Fic: A Funny Old Life (2/3)

[starseeker32]

Title: A Funny Old Life (2/3)
Author: Starseeker32
Characters: Ten/Donna friendship (some UST thrown in), the TARDIS
Rating: K+ or PG
Word Count: 1905
Warnings/Spoilers: Angsty coda to "Forest of the Dead"
Summary: The Doctor comforts Donna after returning from The Library.
Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, but I do own a TARDIS mug.
A/N: Get your tissues

Comments

[dm12]

Sounds like the Doctor's hair, right? Somehow the computer caught on to that.... and both of their personality traits. Loved how Ella was always protecting Joshua, and Joshua was always grabbing her hand and running!

The TARDIS was right, it was time for the Doctor to help Donna, she always is there for him, instinctively knows what he needs. Now it was his turn, even if he was a little frightened of what her reaction might be.

Looks like they shared a dream, is that his dream or hers? He is a touch telepath, and his mind might not have all those safeguards when he sleeps. At least it's a pleasant dream of what might be...ginger hair and Converse!

[starseeker32]

I watched FotD and cried like I always do, and I couldn't help but notice how Joshua looked more like the Doctor than Lee (even if all the children were the same, Donna's kids looked like hers and Ten's might). I figured I'd give the kids some of Ten and Donna's personality traits as well, and as Donna talked, have them both figure that bit out and keep it to themselves.

As for the dream, I think it came from both of them.
He is a touch telepath, and his mind might not have all those safeguards when he sleeps.
That was my thought when I wrote it. Little ginger Time Tots on Gallifrey seemed like a nice dream to give them after the emotional ringer I put them through.

Glad you enjoyed this, and thanks for commenting!

[dm12]

You didn't put them through that, you are giving them some sort of way to work through the emotions from FotD's events.

They just have that kind of a relationship, they help each other out instinctively.

[starseeker32]

True, true. A lot of the Ten/Donna dynamic is down to the chemistry between the actors. But I've always loved that Donna focused more on helping others during her adventures with the Doctor than sightseeing. She was right that the Doctor needed someone, even if she didn't feel comfortable being that "someone" at first (at the end of tRB). I wanted the Doctor to recognize that Donna needed someone, too. Treating Donna to a spa after the events of The Library didn't cut it for me. I think these two characters needed some quiet time to talk and reflect and heal. Along those lines, I SO WISH RTD had kept that scene in at the end of "The Doctor's Daughter" where Donna comforts Ten in the console room. The pair needed more moments like that onscreen, IMHO.

[dm12]

The excuse that the scene was too sad to include was just pathetic. You're right, that is one of Donna's most important roles... helping the Doctor cope, and she did it so well. We should have seen that help. She, more than any other companion, helped others, but she also actively sought to help bear the Doctor's burdens (ie, putting her hands over his to help him press the button at Pompeii). She was compassionate, when she argued with the Doctor, it wasn't for her whims and desires, but to help others. Some were in it to see what the Universe (and the Doctor) could offer them; she was in it to see what she could do for the Universe and the Doctor. Perhaps it was because she was a little bit more grown up than his other companions.

Treating her to a spa was a nice gesture, but not enough. He needed to be there to help her through. Running on some tour and leaving her alone was somewhat thoughtless, I think.

[starseeker32]

I'm working on the excuse for the spa visit in Part 3. I can't decide which way I'm going to go with it yet, but it will be something to look out for. Foreshadowing sounded like a clever idea until I realized that it all leads to tragedy. Welp!

[dm12]

Ah... so you're going with canon, then?

Like I said, a spa day is nice, especially since in your version, he did offer her comfort first, that would be decent as a follow up to relax and pamper her. Unfortunately, his wandering off led to some disastrous problems for him, and yet another situation where Donna needed to comfort him afterwards (another important scene left out by the writers). One has to think, though, what would have happened if he hadn't gone on that tour, what about all of those other people, and what about the warnings to shut down the place.

I don't even want to think about the terrible things that happened to Donna after that... too bad about Shan Shen, it all started out with them being really really cozy with each other, and everything went downhill after.

[starseeker32]

I'm going with canon. I thought this story would be a good "deleted scene" idea. There are a lot of post-Midnight fics, and I so do enjoy them because I think what happened there needs to be addressed. That hug at the end spoke volumes! I haven't seen too many post-Library fics though, and I think that's why I chose to write this particular story.

I like to think something happened between them to change their relationship at bit before Shan Shen. Before that trip went south, they looked like they were on a cutesy date. "Cozy" is right. (I can't be the only one who wanted the cliche "You've got something on your nose. Here let me get that for you" thing to happen with those foamy beverages.)

These two are just so RIGHT for each other!

[dm12]

You're right about the post-Midnight fics, everyone wants to show Donna comforting the Doctor (in whatever manner...), but it's rare to see the Doctor comforting Donna. You're right, her situation called for it just as much as the other way around. The whole point of their relationship, however it's viewed, is that they reciprocate and balance each other out.