Disclaimer: I own nothing, not even (sadly) the gorgeous David Tennant!!
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"What do you MEAN you can't find them? I'm telling you, I specifically put them in a bin, and told some woman to give them to you." Donna Noble shrieked into her mobile. "Well, no…but…ok maybe leaving your car keys with a complete stranger wasn't the best thing to do, but I was in a rush and she... had a nice, honest face!"
The Doctor overheard this last statement as he entered the control room and rolled his eyes.
"Donna, if you're going to travel time and space with the attitude that everyone with a 'nice, honest face' can be trusted, you'll be atoms in minutes."
Donna waved her hand at him to tell him to be quiet, and carried on arguing with her mother.
"I dunno! Blonde. Short. Blue coat. Kinda like…not like the blue of my top that goes with the white jeans, more the blue that…hello? HELLO?"
Turning to the Doctor, she wore a bewildered expression.
"She hung up on me! It's not MY fault someone's run off with her car keys is it? Well," she admitted as the Doctor raised a single eyebrow, "Maybe it is. But it's not like I didn't try and tell her where the bin was!! And anyway her keys shouldn't be my responsibility…"
She continued twittering away in the background, as the Doctor lost concentration and tuned her words out – a skill he had already mastered despite having only met her twice. He watched her spin around the control room, hands moving as she talked, her red hair burning like a sun, full of life and hope and energy. He liked her. He'd liked her the first time she'd turned up in his TARDIS, just after…
"NO". His mind screamed at him, and immediately a wall went up and he carried on focusing on Donna. He liked her, but he was worried. After all of the danger and drama that accompanied Martha, was it wise to be bringing another companion into his life? Yes, he was lonely. But was it selfish to bring Donna into his world knowing what the risks were? And he, of all people, understood the risks, especially after what had happened to Rose…
"NO!" His mind demanded again, but it was too late. He'd thought of her name and was instantly drowning in memories. Rose swinging on that rope, how she'd looked in that dress in 1869, dancing with her in World War Two, the crazy cat nuns, werewolves, when she'd grabbed that axe, those final, beautiful moments on the beach…in a heartbeat he was flooded with the sound of her voice, her laughter, the way the sun glinted on her hair, her obsession with chips, the way her tongue would poke from between her teeth when she was amused, the feel of her hand in his…
"Doctor?"
Donna's voice bolted him back to the present, and he looked up into a face etched with concern.
"You all right? Not gonna have a nervous breakdown on me are you?" Satisfied he was back to normal, and without waiting for a reply she sauntered out of the control room, shouting back at him;
"Come on then! Help me find my bedroom!"
With a deep breath, the Doctor got to his feet, trying to get his emotions back in check. They came upon him suddenly, these moments, and even after the months Rose had been gone, were still as powerful as a tidal wave against a wooden barrier. And anything could trigger them off, a word, a memory, a similar gesture…it had been one of the things he had found hard about living with Martha; her crush on him had been obvious for all to see, and her constant need to touch him, to laugh too loudly with him, to try and make him see how fun she was, only served to remind him of Rose. It was one of the reasons he liked Donna so much: after her earlier outburst, he didn't think there was any risk of her fancying him, and a friend – and only a friend – could be what he needed right now. He started to make his way out of the control room, and paused just before he entered the hallway.
"Keep her safe." He pleaded out loud to whatever gods currently felt pity for rebellious Time Lords. "Keep her safe for me – and make her happy."
A/N: Well? Hope you likey. More soon if people like it, (obviously if everyone thinks its rubbish I won't bother!) Please please review if you read as I love to know what readers think!!