Hey, Hey...My, My - TW 4.A.3 - SPOILERS for 4.13 under cut!
One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: that word is love. - Sophocles
“DON’T YOU DARE, MARTIAN MAN!” Donna nearly roared as she pulled the Doctor’s hands from her temples.
“But you’ll burn.” He made it sound so simple. Time Lord logic. Funny how now that she could actually understand it, it was still bloody annoying.
“Stop it. Stop the frowny face. Take me somewhere.” Donna backed away from him, out of his reach. She could feel the TARDIS jerk a bit, beneath her feet, as it readied itself to move. The TARDIS was on her side. She could feel it, and Donna knew it could feel her. Of course, nearly dying together in the core helped that bond.
“Take you somewhere.” He was standing there, shaking his head, denying her autonomy and unwilling to cede this decision to her. “Donna, I can take you home, safe. You’ll be safe, go back to your mum and grandfather, your old life…”
“Right! Go back to what I was? Go back to not knowing all that I became, all we did together? The lives we saved, the ones we lost, the people I saw and knew, who knew me? No! I can’t go back to what was. I won’t be that empty again.” She began to push buttons and levers on the console. “Pick a place, any any any place. Someplace I haven’t seen. Someplace with with with…” She slammed her fist down in frustration, the words so hard now, her head aching.
He was angry. She could feel it. The TARDIS reacted to it. She saw his arm, in that brown suit, reach over to turn a knob with a snap of his wrist. “I could take you back home, to see your family.” What he meant is that he should, though he would hate it. He hated maudlin scenes, despised them, really, despite the fact that he created so many of them with his actions.
“I made a video. Send it to them when I’m gone.” She had made it after Pompeii, when she fully realized the danger they would be in, most of the time. Her grandfather would understand, and her mum never understood to begin with, so Donna didn’t concern herself with that problem.
“I can’t lose you. I’ve lost all of them, today. Rose.” He was appealing to her through guilt.
“Oi! You’re as daft as my mum. What is this? Passive aggressive guilt ploys? Should I call you Silvia? Stop it.” The scold was only half teasing, as she kept herself away from him being able to touch her face. Donna moved behind him, and leaned her head against his back, resting there for a moment, as the searing pain behind her eyes forced her to blink away tears. “You didn’t lose anything that you didn’t lose before, and you gained a day you’ll never forget. All of us there, with you, pulling the Earth? Bloody brilliant.” She socked him in the ribs, lightly, bravado and sass covering the fear. “You’re going to lose me, anyway, Time Lord. You always knew you would.” The last part was a tinge accusatory, but not without sympathy.
She felt him stiffen, as the truth hit home. “Not really fair that you know all that, now is it? Not a fair advantage, having Time Lord knowledge.” The Doctor slowly turned around to face her, face what he could fix, but would not be allowed to. “Donna, you’re my best friend. Let me save you. You need to let me do this.”
“No. That woman, the temp, some stupid, superficial idiot in her own little empty world? That wasn’t your best friend, Time Lord. Let me be me, this me that you helped me find, the best me that I ever could be. Because if this dies, if it’s all wiped away, like it never was there, then I die. You’d kill all that we did, were, were, were.” She stopped, inwardly cursing the confusion and stammering. “Take me somewhere.”
The Doctor lifted his head, looking at her for a very long time. “I don’t know how much time we have.”
“Then get this thing moving, Time Lord.” Her eyes never left his, her resolve unwavering even as the pain grew.
He blinked first, as he turned to the console. “Right. Oraby. The planet is covered in the most brilliant forests, with orange waterfalls everywhere. Have to make sure we don’t land in a tree or on the edge of the falls, though.” Buttons and levers, movement around the circular argument, the dance was familiar and safe. He didn’t have to admit he was defeated in this fight. Perhaps he knew that her victory was also his own, or perhaps it was simply a triumph for every companion he left behind, lost or abandoned. Donna didn’t fault him for that, not even for leaving Rose with a bit of himself. She knew that he left far more than one heart in Bad Wolf Bay.
But this was her life. Her mind. Well, most of it, anyway. Donna dropped into a seat, fingers reaching up to her temple as the throbbing built. Looking up, she saw his hand in front of her face, with three white tablets. He had a glass of water in the other. “What’s this?”
“It’ll help the pain, for a while. Maybe give us a bit more time to argue.” His grin clearly indicated he thought he might have a chance to change her Time Lord infused mind.
“This better not be a trick.” Oh, she wouldn’t put it past him. When he got it in his head that he knew better for you than you knew for yourself, he could do the most appalling things. But she still took them, grimacing at the bitter taste. “They taste like…”
“Aspirin. The wonder drug.” He didn’t smile at his little joke, he just took the empty glass from her and set it down.
“So simple.”
“Most things can be.”
Donna smiled, forced it up from somewhere, for him. “Yeah, but let’s not waste time talking about men.” A little brass. A bit of sass. She could give him that, for this last trip.
He felt the TARDIS shake, then a thump and whine as it stopped. One last time, she grinned at him, the look they shared when they didn’t know what would be outside the door. “Well…COME ON!”
He let her go first, and when she threw open the doors, her gasp of delight made him smile.
“Oh. MY. GOD! It’s beautiful!” Donna walked out, stepping onto the ground that was covered in soft blue grass. “Well, the colors are a bit of a clash. Orange and blue? Like a cheap motel or something. But look at the birds! Is that a tiger? Sort of like one?” She turned and took in all her eyes could hold, touching flowers and breathing in the fragrances. The roar of the water over the falls didn’t make her head hurt any worse. Nothing could really do that. Above them, there was a canopy of stars and moons and planets. Donna knew he had chosen this for her and that it would remain in his memories, which made her happy.
“Donna.” He caught her as she stumbled, easing both of them down into the grass, setting her down and supporting her from behind as she sat to watch all of the animals and stars and life dance around. “Please. Let me.”
She smiled, leaning her head back against his shoulder. She knew he had to try, one more time. He wouldn’t be who he was, if he didn’t. Donna wouldn’t be who she was if she didn’t shake her head in refusal. “It’s better to burn out, than fade away. Def Leppard.” She grabbed his hand, and held on, but couldn’t turn to look at him.
“Neil Young.” His voice was there, by her ear, and his fingers tightened around hers.
“Oi, argue with me to the end, will you, Space Man?” The sound of her voice was so far away, but she still felt grounded by his hand, his arm around her and his voice in her ear.
“Right to the end.” His voice was soft, but grim. “I promise.”
“You want to promise me something? Promise you’ll get a new suit.” Her eyes felt heavy, and the burn in her temples spread around, over her brain. The fever spread through her body, making her shiver slightly.
“I suppose I’ll have to, since he took my blue one.” He tightened his grip on her. It was too late for any remedy he could force upon her, now. She was burning. Burning up. Burning out. But not fading away. Never fading away.
“You’ll take me home, won’t you?” Whispered, choked, but still managed.
His voice was solid, right there, right by her. “I promise.”
“Thank you.”
“No. Thank you, Donna Noble, for everything.”
“Oi, don’t start that. Save it for after.”
“Right.”
“I had the best time. With my best mate.” The last word was clear, as clear as any she had ever spoken to him.
He felt her go. He sat there until her fevered, hot hand went cold. Later, he would be angry at her refusal to let him fix her. Before, in his previous incarnation, he might have forced the issue. But he had changed, maybe almost as much as she had. The Doctor sat under the stars with Donna, until the streaks of light burned across, wiping the stars from the sky. The stars would return, when the light faded away. They always would.
Donna Noble
Doctor Who
1593 words
“DON’T YOU DARE, MARTIAN MAN!” Donna nearly roared as she pulled the Doctor’s hands from her temples.
“But you’ll burn.” He made it sound so simple. Time Lord logic. Funny how now that she could actually understand it, it was still bloody annoying.
“Stop it. Stop the frowny face. Take me somewhere.” Donna backed away from him, out of his reach. She could feel the TARDIS jerk a bit, beneath her feet, as it readied itself to move. The TARDIS was on her side. She could feel it, and Donna knew it could feel her. Of course, nearly dying together in the core helped that bond.
“Take you somewhere.” He was standing there, shaking his head, denying her autonomy and unwilling to cede this decision to her. “Donna, I can take you home, safe. You’ll be safe, go back to your mum and grandfather, your old life…”
“Right! Go back to what I was? Go back to not knowing all that I became, all we did together? The lives we saved, the ones we lost, the people I saw and knew, who knew me? No! I can’t go back to what was. I won’t be that empty again.” She began to push buttons and levers on the console. “Pick a place, any any any place. Someplace I haven’t seen. Someplace with with with…” She slammed her fist down in frustration, the words so hard now, her head aching.
He was angry. She could feel it. The TARDIS reacted to it. She saw his arm, in that brown suit, reach over to turn a knob with a snap of his wrist. “I could take you back home, to see your family.” What he meant is that he should, though he would hate it. He hated maudlin scenes, despised them, really, despite the fact that he created so many of them with his actions.
“I made a video. Send it to them when I’m gone.” She had made it after Pompeii, when she fully realized the danger they would be in, most of the time. Her grandfather would understand, and her mum never understood to begin with, so Donna didn’t concern herself with that problem.
“I can’t lose you. I’ve lost all of them, today. Rose.” He was appealing to her through guilt.
“Oi! You’re as daft as my mum. What is this? Passive aggressive guilt ploys? Should I call you Silvia? Stop it.” The scold was only half teasing, as she kept herself away from him being able to touch her face. Donna moved behind him, and leaned her head against his back, resting there for a moment, as the searing pain behind her eyes forced her to blink away tears. “You didn’t lose anything that you didn’t lose before, and you gained a day you’ll never forget. All of us there, with you, pulling the Earth? Bloody brilliant.” She socked him in the ribs, lightly, bravado and sass covering the fear. “You’re going to lose me, anyway, Time Lord. You always knew you would.” The last part was a tinge accusatory, but not without sympathy.
She felt him stiffen, as the truth hit home. “Not really fair that you know all that, now is it? Not a fair advantage, having Time Lord knowledge.” The Doctor slowly turned around to face her, face what he could fix, but would not be allowed to. “Donna, you’re my best friend. Let me save you. You need to let me do this.”
“No. That woman, the temp, some stupid, superficial idiot in her own little empty world? That wasn’t your best friend, Time Lord. Let me be me, this me that you helped me find, the best me that I ever could be. Because if this dies, if it’s all wiped away, like it never was there, then I die. You’d kill all that we did, were, were, were.” She stopped, inwardly cursing the confusion and stammering. “Take me somewhere.”
The Doctor lifted his head, looking at her for a very long time. “I don’t know how much time we have.”
“Then get this thing moving, Time Lord.” Her eyes never left his, her resolve unwavering even as the pain grew.
He blinked first, as he turned to the console. “Right. Oraby. The planet is covered in the most brilliant forests, with orange waterfalls everywhere. Have to make sure we don’t land in a tree or on the edge of the falls, though.” Buttons and levers, movement around the circular argument, the dance was familiar and safe. He didn’t have to admit he was defeated in this fight. Perhaps he knew that her victory was also his own, or perhaps it was simply a triumph for every companion he left behind, lost or abandoned. Donna didn’t fault him for that, not even for leaving Rose with a bit of himself. She knew that he left far more than one heart in Bad Wolf Bay.
But this was her life. Her mind. Well, most of it, anyway. Donna dropped into a seat, fingers reaching up to her temple as the throbbing built. Looking up, she saw his hand in front of her face, with three white tablets. He had a glass of water in the other. “What’s this?”
“It’ll help the pain, for a while. Maybe give us a bit more time to argue.” His grin clearly indicated he thought he might have a chance to change her Time Lord infused mind.
“This better not be a trick.” Oh, she wouldn’t put it past him. When he got it in his head that he knew better for you than you knew for yourself, he could do the most appalling things. But she still took them, grimacing at the bitter taste. “They taste like…”
“Aspirin. The wonder drug.” He didn’t smile at his little joke, he just took the empty glass from her and set it down.
“So simple.”
“Most things can be.”
Donna smiled, forced it up from somewhere, for him. “Yeah, but let’s not waste time talking about men.” A little brass. A bit of sass. She could give him that, for this last trip.
He felt the TARDIS shake, then a thump and whine as it stopped. One last time, she grinned at him, the look they shared when they didn’t know what would be outside the door. “Well…COME ON!”
He let her go first, and when she threw open the doors, her gasp of delight made him smile.
“Oh. MY. GOD! It’s beautiful!” Donna walked out, stepping onto the ground that was covered in soft blue grass. “Well, the colors are a bit of a clash. Orange and blue? Like a cheap motel or something. But look at the birds! Is that a tiger? Sort of like one?” She turned and took in all her eyes could hold, touching flowers and breathing in the fragrances. The roar of the water over the falls didn’t make her head hurt any worse. Nothing could really do that. Above them, there was a canopy of stars and moons and planets. Donna knew he had chosen this for her and that it would remain in his memories, which made her happy.
“Donna.” He caught her as she stumbled, easing both of them down into the grass, setting her down and supporting her from behind as she sat to watch all of the animals and stars and life dance around. “Please. Let me.”
She smiled, leaning her head back against his shoulder. She knew he had to try, one more time. He wouldn’t be who he was, if he didn’t. Donna wouldn’t be who she was if she didn’t shake her head in refusal. “It’s better to burn out, than fade away. Def Leppard.” She grabbed his hand, and held on, but couldn’t turn to look at him.
“Neil Young.” His voice was there, by her ear, and his fingers tightened around hers.
“Oi, argue with me to the end, will you, Space Man?” The sound of her voice was so far away, but she still felt grounded by his hand, his arm around her and his voice in her ear.
“Right to the end.” His voice was soft, but grim. “I promise.”
“You want to promise me something? Promise you’ll get a new suit.” Her eyes felt heavy, and the burn in her temples spread around, over her brain. The fever spread through her body, making her shiver slightly.
“I suppose I’ll have to, since he took my blue one.” He tightened his grip on her. It was too late for any remedy he could force upon her, now. She was burning. Burning up. Burning out. But not fading away. Never fading away.
“You’ll take me home, won’t you?” Whispered, choked, but still managed.
His voice was solid, right there, right by her. “I promise.”
“Thank you.”
“No. Thank you, Donna Noble, for everything.”
“Oi, don’t start that. Save it for after.”
“Right.”
“I had the best time. With my best mate.” The last word was clear, as clear as any she had ever spoken to him.
He felt her go. He sat there until her fevered, hot hand went cold. Later, he would be angry at her refusal to let him fix her. Before, in his previous incarnation, he might have forced the issue. But he had changed, maybe almost as much as she had. The Doctor sat under the stars with Donna, until the streaks of light burned across, wiping the stars from the sky. The stars would return, when the light faded away. They always would.
Donna Noble
Doctor Who
1593 words