Nightmares and Daydreams: - Moving On 3/5
Title: Nightmares and Daydreams - Moving On 3/5
Author: katherine_b
Characters: The Doctor (Nine, Ten) and Donna Noble
Spoilers: Everything up to Journey's End.
Summary: The Doctor has found Donna again.
Part III
As soon as the park is empty, the Doctor leaps to his feet and takes off in the direction Donna went, fishing in his pocket for his phone as he goes.
“Rose,” he says sharply as soon as the call is answered, “stay put. I could be a while. But I'm coming back - trust me on that.”
“You'd better,” comes the reply from the other end, and he can't help smiling as he disconnects the call.
Sliding the phone back into his pocket, he stops short as his foot lands on something unexpected and looks down to find a purse on the ground. Reaching down, he picks up the purple leather object, turning it over as he straightens up. Somehow he can't help feeling his hearts beat a little faster than normal because he suspects who the owner is, but he opens it to check, unsurprised to find a driver's license with Donna Noble's face and name on it.
He could almost believe that the fates are conspiring to give him a reason to speak to Donna again.
And when he hears light, hurried footsteps along the path on the other side of the trees, he knows that his moment has arrived.
For an instant, however, in spite of his eagerness, he considers leaving the purse where he found it. That thought fades almost before it becomes fully formed, though, because he can't bear to lose the chance to speak to her again, in spite of the fact that she wouldn’t know who he was even if the Doctor hadn't wiped her memory. This Donna Noble, after all, isn't the one who helped him through his regeneration.
But, in one way, he might be able to make up for everything that was done for him then by that other version of Donna.
So he stands his ground as she comes around the corner, her eyes fixed on the path, clearly searching for her purse.
And so distracted that she literally runs into him.
“Whoa!”
He grabs her arms to stop her falling over, but finds her hand dealing his arm a sharp slap the next instant.
“Hands!”
“Ow!” he exclaims, letting her go in his surprise.
Clearly his reaction is unexpected because she staggers back and, before he can catch her, sits down hard on the ground. For a moment, the Doctor stands over her, waiting for her to react, before grinning and offering her his hand.
“Shall we try that again?”
“Get off!”
Somewhat startled by her venomous tones - and suddenly remembering when he said those exact words to another version of Donna - he steps back and watches as this woman gets to her feet, her blue eyes flashing a warning.
“What do you want?” she demands.
“Well, I thought you might like this back.” He offers her the purse - and then holds it well out of her reach as she moves to grab it. “Oh, no. No, no, no. I want to hear a 'thank you' first!”
“Good luck with that one, mate!” Donna tries to haul his arm down, but only succeeds in dragging his sleeve down to his elbow. “Give it to me!”
Chuckling, he holds it higher. “Two little words,” he teases. “In fact, only one if you use a hypen! Come on, you can say them! They're not that hard!”
“Yeah, 'cos you look like the type who'd say that to a girl all the time,” she snaps breathlessly. “It's mine!”
“And you can have it as soon as you thank me for it,” he repeats teasingly, backing away.
She lunges for him, but the distance he has put between them throws off her balance and, to his horror, she stumbles and falls forward. He tries to grab her, but his fingers slide along her arm without getting any purchase and, as he watches in helpless horror, she strikes her head on a large stone that lines the edge of the path and her body goes limp.
“Donna!”
Dropping the purse, he throws himself to his knees beside her still body, rolling her onto her back and wiping a spot of blood that has appeared on her temple from where her head hit the rock. His touch on her skin assures him that her heart hasn't faltered, and as he lowers his ear to her mouth, he can hear the breath sighing in and out from between her lips. Clearly she's just been knocked out by the hit to her head.
Blood continues to seep from the tiny cut on her face and he presses his fingers against her broken skin to stem the slow trickle.
However there is a strange sensation in his mind, almost an echo of himself, that seems to reverberate in his head as he makes that prolonged contact.
It's as if he's having a rapid-fire conversation with himself on a million topics at the same time.
“The meta-crisis,” he murmurs, pulling his hand away as if he's been stung.
Now he knows why the other Doctor had to take it all away.
And he knows, too, that, when Donna comes around, he will have to do the same thing so that it doesn't kill her.
Unless...
Gently, almost warily, he replaces his fingers against her temples, feeling the uncontrolled storm of a Time Lord mind wash over his. He's looking for a tiny gap of weakness that he thinks he might have noticed before.
And as soon as it passes through his consciousness, he snatches it into his own head, tugging at it like a loose thread, watching as the fiery ball of Time Lord energy begins to unravel. Holding his breath as it begins to fall apart, hoping desperately that he's doing the right thing.
And slowly, agonisingly slowly, as he keeps up the pressure, he feels the heat burning inside Donna's mind begin to cool and the danger of her burning up lessens.
Intriguingly, he can feel also the memories that came with the Doctor's mind being stripped away from the energies that are flowing back into him, and he hopes this might mean that Donna will remember everything that led to the meta-crisis in the first place.
He can't help feeling a little breathless as the last of the results of the meta-crisis slide out of Donna's mind and into his. Dropping back onto his haunches, he releases his hold on Donna's temples, seeing that the fingertips of his right hand are stained with blood, which he wipes on his pants.
And then Donna moves slightly and he leans over her again, waiting for her to regain consciousness and wondering if he's done enough to save her life.
Next Part
Author: katherine_b
Characters: The Doctor (Nine, Ten) and Donna Noble
Spoilers: Everything up to Journey's End.
Summary: The Doctor has found Donna again.
Part III
As soon as the park is empty, the Doctor leaps to his feet and takes off in the direction Donna went, fishing in his pocket for his phone as he goes.
“Rose,” he says sharply as soon as the call is answered, “stay put. I could be a while. But I'm coming back - trust me on that.”
“You'd better,” comes the reply from the other end, and he can't help smiling as he disconnects the call.
Sliding the phone back into his pocket, he stops short as his foot lands on something unexpected and looks down to find a purse on the ground. Reaching down, he picks up the purple leather object, turning it over as he straightens up. Somehow he can't help feeling his hearts beat a little faster than normal because he suspects who the owner is, but he opens it to check, unsurprised to find a driver's license with Donna Noble's face and name on it.
He could almost believe that the fates are conspiring to give him a reason to speak to Donna again.
And when he hears light, hurried footsteps along the path on the other side of the trees, he knows that his moment has arrived.
For an instant, however, in spite of his eagerness, he considers leaving the purse where he found it. That thought fades almost before it becomes fully formed, though, because he can't bear to lose the chance to speak to her again, in spite of the fact that she wouldn’t know who he was even if the Doctor hadn't wiped her memory. This Donna Noble, after all, isn't the one who helped him through his regeneration.
But, in one way, he might be able to make up for everything that was done for him then by that other version of Donna.
So he stands his ground as she comes around the corner, her eyes fixed on the path, clearly searching for her purse.
And so distracted that she literally runs into him.
“Whoa!”
He grabs her arms to stop her falling over, but finds her hand dealing his arm a sharp slap the next instant.
“Hands!”
“Ow!” he exclaims, letting her go in his surprise.
Clearly his reaction is unexpected because she staggers back and, before he can catch her, sits down hard on the ground. For a moment, the Doctor stands over her, waiting for her to react, before grinning and offering her his hand.
“Shall we try that again?”
“Get off!”
Somewhat startled by her venomous tones - and suddenly remembering when he said those exact words to another version of Donna - he steps back and watches as this woman gets to her feet, her blue eyes flashing a warning.
“What do you want?” she demands.
“Well, I thought you might like this back.” He offers her the purse - and then holds it well out of her reach as she moves to grab it. “Oh, no. No, no, no. I want to hear a 'thank you' first!”
“Good luck with that one, mate!” Donna tries to haul his arm down, but only succeeds in dragging his sleeve down to his elbow. “Give it to me!”
Chuckling, he holds it higher. “Two little words,” he teases. “In fact, only one if you use a hypen! Come on, you can say them! They're not that hard!”
“Yeah, 'cos you look like the type who'd say that to a girl all the time,” she snaps breathlessly. “It's mine!”
“And you can have it as soon as you thank me for it,” he repeats teasingly, backing away.
She lunges for him, but the distance he has put between them throws off her balance and, to his horror, she stumbles and falls forward. He tries to grab her, but his fingers slide along her arm without getting any purchase and, as he watches in helpless horror, she strikes her head on a large stone that lines the edge of the path and her body goes limp.
“Donna!”
Dropping the purse, he throws himself to his knees beside her still body, rolling her onto her back and wiping a spot of blood that has appeared on her temple from where her head hit the rock. His touch on her skin assures him that her heart hasn't faltered, and as he lowers his ear to her mouth, he can hear the breath sighing in and out from between her lips. Clearly she's just been knocked out by the hit to her head.
Blood continues to seep from the tiny cut on her face and he presses his fingers against her broken skin to stem the slow trickle.
However there is a strange sensation in his mind, almost an echo of himself, that seems to reverberate in his head as he makes that prolonged contact.
It's as if he's having a rapid-fire conversation with himself on a million topics at the same time.
“The meta-crisis,” he murmurs, pulling his hand away as if he's been stung.
Now he knows why the other Doctor had to take it all away.
And he knows, too, that, when Donna comes around, he will have to do the same thing so that it doesn't kill her.
Unless...
Gently, almost warily, he replaces his fingers against her temples, feeling the uncontrolled storm of a Time Lord mind wash over his. He's looking for a tiny gap of weakness that he thinks he might have noticed before.
And as soon as it passes through his consciousness, he snatches it into his own head, tugging at it like a loose thread, watching as the fiery ball of Time Lord energy begins to unravel. Holding his breath as it begins to fall apart, hoping desperately that he's doing the right thing.
And slowly, agonisingly slowly, as he keeps up the pressure, he feels the heat burning inside Donna's mind begin to cool and the danger of her burning up lessens.
Intriguingly, he can feel also the memories that came with the Doctor's mind being stripped away from the energies that are flowing back into him, and he hopes this might mean that Donna will remember everything that led to the meta-crisis in the first place.
He can't help feeling a little breathless as the last of the results of the meta-crisis slide out of Donna's mind and into his. Dropping back onto his haunches, he releases his hold on Donna's temples, seeing that the fingertips of his right hand are stained with blood, which he wipes on his pants.
And then Donna moves slightly and he leans over her again, waiting for her to regain consciousness and wondering if he's done enough to save her life.
Next Part