"I am never doing this again!" Donna panted as she leaned against the door of the TARDIS, trying to slow her racing heart as it beat out a symphony against her chest. Next to her, grinning like the madman he was, the Doctor laughed.
"Oh, yes you are!" He told her brightly.
She rolled her charcoal eyes, "Well, of course I am, you dunce – however, it would be nice to go to a planet where they didn't want to kill us the moment we arrive!"
The colonies of the planet they just left were at war – one side claiming they had rights to the abyss where the light of the planet came from, and the other claiming the exact opposite. Luckily, just before Donna and the Doctor could be thrown over and destroyed in the heat and fire by one of the clans, the other clan stopped them. While the two were arguing, Donna and the Doctor ran. It was just one of those days, when the Doctor couldn't mend the wounds and his smile became just a little more tired.
But they escaped, no one died, and the TARDIS was as bright as the stars themselves. Things could be worse.
The Doctor rushed to the console, "Then how about Menpa – never been a war there, always peaceful. In fact, if you do start a fight they gut you," He gave a thoughtful pause – recalling Donna's not so spectacular history of keeping peace with people, "Perhaps not Menpa then…"
"How about," Donna suggested, "we take a cuppa in the kitchen and have ourselves a nice mo' to relax."
The Doctor pouted, "But that's no fun. You're just upset that you didn't get to save your shoes."
He motioned to her ruined trainers.
"I ain't bovvered," Donna snipped, but - soon - continued to speak loftily, "I'm just not in the mood for any more near-death adventures right now."
She turned and began walking away – out of sight in seconds.
The Doctor gave a labored smile, but followed the red-head nonetheless. She was in the kitchen, brewing two cups of tea. He took a seat at the island and busied himself with tracing doodles on the granite. One of the few amenities the TARDIS made for his companions (Do not lie to Us, child the TARDIS liked to whisper they are much more than that – after all, they have always been the best of you) was a kitchen that looked like one on Earth.
He had a feeling they wouldn't like the ones on Tralando – no one took too kindly to the walls that yelled abuse when you got a dish wrong. He, rather, preferred to enjoy a quiet, human meal than any other kind.
"This is nice." She said as she stirred the tea, "Despite the running and the violence; it's nice here. Travelling with you, it's brilliant."
The Doctor grinned, "I'm glad. Bit random, but nice to know nonetheless."
"One day, when I'm too old for this rushing about, I'm going to remember this." She said, "And you'd better remember me, Spaceman."
Her tone brooked no argument.
"Oh, I doubt I could forget you, Donna." He told her honestly.
In moments there was a steaming cup of tea in front of him. Or, at least, he thought it was tea.
"What is this, then?" He cast a suspicious eye in her direction, "Are you trying to poison me?"
"Yes, I want to kill you and then take control of this ship. A mutiny has been scheduled; me, the bins beneath the stairs, and that ghost that lives in the attic have all planned to take over. First the TARDIS, then the Universe!" Donna deadpanned.
The Doctor gave a dramatic scoff, "Hah, as if the TARDIS would let you, she loves me too much."
Above him the TARDIS whirred.
He glared, "That was unnecessarily cruel! See if I clean your conduxer coils again, after that!"
"Hah!" Donna gloated.
The Doctor gave an amused look but a dark tone, "What kind of Englishwoman can't even make tea?"
"What kind of alien can't even pilot his own ship?" Donna countered, sipping from her own cup. Which looked, decidedly, less poisonous than his own; as the Doctor got lost in his thoughts, Donna's voice came – softly, hesitantly.
"D'you reckon those two colonies could settle their differences?"
The Doctor took a moment of silence to think on her question, "Maybe. There's no telling what will happen – but I doubt it could get worse."
"Famous last words," Donna mused. But her smile was genuine and her eyes were affectionate, "But, then, you'd be an expert in those – even if they are rubbish. 'You're gonna kill me with that? You'd have a better chance with a kettle and a bit of string!' – and then what did they do? They tried to throw us over the ledge to that bloody pit!"
"We got out!" He defended.
"Only by sheer dumb luck, but then you're an expert in that as well." Donna smirked.
The Doctor took a scalding sip of his tea, thinking mutinous thoughts about his best mate. But Donna was smiling, the TARDIS was warm, his tea wasn't terrible, and for a moment the darkness staining his soul washed away.
"Watch it, Earthgirl." He teased.
"I don't think so, Spaceman." She smirked.
/
Years later, the new, new, new Doctor was tinkering with the console. Amy ran down the steps and leaned on the railing.
"Doctor," Her voice was plaintive and sweet, "Can you drop Rory and I off at Naples; we want to celebrate our anniversary somewhere interesting."
"Get to see all those sights and such, eh?" Rory came from behind her, nudging her with his elbow. She smiled over at him.
"Of course, Ponds, just give me a minute!" He said, "Then we'll set off."
"Right then, we'll be having a cuppa in the kitchen then." Rory took his wife's hand and the couple set off. For a moment the Doctor's eyes glazed over, but it passed and he nodded.
Behind his eyes he still saw another head of red hair and a sharp tongue. And, still clear as ever in his head, he remembered a girl that plotted Universe-domination and begged to remember him as he forced her to forget.
Forgive me for any OOC-ness. It's been a while since I've written Eleven and I'm not very good at it. But review nonetheless and tell me how to improve!
(see what I did there?)
Aimlessly Unknown