Of Homes and Families ♦ for justneededtea

[noblexcompanion]

The trip to visit Casanova had been put on hold. At least for the foreseeable future. The last thing Donna remembered was some git spraying them with some alien gas and going on about some combined fantasy or some such. After that, things were blank

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[justneededtea]

The Doctor never responded well to having someone in his head, he had enough nightmares that one more didn't really bother him, he was a man of great trauma and frankly endless angst. Opening his eyes, he tried his best not to move so no one got woken up. Frowning, he glared up at the ceiling.

"What are you? Why are you in my head?" exhaling tiredly, the Doctor wriggled out of bed and snuck out the room.

[noblexcompanion]

"I am the one who can bring you happiness. Look around you, Doctor. Look at your new world. You have a wife and children. What will you do? Back on the TARDIS when they grow old? Wither and wilt before your eyes while you remain unchanging? What will you do when they perish? I can save you that pain. Here, you can grow old with them, enjoy their lives with them."

There was a dark laugh deep inside the Doctor's head. "Why am I inside your head? The human girl grows fragile. Her mind is such a complex mess. Those consciouses fighting against each other. It may harm her if I were to enter her mind again. Collapsing twice is quite enough, don't you think?"

[justneededtea]

Shoving his hands into his pockets, the Doctor headed down the stairs. He needed to get out of this house. "It's not my life and I don't want it. They'll die. I'm over it. I can move on and I will be sad but I know that part of life so well. I'll have Percy for a while, Adam has a lot more he could accomplish and Donna -- she'll be happy with me no matter what."

He knew all of this for a fact and he tried his best to be firm on this one. "Let us leave now or I will force my way out. Two options, just do the one. It's hardly hard, is it?"

[noblexcompanion]

"Ah. Selfish as always, Doctor. Running, always running, never daring to look back at the suffering left behind. You wish to leave? But what of the others? This world, so carefully crafted from the hopes and dreams of them all.

The android, given life, human life. The gift of speech, of free will. The chance to experience childhood. See how happy he is to run and laugh and play with his new mother, and brother and father.

The hybrid creature... given the gift of parents. The chance to grow up surrounded by the calming influence of his father and his mother.

And the human woman, given the gift of motherhood. Her greatest desire, to be a mother. Already she has had two children cruelly snatched away from her, would you cause her that pain again? Would she forgive you? Are you prepared to take that chance?"

[justneededtea]

"And to do all that, you took away what they were. Percy was a android who was just as human as he is now. Only now he doesn't just communicate through pictures. I loved him because he was that little thing I fixed and I kept on loving him.

Adam isn't in need of parents, he'd in need of adventure. He hates being here as much as I do.

And Donna?... She has me. And Percy. And even Adam. That's a family, she has one. I won't back down to this. We were happy as we were. Course she will forgive me because she'll never lose them. She has Percy and Adam and they love her and visa verse."

[noblexcompanion]

"So be it, Doctor." With what sounded like a distinct click of fingers, the universe began to collapse around the Doctor. Fracturing and splintering around him until nothing but darkness existed.

The darkness continued to engulf the Doctor, eating into his very mind and soul. "Sleep now."

Back in reality, the TARDIS was smoldering, half wedged into an icy mountain. Donna, Adam and Percy were unconscious in the snowy ground. It wasn't clear how long they'd been there, but from Donna and Adam's plummeting body temperatures and Percy's frozen circuits it had been too long. Maybe the entire time they'd been trapped in the other reality.

Adi was flailing around, he'd already tried his best to cover them with blankets, but when you were just one tiny Adipose and the blankets were big and heavy, it was a ver hard task. Still, he wasn't giving up.

[justneededtea]

The Doctor couldn't remember feeling this alone before but it was like the world was ripped right out of his heart and stomped on. It genuinely hurt to think on it. He tried to fight the voice but something was in his head, he knew it. He could feel it.

Eyes closing against his will, the Doctor fell into a sleep, knowing it was the worst possible thing.

He just wanted to get up and help them.

"This isn't the end."

[noblexcompanion]

Why were people so big and adipose so small? The tiny blob of fat had hold of another blanket, dragging it with all his might towards the Doctor. He tripped and fell, planting his face in the snow a good many time, and disappeared into the deeper snow.

Such hard work. He eventually reached the unconscious Doctor and poked a webbed hand of fat against his cheek, squeaking at him. He couldn't wake the other big people up, maybe he'd have more luck with the Doctor. At least his lips weren't blue like the others.

[justneededtea]

"Bwah?" the Doctor muttered. Why was he wet... and what the hell was up with all the coldness. Blinking, the Doctor opened his eyes and frowned down at Adi. "What? Where are we?-- Eh?"

Looking around, he frowned deeply, trying to find where everyone was... Oh no. Oh God. Leaping to his feet, he panicked and grabbed Donna first, dragging her along the best he could and struggling to lift her. His limbs were aching and heavy. Dropping Donna safely in the TARDIS, he turned up the heat gently and let the TARDIS handle it all while he rushed out to get Adam.

Dragging the other in by his arm, he dropped the wet man beside his companion and ran back out for poor Percy. Lifting him up, he place Adi in his pocket and carried both back towards the TARDIS. "It's alright, I'm fixing it. You'll all be fine."

[noblexcompanion]

Once inside, Adi climbed out of the Doctor's pocket and ran off to find more blankets. Poor little guy, he'd dragged so many already. When he was cold, Donna always tucked him up nice and cosy in his shoe box. So, tucking everyone up in big blankets would fix everything. He was sure of it.

Percy was the first to stir. His circuits spluttering and fizzing, sparking as he powered up. The rings of orange lights around his eyes began to light p, weak at first but getting brighter. Next came the squeaks. Ad then all his other lights.

[justneededtea]

Crouching down, the Doctor helped Percy get started up, making sure nothing would break or explode in the process. He seemed alright, just needed a little bit of sonicking to warm him up. He did miss that little boy with such life but Percy was his robot. Smiling, he patted Percy on the head and crawled across to Donna.

Admittedly he favoured Donna more than Adam but he wasn't going to neglect him. even if he accidentally kicked him with his trainer clad foot while attending to Donna. "Sorry! Sorry!"

[noblexcompanion]

Percy continued to squeak, and attempted to print out a message, but only succeeded in printing wet, mulched up paper slush. Somebody would need a new roll of paper when this was all done!

Donna's lips were a dangerous shade of blue, her pulse weak and her skin cold and clammy to the touch. Oh goodie. She'd survived monsters and aliens only to die of bloody hypothermia! Good job she was far too stubborn to stop fighting!

[justneededtea]

"What do you do to treat hypothermia? Come on, old girl. I'm sorry we left but please help?" The TARDIS opened her doors for the Doctor, helping to guide him along to where he needed. Good old TARDIS, she knew how to take care of him. Dragging Donna into the medical bay, he pulled her up and raided his cupboards for what he needed. Good old New New York, after they pulled it together and stopped experimenting, they managed to make a lot of useful cures.

He hooked it up and-- Oh Adam! Woops! Swiftly hooking it up, he ran off to fetch his hand and dragged the poor thing along the hallway.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry! Not used to two companions!"

[noblexcompanion]

Adi hopped about, checking on Donna - or at least trying to do what he thought was checking on her - which consisted of poking her cheeks and forehead and squeaking at her.

Percy looked at the medicine the Doctor had hooked up to Donna and found another one that matched for the Doctor to give to Adam. Helpful little android.

[justneededtea]

"Brilliant Percy!" Hooking it all up, he made sure both were all set and finally he took the time to just stand back and breath. Oh they would be fine, it would take a day but they'd be fine. Sighing, he dropped down on a nearby chair and pulled Percy onto his lap. "We just have to wait now, not long to go."

[noblexcompanion]

Percy wrapped his arms around the Doctor's neck and clung to him. He gave a few squeaks, before sitting quietly. Adi hopped over to Adam and checked him over the same way he had done Donna before joining Percy and the Doctor.

It was a good few hours before there was any sign of life from Donna. And even then it was only a groan and a twitching hand. A short while later her eyes fluttered open oh so slowly, trying to focus on the word around her - well, above her at least.