wonderfully happy atmosphere to be walking around in.
The Doctor was happy to watch Danielle's attention get pulled in a thousand different directions. Each new thing held her attention only until another new thing came along, just as he had expected. Despite what she thought, he did know her very well. Or, at least, he had hoped he'd known her well enough to know she would love this little festival.
"Oh, look," she exclaimed, pulling on his arm slightly. She was looking towards the food portion of the festival. "Let's go see what they've got!"
The area smelt delicious, with a multitude of new and tasty food being cooked around them. She didn't know where to start first, but the Doctor was incredibly patient with her, directing her away from the things he knew she wouldn't like, and finding her exactly the things she would adore.
It was with one such thing, some sort of green rice dish, that he started leading her towards the grassy area where the balloons were slowly starting to take shape. There was families and people dotted around, all getting comfy for a day of relaxing.
"In an hour or so, the hot air balloons will all take off at once, and when at the correct height, walkways will be placed between them all. The pilots will keep them all at an even height as they fly across the sky, giving an magnificently beautiful view of the ground below."
"Oh, that's so awesome!" Danni breathed.
"And you and I, my Pet, have our own balloon to fly in," he continued. Her eyes lit up.
"You're kidding!" she exclaimed and he shook his head, pointing across the field.
"See the distinctly blue-coloured one?" he asked her and she nodded. "I thought it was apt."
"Definitely," she agreed. "You really know how to show a girl a good time, don't you?"
He smirked, dipping his head down slightly. "Wait until we're in the balloon, my Pet," he purred.
She flushed slightly, even though his words were just that – words. He knew his boundaries; he'd not lost the ability to know when his Danielle was ready or not for him to hold and touch her. Despite his desperate want to pull her close and hold her tight, he held himself back, waiting for that all-important cue. He didn't want it if she didn't.
"What are we going to do until then?" she asked him.
He reached into his impossible pocket, pulling out a small square bundle of fabric that shouldn't have fit in there. Danni's face pulled into a grin when she realised what it was. "Well, I found this under the console," he explained. "I thought it was about time we brought it out again."
She nodded eagerly. Eleven had been very fond of the expanding picnic blanket. Every time he brought it out, he told her the story of how he'd come to own it. It had been a gift of a young farmer and his wife in his fifth body after he and Peri saved them from a swarm of giant killer toads called the Tofana.
"I haven't seen that in a while," she commented as he walked her over to a tree, placing the blanket down. A quick buzz of the screwdriver, and it was in place for them to sit on.
"I misplaced it," he admitted, waving his arm to indicate she should sit down first. She did, and when he sat too far away for her liking, she shuffled closer. "Did I ever tell you where I got this blanket from?"
Her smile didn't fade as she thought upon how his recollection of storytelling was just as bad as it had been in his other bodies. "I don't think so," she replied. "It's pretty old, though, isn't it?"
"It's quite the interesting tale," he started, mentally taunting his previous body. After all that time together, how could he have not told her this story? "It was in my fifth body, and I was attempting to take Peri to a little farming planet roughly in the thirtieth century…"
~0~0~0~
"No, no, I booked a private balloon!" the Doctor snapped. "That means no sharing, on our own!"
Danni joined her husband as he yelled at the balloon's owner. She'd only gone to pick them up a bottle of wine from one of the alcohol vendors. The Doctor had suggested she grab one because the ride up would take a while.
"None of the balloons are private, sir," the pilot said, incredibly calmly considering the raging Scotsman he was currently facing. He was an older gentleman who looked like he would have been at home on a boat rather than a hot air balloon, with a big bushy white beard and a blue flat cap. "The flight involves free movements between all of the balloons once we are at the correct height."
"Yes, but until then, I specifically requested we were on our own," he continued. This wouldn't do at all. He wanted the freedom to show Danielle the sights of the city below them before they went out for their sky walk. He wanted to woo her, to show her that he still knew what she liked, knew how to treat her. He didn't want this whole 'dating' thing to go on forever, he wanted her back home where she belonged.
"What's going on?" Danni asked, interrupting the argument that was about to start.
"Unfortunately, ma'am, we are fully booked this year, and we can't give you the private balloon you would like," the pilot explained. Danni shrugged.
"That's alright, we can share," she replied before turning to look at her husband. He didn't look best pleased with the setup, his lips fixed in a scowl. "Unless you just want to stay behind?" she offered.
He looked down at her, taking a moment to see if she was offering because she wanted to stay behind, or because she thought he wanted to. Her eyes darted over to the bright blue and patterned balloon, and he realised it was the later, not the former. He supposed he had been a bit harsh on the pilot, and every plan could be changed, after all.
"Not at all," the Doctor purred. "I'm sure we can still have a good time with guests."
The grin that appeared on her face showed the relief she felt at his words, and once again he congratulated himself for getting it right. And, if he had to choose to go on the trip with others, and stay behind, he was happy to go with others.
The pilot seemed rather pleased that the situation had been resolved, if only to get the angry man off his case so he could get back to making the final checks on his balloon. He tipped his hat to the woman who had helped calm her husband down, then turned his back to them.
Danni looked up at her husband. "It will be fine," she told him. "I know it's not what you had planned, but the ride will still be lovely."
"I don't doubt that," he agreed shortly. "I just wanted you for myself, my dear."
She flushed slightly. "Well, sometimes we can't have what we want," she replied. "It just makes it that much more satisfying when we do."
The Doctor opened his mouth to retort, but he saw that Danielle's attention had been drawn away from him and to the group that were going to be joining them. They were quite the unassuming pair, two women with dark skin, one with three eyes and one with two. But, he knew, that wasn't what had caught his Danielle's eye. No, it wasn't the women, but the three-eyed baby that one of them had strapped to their front.
"Hi, I guess we're balloon mates," the one with three eyes greeted a little nervously. Danni nodded.
"I guess we are," she agreed. "I'm Danni, this is the Doctor."
"Michelle," the three-eyed woman replied. "This is Meg," she motioned to the two-eyed woman, who gave a little wave.
"And who is this?" Danni asked, leaning forward to look at the sleeping baby. The Doctor watched her face soften, that bittersweet happiness that came whenever she encountered any child, let alone a baby.
"This is Marie," Michelle replied, pure love in her voice as Danni cooed over her daughter.
"She is just the cutest," Danni exclaimed, stroking the tuft of brown fluffy hair on the little baby's head. "Is it safe to take a baby up into the air."
"Oh, perfectly," the Doctor replied for the two women. "Of course, it's crossing the bridges that's the dangerous part."
"Which is why Marie is strapped securely to my wife, without the chance of falling," Michelle finished and Danni nodded towards her husband.
"Don't mind him," Danni told them. "He's just not great around strangers."
"I'm not a dog," the Doctor grumbled and Danni turned to him, wrapping herself around his arm.
"Of course you're not," she replied, cheekily. "But you'd make a fine one if you were."
The two other women giggled as she stared up at him, batting her eyelashes innocently. He rolled his eyes, but didn't attempt to disentangle himself from her. He was very happy to have her hold onto him voluntarily, and with the two women obviously being new mothers, perhaps once they were in the sky they could just ignore the other couple.
Danni, as always, was a hive of questions. Were they from around here? No? Did they travel far? How old was Marie? Was she their first? How did they meet? Had they tried the green rice dish thing? They should, she'd eaten hers up quickly and gone back for seconds.
Soon, after the small talk that the Doctor largely kept himself out of, the pilot motioned them over. The two women climbed in first, then the Doctor motioned Danni to climb inside as well.
She stumbled slightly, but that was to be expected, and then he followed her. The basket was huge, much bigger than Danni had thought a hot air balloon's basket would be, and even with the pilot inside there was still plenty of room for them to have separate areas for the couple.
She squeaked slightly as they started to rise off the ground, the basket swaying just a little and the Doctor wrapped his arms around her to hold her steady. He was elated to find that she didn't pull away.
"You think I would be used to that by now," she teased lightly, talking about his driving in his previous bodies.
"You know that I fly the TARDIS much better than this," he replied and she nodded.
"That's true, you have improved with age," she agreed. "Less throwing us around and more landing us in the place where we're supposed to be."
"The TARDIS was designed for more than one person to fly her," the Doctor reminded her. "I just happen to be rather good at flying it on my own."
"At least you don't do it anymore just to throw me into your arms," she said and he frowned, remembering how he used to do just that. Maybe he needed to do that when he dropped her back off at Clara's again. Or, if he didn't have to. However, the purchase of a bed said that she wouldn't be coming home this time around.
They fell into silence as they flew higher and higher, the murmurings of the couple behind them barely audible over the roar of the flame taking them into the sky. Danni slowly closed the gap between herself and the edge of the basket, looking over to the ground below. The festival shrunk smaller and smaller, then the park joined it, followed by more and more of the city below. Soon the buildings were just small blocks of concrete and bricks that looked like she could pick them up, and the people were barely visible at all. The whole city became visible from each direction, stretching out towards the horizon and they were slowly becoming level was the floating residential island. It really was beautiful.
The basket shuddered slightly as they halted in their ascent, and the pilot turned the fire down to try and keep their height. He quickly bent down, picking up a small metal bar and held it over the side of the basket.
"He has to do it quickly, otherwise there is a chance that we will all float too far apart," the Doctor explained in a low voice. "The bridges are what keep us together as a group, and will also help keep our heights relatively even."
With a quick press of a button, the metal bar began to extend across to the next balloon. There was a family of two adults and three children, who all waved excitedly over at them. Danni laughed and waved back, letting the festive atmosphere completely take over her.
As quickly as the bar shot out towards the other side, the pilot was tying it in place with small pieces of strong rope. He then turned and rushed to the other side, where another bar was extended over from another balloon, creating another walkway and he began securing it into place as well.
"Do we get one on each side?" Danni asked and the Doctor shook his head.
"I deliberately chose a corner one so your view wouldn't be obstructed by bridges," he told her. "The ones in the centre of the ring will have four."
Danni watched as, now they were joined with the other balloons, the pilot went back to the first bridge, replacing the traditional ropes with metal bolts. Danni took a step around the Doctor and to the pilot's side.
"Do you want any help?" she asked him and the older man shot her a smile from underneath his beard.
"No thanks, ma'am, I've been doing this longer than you've been alive," he replied as a joke.
"Oh, I heavily doubt that," the Doctor murmured from behind her as Danni suppressed a smile of her own. If only the man knew just how long she had been alive, how many memories ran through her head. She'd probably lost more memories than he could recall.
She jumped as a loud metallic noise echoed through the air, but found not the gunfire she had expected, but that all the bridges now had large railings running down either side to stop people falling off.
"There we go, folks!" the pilot declared. "You may now move across the bridges at your leisure. We ask that only one person goes across at a time, and to listen to the pilots. Enjoy your walk."
Michelle placed a kiss on her wife's cheek. "I'll see you on the red one," she said as she headed towards one balloon, and Meg headed towards the other. Danni's eyes lit up as she realised they were planning on walking separate ways with the intention to meet up in the middle.
She turned to the Doctor. "Oh, we should do that," she said. "We could race, see who gets to the other side first."
He was reluctant to leave her side, after all they were supposed to be on a date together, however he hadn't seen her so eager to go and explore on her own for what felt like entirely too long. So, he too dipped his head to kiss his wife, although he decided that a quick brush on the lips was more than he deserved for agreeing to let her out of his sight.
"The yellow one with the red swirls," he instructed and she nodded, turning and heading to the bridge that Meg was heading across. Of course, she was following the baby. He could only smile in amusement as she waited impatiently for the mother to cross.
He followed Michelle, neither of them making the conversation he knew that Danielle would be making with the other woman. The sights were stunning from the balloons, he had to admit, and he wished he could see her face as she took in the different angles of the city below. He committed everything to memory, storing it away for another time, another date, when he could show her. When they were mentally joined again and memories were mere stories told between them. The look on her face then would be more than worth the wait.
Unlike the queues for the bridges, which were decidedly too long. Who thought that letting so many people up in the air was a good idea? And they were all waiting so patiently, it was incredibly annoying. He looked out across the mass of bridges and baskets, spotting his wife roughly five balloons away. He shouldn't have left her side.
Michelle climbed onto the bridge before him and he was finally at the front of the queue, ready to cross to a multi-coloured balloon that seemed incredibly too full. He watched with a frown as, instead of climbing off the edge like she should have done, Michelle stood on the lip to the basket and turned to face him.
"For the Guard!" She shouted, and the following explosion rocked through the baskets, screams sounding out everywhere as more explosions blew the map of bridges apart and sent them all to their knees.