The phone rested against his chest, he could feel it through the flimsy material of his pocket. He could always feel it. The phone that had stopped ringing ages ago. A familiar trill came from his pocket and he froze. The trill became more urgent without increasing in volume or speed, and he shoved his hand into his pocket. The I.D. said 'Martha.' It always said Martha. Flipping it open, he waited quietly for her to speak. Same routine as always.
"Doctor." Martha sounded breathless, his senses on high alert, his fingers twitching toward the mainframe 2 feet away from where he was standing.
"She's remembered Doctor." His hand fell away from the controls, his breathing rapidly increasing, his two hearts beating so furiously that one may have believed them to beat right out of his chest.
"No." The word slipped from his mouth sounding much like he meant to spit something foul from his lips instead. No, the defense mechanism was supposed to keep her safe.
"Is she-?" His voice refusing to budge around the rather large and sticky lump in his throat, tears filling his dark brown eyes. His voice had trembled, his mind already blaming himself, it was always one more.
"Oh no Doctor. No, she's alive, safe. I don't know how, but she's okay." Her voice echoed in his head, and his head hung to blink back the tears.
"One more thing." Martha's voice held a small smile he knew.
"She's waiting for you."
The phone fell from his hand as he went to the controls of the TARDIS, set the coordinations for Chiswick and disappeared with hardly a sound.
Wilfred Mott stood in his garden, telescope pointed to the sky, plaid capped head pointed down. A smile slowly etched itself across his wrinkled face. He turned on his heel, his hand up in a salute to this man in a blue box that he owed his life to. But the tall man who walked out was not who he remembered.
"I'm still the same person, Wilfred. Just a different face." He clasped Wilfred's hand in his own and smiled at the man who was as good as a father to him, wrinkled skin against calloused palms.
"Donna won't like this." Wilfred murmured quietly as he adjusted his cap.
"Oh no, she won't, but she'll understand. After all, she remembers me." Suddenly he turned and faced the doorway where Martha stood, tears shining in her dark eyes.
"Martha-" No sooner had he uttered her name, she bolted from the glass door and into his arms, crying freely as he awkwardly patted her back.
"It's really you. It's really you Doctor." A heavier voice sounded from behind the crying woman and he looked up into the familiar face of "Ricky" Mickey.
"So it is. Why don't we go inside, yes?" Wilfred took Martha from the Doctor's grasp and led her inside, motioning for Mickey to lead him in.
"How've you been Doctor?" Mickey's voice was Doctor's softer than he remembered, but he just nodded.
"Doctor. You've saved us so many times. I never actually thanked you. Martha and I, we've missed you. Stop by more often, won't you?" Mickey knew he sounded hopeless, but he would do whatever he needed to in order to see Martha happy again. Mickey noticed that he hadn't said anything and merely nodded his head. Mickey sighed and jogged up to the glass door as it started to rain. Watching the Doctor as he lifted his face to the sky, letting the drops hit and slide away, Mickey smiled and wondered when the last time the Doctor had felt the rain on his face was. When he finally got to the door, he stared into the living room, watching as one Donna Noble sat on the couch, hugging Martha tightly. Quietly he slipped into the room unnoticed by the two women, and as he got closer, he noticed the tears rolling unchecked down her face. After a moment or so he burst forward with great excitement evident on his face to grasp Donna, to feel for himself that she was really there.
"Doctor.." She whispered. "You've changed."
"Donna Noble, best temp in Chiswick, you've changed." He replied softly.
Carefully, he let her go to gaze her over. Not a second later he was crushing her to his chest, whispering softly to her.
"I'm so sorry, so sorry Donna. I've missed you so much."
Donna leaned back far enough to box his ears.
"Oi! I'm alive and well and you're apologising for something that could have happened but didn't. Now. There's something I want you to see before mum comes home, if you've stopped your blubbering."
Donna smiled wanly and watched as his grin grew. Holding out her hand for him to take, she pulled this gangly, strange man up the stairs and into a room painted like the night sky. Upon closer inspection he found a small TARDIS painted into the sky as well, right above a rather small bed.
"Why?"
"Well, Grandpa got bored one day after my failed marriage, funny that, and made up this room. He stopped looking in that telescope long enough to finish this up, then he was right back out to the bloody thing. Unfortunately for you, but something came out of my time with you."
Donna smirked at his expression and began walking down the stairs alone as the front door opened and a small voice shouted up to her.
"Mummy!"
Hello readers. I know I know, kind of a cliffie. Anywho, I'm in the process of writing the third chapter for this and I'll try to update every week if you'd like, but I can't make promises. Let me know what you guys thing, yeah? Reviews help me write more! Bye loves. 3
