Don't own Doctor Who.

The Doctor, Donna, Grace and Jack were sitting in the library enjoying the first quiet moment they had found in the last week or so. Apparently if you put four people who only rarely need to sleep into a time machine all kinds of trouble can be found. And they were all so good at finding it on their own; they were bound to attract it as a group.

The Doctor looked up from his reading, trying to be discreet so as not to bother the others. His family, even Jack now was a part of it. He wasn't going anywhere, and even though the Doctor didn't make it known, he was loved. Donna and Jack seemed to be very absorbed in their books but Grace didn't appear to actually be reading at all. She was looking at the pages, but he was much too familiar with her to believe that she was looking at the words. No she looked to be thinking, which could be dangerous. A bored Grace was trouble waiting to happen.

He looked back down to his book; to be honest he was only pretending to be reading himself. He was trying to think of the perfect place to take them next. He had read most of the things in this library many times, and he was getting a bit bored himself. His boredom also tended to lead to trouble, so he was trying to fight it, but failing.

He looked more intently at his book but couldn't make himself take in the words. It was then that the TARDIS jerked rapidly, throwing them all out of their chairs in surprise. When he managed to get up he looked at the other, he wanted to run to the control room and see what was going on but now that he had them, they were more important.

"Everyone okay?"

There were three murmurs that seemed to be affirmative so he raced from the room with them following behind. He looked over the console and then pulled the screen to him. They had landed somewhere, but he hadn't been the one in charge of where.

"Everything okay?" Donna asked him.

He nodded looking to her and smiling. "Yes, we've landed. Who's up for a little trip on a mystery planet?"

"Finally," Grace let out a sigh. "I couldn't do it any longer. Really, if I had to read one more word about particles I was going to chuck the book out."

"There are other books you know," the Doctor told her with a smile. He knew the feeling.

"Yes," she agreed. "Now mystery planet. Just me that's curious."

She looked around the room.

Finally Jack smiled. "Of course not, I'm interested."

"Smooth," Donna told him softly. "Always agree, makes things easier."

Jack gave her a wink, which no longer was flirting, and looked to Grace. "You first, honey."

"Thank you…turtle dove," she told him with a laugh.

She ran to the door before the Doctor could stop her and opened it stepping out. When they joined her, he was pleased to see that everything looked calm as far as he could see. Usually when the TARDIS took control there was something awful that they were about to walk into, though he knew that at those times they were needed. Still, it was nice to see only sunshine and clear green skies.

Grace was looking around, trying to search her memory for this place. She hadn't been here on her own, but she had seen a lot of memories of his. But not this one, because in the second he realized where they were he also knew that he kept this memory locked away. He knew what happened here, but he wasn't sure how far away they were from that event.

As far as he was concerned it would never be far enough away.

"Where are we," she finally asked him, and he didn't miss the troubled look on her face.

She didn't have to know the truth to know that there was something wrong. He imagined she could feel the energy rippling around her too; the kind that only comes before a big, very fixed moment in time. But there was nothing they could do to fix this, and he didn't know why the TARDIS brought them. He didn't know why but he knew that they would be staying. He wouldn't make them watch it, wouldn't let them see the suffering.

"Doctor?" Donna asked him softly. "What's wrong?"

He sniffed and tried to put on a positive smile. They were all looking at him, because that was who he was. The one who stood in the way, the one who protected, and he loved it even at its worst. But this was pushing it. "This is the planet of Gratitude, and we are leaving."

They didn't question, not even Grace, but when he tried to open the TARDIS door it wouldn't budge. "No," he whispered resting his head on the door and speaking very low but fiercely. "Don't do this, please. Don't make us watch this. Don't make Grace watch this." He begged with all that he had, not too ashamed to do so if it meant those doors opened and they could go somewhere else.

"Its okay, Dad," Grace said and reached for his hand. "If we are meant to stay, then that's what we'll do."

He looked down at their linked fingers, and then into her eyes, so young, so innocent. "You don't understand, love."

"No," she agreed, without breaking eye contact. "But I know those doors won't open, which means we are meant to stay."

"Is it safe to walk ahead," Jack asked looking at the Doctor and then Grace.

He was asking if it was okay to distract Grace so he could talk to Donna. Jack was a good man. "Yes, it's fine. Don't go too far."

Jack took the hand that Grace had free and with a small sad smile she released the Doctor and walked away from him. Both he and Donna watched them go and when she was certain that they couldn't hear Donna turned to him.

"Doctor?" She didn't sound scared, no she was much to brave for that, but she did sound a bit desperate.

"I'm sorry, Donna," he told her softly.

"Like Pompeii?"

"Worse," he admitted. "So much worse."