Kick the Tires {A Sequel to Light the Fire}
So I banged this out over a couple of nights. It's longer than I thought it would be, which I guess is a good thing. It's a sequel to Light the Fire, and it doesn't explain as much as I thought it would. It also has some lines from JE in it. Which quite obviously I don't own.
The title really doesn't make any sense, but it's the second part to a quote I heard on Independence Day: "Light the fire and kick the tires". It sounded good. To me anyway. I hope you like the fic. =)
As aways, I don't own Ten, Donna, Ten II or Doctor Who. The BBC does. Please read and enjoy...
He wasn’t going to stay. No way, no how. He was not, absolutely not going to be left off here in Pete’s World when something was going to happen to Donna. Something was wrong with his sister, he could feel it. There was a tingling in his head. And he was sure as hell not going to stay with this stupid, bloody, blonde bint of a girl who’d nearly torn apart the multiverse to get to the Doctor without any care for anything or anyone else. Getting away from Rose, and being left here wasn’t his main issue though, as his head gave another twinge. He watched carefully as the Doctor and his sister entered the TARDIS, and just as his sister started to close the door, he made his move.
“Oof” Donna muttered as he stumbled into her, knocking her aside, as the TARDIS began it’s dematerialization sequence. He grabbed her arm to keep her from falling, but didn’t say anything.
“What?” the Doctor’s voice carried across the console room. “How…what…how?”
“Do keep asking that. It will really help,” the Duplicate said, as he followed Donna up the ramp. She winced, and he felt that tingle again. He frowned and went to follow, but the Doctor stopped him.
“You were supposed to stay,” the Doctor stood in front of him.
“I wasn’t going to. I didn’t.”
“Obviously. You’re here.”
Further discussion was halted when Donna asked to go to Feldspoon, and see the mountains that move. She said if it was in his head, it was in hers. She tried to say how to fix the Chameleon Circuit, but got stuck on the word ‘binary’. When it happened again talking about Charlie Chaplin, they knew she was in trouble.
“This is why I didn’t stay there,” the Duplicate looked at the Doctor then Donna. “Something is happening to my sister.”
“It’s the metacrisis. There’s never been a human-Time Lord metacrisis before. She knows and you know why that is.”
“Because there can’t be,” Donna whispered to them, while holding her head.
“I’m sorry,” the Doctor said. “I’m so sorry.” He reached his hands up to touch her temples.
“Don’t make me go back,” she pleaded. “Please. I can’t go back. Don’t make me go back.”
The Duplicate knew what the Doctor was going to do, and knew what his sister would want. He leapt forward and pulled the Doctor back. “What are you doing?” the Doctor shouted. “I have to do this to save her! She’ll die if I don’t!”
“I won’t let you!” the Duplicate shouted back, keeping an iron grip. “If something has to happen or be done, let it be this.”
“She’s dying!”
“She knows. You know she knows. Let her make this choice for herself. If she has to die, let her die as what she became. The DoctorDonna, The Most Important Woman In the Whole of Creation.”
“I…I can’t,” the Doctor struggled to get free. “I can’t let her die.”
“It’s what she wants,” the Duplicate said. “She doesn’t want her memories taken. She doesn’t want to go back to that life, where she missed things. She doesn’t want to forget all she’s seen and done since coming with you.”
“How do you know?” the Doctor scoffed. He lurched forward, but only succeeded in dragging the Duplicate forward.
“Because she’s part of me. Just like you’re part of me. I know this is what she wants, just as I know that you love her.”
They both stopped at the sound of a wail, and saw Donna slump to the grating. The Doctor renewed his efforts to get to her, crying out to her. The Duplicate didn’t lessen his hold. “She’s in pain!” the Doctor wailed. “Please let me go to her.”
“I can’t let you take her memories.”
“I KNOW!” the Doctor roared. “I know. It’s too late for that now anyway,” he jerked out the Duplicate’s grasp finally and dropped to his knees beside her. Taking her in his arms, he whispered that he loved her in her ear. Running his hands through her hair, he kissed her head, and then looked up at the Duplicate. “I won’t let her die here on this grating. The least I can do is hold her. She’ll leave this universe feeling loved, and not alone,” he rocked her as she let a keening wail go.
The Duplicate watched, and reached down to take one of his sister’s hands. The only sounds heard were the Doctor’s sobs, and Donna’s cries. The Duplicate stopped trying to stop his own tears. But within a minute or so, that teary blur took on a gold tinge. Wiping his eyes, he was startled to see Donna glowing. “Doctor,” he said. “Doctor,” he repeated more urgently when the Time Lord didn’t respond. Finally, he just grabbed the Doctor, and yanked him away from Donna, whose body slumped over but then she…stood up.
“What?!” the Doctor asked. “What?!” Donna’s glow intensified. “WHAT?!” the Doctor shrieked, as he and the Duplicate stumbled backwards.
Donna…appeared to be regenerating.
~*~*~*~*~
Three days had passed since Donna regenerated. Three days since the TARDIS had showed up in the Noble’s backyard, and the Duplicate and the Doctor had carried Donna inside the house, and up to her room. Three days since both the Doctor and the Duplicate received matching handprints on their cheeks from Sylvia’s hand when she slapped them. After they’d laid Donna down on her bed of course. And three days since Donna had woken up, the Doctor had kissed her and named her his beloved.
Donna had been quite tired in those three days, which was normal for post-regeneration, they repeatedly assured Wilf and Sylvia, and thus she’d stayed in her bed. The Doctor refused to leave her side, staying in the bed with her. Sylvia had made an attempt to protest, but a glare from Donna, and a comment or two from Wilf, and she’d backed down, though not without a bit of grumbling. The Duplicate brought meal trays up to them, and brought the used dishes back down. He had a feeling Donna, the Doctor and Sylvia preferred this, though none said anything.
Sylvia had given him an odd look when he said he was Donna’s brother and thus her son, but that look he chalked up to her seeing the look he presumed he had on his own face at the thought of being her son. Having the Doctor’s memories and some of Donna’s hadn’t exactly endeared Sylvia to him. But, he supposed you couldn’t choose your family. He thought having Donna for a sister, and Wilf for a grandfather was brilliant, and well worth having Sylvia for a mother.
~*~*~*~*~
He was thinking about all this as he went upstairs to give Donna and the Doctor the lunch tray. He knocked on the door, and opened it when Donna said to come in. She waved her hand at the bedside table where her laptop was. “Take it. Go find yourself a name. I rather like Geoffrey.”
“Geoffrey?”
“Yeah. Dad’s name. You don’t have to use it. Just thought I’d throw out the suggestion.”
The Duplicate shrugged. “Honestly not fond of the name, but maybe as a second name if I find the right first name.”
“Could let Mum name you,” Donna smirked, then snorted at the look on the Duplicate’s face.
“Um…no. I’ll find my own, thanks.”
“Wonder what she’d come up with though?” the Doctor said, giving the Duplicate a wicked grin. “She seems to like just simple names. Maybe she’d call you Fred or- oof,” he looked at Donna who’d just smacked him in the chest. “What was that for?”
“Simple names? You think my name is just a simple name?”
“NO! No. Of course not. I think it’s a brilliant name. It means “lady” you know. With your surname you’re a Noble Lady. And you are. That. A Noble Lady. A Noble Lady who is beautiful and brilliant, and who I love so, so much,” he followed that little speech with a tender kiss, that Donna fully reciprocated.
“Okay…” the Duplicate said when the kiss passed what was normally the time for humans to breathe, but these two had respiratory bypasses. “I’m just going to take this,” he picked up the laptop. “And go downstairs now. Carry on. Don’t mind me,” he rolled his eyes when Donna waved her hand at him, and then slid her hand up the Doctor’s t-shirt. “On that note…” the Duplicate cringed and left quickly.
An hour or so, some thumping sounds, a moan or two, or ten, and an obnoxiously loud scream followed by a barking sound later, the Doctor and Donna decided they’d come downstairs for once. Sylvia, Wilf and the Duplicate were sitting around the kitchen table with tea and biscuits. They looked up when Donna and the Doctor came in, snorting as they tried to act nonchalant, and then laughing when the two blushed a deep red after the Duplicate asked if they had a good nap.
“Have you picked a name?” Donna asked after she smacked her brother’s shoulder.
“I have. It took a little bit of looking.”
“Well?” the Doctor asked.
“Well what?”
“What is it? What did you choose?”
The Duplicate stood up, walked over to the Doctor and stuck out his hand. “Hello,” he said. “My name is Dominieck Geoffrey Noble."
The title really doesn't make any sense, but it's the second part to a quote I heard on Independence Day: "Light the fire and kick the tires". It sounded good. To me anyway. I hope you like the fic. =)
As aways, I don't own Ten, Donna, Ten II or Doctor Who. The BBC does. Please read and enjoy...
He wasn’t going to stay. No way, no how. He was not, absolutely not going to be left off here in Pete’s World when something was going to happen to Donna. Something was wrong with his sister, he could feel it. There was a tingling in his head. And he was sure as hell not going to stay with this stupid, bloody, blonde bint of a girl who’d nearly torn apart the multiverse to get to the Doctor without any care for anything or anyone else. Getting away from Rose, and being left here wasn’t his main issue though, as his head gave another twinge. He watched carefully as the Doctor and his sister entered the TARDIS, and just as his sister started to close the door, he made his move.
“Oof” Donna muttered as he stumbled into her, knocking her aside, as the TARDIS began it’s dematerialization sequence. He grabbed her arm to keep her from falling, but didn’t say anything.
“What?” the Doctor’s voice carried across the console room. “How…what…how?”
“Do keep asking that. It will really help,” the Duplicate said, as he followed Donna up the ramp. She winced, and he felt that tingle again. He frowned and went to follow, but the Doctor stopped him.
“You were supposed to stay,” the Doctor stood in front of him.
“I wasn’t going to. I didn’t.”
“Obviously. You’re here.”
Further discussion was halted when Donna asked to go to Feldspoon, and see the mountains that move. She said if it was in his head, it was in hers. She tried to say how to fix the Chameleon Circuit, but got stuck on the word ‘binary’. When it happened again talking about Charlie Chaplin, they knew she was in trouble.
“This is why I didn’t stay there,” the Duplicate looked at the Doctor then Donna. “Something is happening to my sister.”
“It’s the metacrisis. There’s never been a human-Time Lord metacrisis before. She knows and you know why that is.”
“Because there can’t be,” Donna whispered to them, while holding her head.
“I’m sorry,” the Doctor said. “I’m so sorry.” He reached his hands up to touch her temples.
“Don’t make me go back,” she pleaded. “Please. I can’t go back. Don’t make me go back.”
The Duplicate knew what the Doctor was going to do, and knew what his sister would want. He leapt forward and pulled the Doctor back. “What are you doing?” the Doctor shouted. “I have to do this to save her! She’ll die if I don’t!”
“I won’t let you!” the Duplicate shouted back, keeping an iron grip. “If something has to happen or be done, let it be this.”
“She’s dying!”
“She knows. You know she knows. Let her make this choice for herself. If she has to die, let her die as what she became. The DoctorDonna, The Most Important Woman In the Whole of Creation.”
“I…I can’t,” the Doctor struggled to get free. “I can’t let her die.”
“It’s what she wants,” the Duplicate said. “She doesn’t want her memories taken. She doesn’t want to go back to that life, where she missed things. She doesn’t want to forget all she’s seen and done since coming with you.”
“How do you know?” the Doctor scoffed. He lurched forward, but only succeeded in dragging the Duplicate forward.
“Because she’s part of me. Just like you’re part of me. I know this is what she wants, just as I know that you love her.”
They both stopped at the sound of a wail, and saw Donna slump to the grating. The Doctor renewed his efforts to get to her, crying out to her. The Duplicate didn’t lessen his hold. “She’s in pain!” the Doctor wailed. “Please let me go to her.”
“I can’t let you take her memories.”
“I KNOW!” the Doctor roared. “I know. It’s too late for that now anyway,” he jerked out the Duplicate’s grasp finally and dropped to his knees beside her. Taking her in his arms, he whispered that he loved her in her ear. Running his hands through her hair, he kissed her head, and then looked up at the Duplicate. “I won’t let her die here on this grating. The least I can do is hold her. She’ll leave this universe feeling loved, and not alone,” he rocked her as she let a keening wail go.
The Duplicate watched, and reached down to take one of his sister’s hands. The only sounds heard were the Doctor’s sobs, and Donna’s cries. The Duplicate stopped trying to stop his own tears. But within a minute or so, that teary blur took on a gold tinge. Wiping his eyes, he was startled to see Donna glowing. “Doctor,” he said. “Doctor,” he repeated more urgently when the Time Lord didn’t respond. Finally, he just grabbed the Doctor, and yanked him away from Donna, whose body slumped over but then she…stood up.
“What?!” the Doctor asked. “What?!” Donna’s glow intensified. “WHAT?!” the Doctor shrieked, as he and the Duplicate stumbled backwards.
Donna…appeared to be regenerating.
~*~*~*~*~
Three days had passed since Donna regenerated. Three days since the TARDIS had showed up in the Noble’s backyard, and the Duplicate and the Doctor had carried Donna inside the house, and up to her room. Three days since both the Doctor and the Duplicate received matching handprints on their cheeks from Sylvia’s hand when she slapped them. After they’d laid Donna down on her bed of course. And three days since Donna had woken up, the Doctor had kissed her and named her his beloved.
Donna had been quite tired in those three days, which was normal for post-regeneration, they repeatedly assured Wilf and Sylvia, and thus she’d stayed in her bed. The Doctor refused to leave her side, staying in the bed with her. Sylvia had made an attempt to protest, but a glare from Donna, and a comment or two from Wilf, and she’d backed down, though not without a bit of grumbling. The Duplicate brought meal trays up to them, and brought the used dishes back down. He had a feeling Donna, the Doctor and Sylvia preferred this, though none said anything.
Sylvia had given him an odd look when he said he was Donna’s brother and thus her son, but that look he chalked up to her seeing the look he presumed he had on his own face at the thought of being her son. Having the Doctor’s memories and some of Donna’s hadn’t exactly endeared Sylvia to him. But, he supposed you couldn’t choose your family. He thought having Donna for a sister, and Wilf for a grandfather was brilliant, and well worth having Sylvia for a mother.
~*~*~*~*~
He was thinking about all this as he went upstairs to give Donna and the Doctor the lunch tray. He knocked on the door, and opened it when Donna said to come in. She waved her hand at the bedside table where her laptop was. “Take it. Go find yourself a name. I rather like Geoffrey.”
“Geoffrey?”
“Yeah. Dad’s name. You don’t have to use it. Just thought I’d throw out the suggestion.”
The Duplicate shrugged. “Honestly not fond of the name, but maybe as a second name if I find the right first name.”
“Could let Mum name you,” Donna smirked, then snorted at the look on the Duplicate’s face.
“Um…no. I’ll find my own, thanks.”
“Wonder what she’d come up with though?” the Doctor said, giving the Duplicate a wicked grin. “She seems to like just simple names. Maybe she’d call you Fred or- oof,” he looked at Donna who’d just smacked him in the chest. “What was that for?”
“Simple names? You think my name is just a simple name?”
“NO! No. Of course not. I think it’s a brilliant name. It means “lady” you know. With your surname you’re a Noble Lady. And you are. That. A Noble Lady. A Noble Lady who is beautiful and brilliant, and who I love so, so much,” he followed that little speech with a tender kiss, that Donna fully reciprocated.
“Okay…” the Duplicate said when the kiss passed what was normally the time for humans to breathe, but these two had respiratory bypasses. “I’m just going to take this,” he picked up the laptop. “And go downstairs now. Carry on. Don’t mind me,” he rolled his eyes when Donna waved her hand at him, and then slid her hand up the Doctor’s t-shirt. “On that note…” the Duplicate cringed and left quickly.
An hour or so, some thumping sounds, a moan or two, or ten, and an obnoxiously loud scream followed by a barking sound later, the Doctor and Donna decided they’d come downstairs for once. Sylvia, Wilf and the Duplicate were sitting around the kitchen table with tea and biscuits. They looked up when Donna and the Doctor came in, snorting as they tried to act nonchalant, and then laughing when the two blushed a deep red after the Duplicate asked if they had a good nap.
“Have you picked a name?” Donna asked after she smacked her brother’s shoulder.
“I have. It took a little bit of looking.”
“Well?” the Doctor asked.
“Well what?”
“What is it? What did you choose?”
The Duplicate stood up, walked over to the Doctor and stuck out his hand. “Hello,” he said. “My name is Dominieck Geoffrey Noble."