Disclaimer: "Doctor Who", sadly, is not mine. POOOOHHHH. DX
Title:Broken Promises
Summary: It's not the first time, and it won't be the last. The Doctor has broken promises before.
Genre: Angst-y, some romance.
Rating: K+
Pairing: 10/Donna
Broken Promises
She stands before him yet again, arms hugged tightly around herself, moist eyes fixed on his.
She's burning up. He can see that; her face and arms are flushed pink, her sweaty hair stuck to her forehead and legs were shaking with the effort of standing up.
How she remembered, he doesn't know; he thought he had buried the memories thoroughly enough that nothing could trip them, but he'd been wrong before. Made mistakes before.
She is swaying now, still glaring at him through watery blue eyes. Almost subconciously, he reaches out to steady her, hands on her waist as he pulls her closer; he doesn't want to see her fall. She collapses gratefully on his chest, clutching at his jacket.
"Please," she breathes against him, his face buried in her red hair, "Don't do it again,"
He can smell the strawberry shampoo she uses, and feels the moisture of her tears on his thin shirt. His eyes are wet as well, mortified at seeing his best friend standing before him like this, crying because of him.
"Please..." he begins, about to tell her that he loves her too much to see her die; because he does love her, he really does.
"Promise." she hisses into his chest, hands tightening around the fabric she's gripping, beginning to sound more like the old Donna; his Donna.
For one mad moment, hope flares in his hearts that maybe, just maybe, she could beat this; live and stay with him. But then she sways violently and he has to grip her tighter, and he realises that it was just wishful thinking on his part. She was going to die.
"Listen..." she says, voice slightly louder but stammering as she turns her head to look up at him, "I-I...I'd rather die with you, right now, knowing who I am and what I've done than live another sixty years in the dark. The choice-choice-choice is mine...just, promise."
The neural implosion was starting already; her stuttering and repeating of words were signs. His face softens as he looks at her, eyes sparkling and one hand wiping tears from her face.
She's beautiful, he thinks, irrelivantly; it's a quality both she and Rose Tyler shared. To look so gorgeous even with tears streaming down her faces, because of him.
"I promise," he answers quietly.
And then he kisses her, gently but passionately, on the lips. He can feel her shock, but she still kisses back, somewhat weakly and her hands still grip his forearms, holding him to her. His hands travel up into her hair.
It's not the first time, he thinks suddenly, as his fingers gently cup her face, placed on her temples.
It's not the first time, and it won't be the last. The Doctor has broken promises before.
But, this time was most painful, he concludes, a tear dripping down his pallid face, as the Doctor let Donna Noble live again.