Donna woke with a start. Sylvia was very worried after what happened, but she thought The Doctor had fixed it. But then she found Donna, and she was so sick. But now she had woken up, she needed to find out what happened.
"Donna honey, are you okay? What happened?"
Donna just looked at her and smiled.
"And he said it would be impossible"
Sylvia had no idea what Donna was talking about.
"Who, Donna? What are you talking about?"
Just then the sound of the TARDIS materialising could be heard out on the street. Sylvia watched Donna, terrified that it would reawaken the memories that could very well kill her. But Donna didn't seem to be in pain, she just continued to smile like she knew something that everyone else didn't. Suddenly she turned to Sylvia.
"Oh, mum, you have no idea"
Donna got up and ran out the front door. Sylvia quickly ran after, confused and worried.
The Doctor and Wilf were just exiting the TARDIS as Donna came out the front door. When The Doctor saw her, he tried to quickly get back into the TARDIS, so that Donna would not recognise him.
"Oi! Where do you think you're going spaceman?!"
The Doctor, Wilf and Sylvia all stared at Donna, shocked. Donna walked briskly over to the TARDIS, followed by Sylvia.
"Donna?" Wilf asked, a worried expression on his face.
"It's okay, Gramps, I remember"
"You remember?" The Doctor came slowly out of the TARDIS, "You can't possibly remember"
"Well then I suggest you think again about the definition of 'possible, 'cause I remember everything"
"But, Donna, your mind will burn up"
"But the thing is it won't, 'cause you see, you put a memory block in my head, and I specifically remember telling you not to, but I'll forgive you for that. Because it's really ironic actually, the memory block is the only reason I can remember"
"What do you mean?" The Doctor was thoroughly confused.
"Well 'someone'," Donna looked pointedly at The Doctor, "didn't do a very good job of putting a memory block in my head, 'cause every night I'd have dreams, little snippets of what we saw together, but I'd just pass it off as having a strange dream, and I didn't remember half of it anyway. So all this time the memories have slowly been coming back, and I was beginning to remember. Then, well, The Master came back and-"
"Hang on, how do you know who The Master is?" The Doctor interrupted.
"If it's in your head, it's in mine, remember?"
"You still have the metacrisis in your head?"
"Of course I do, stupid!"
"But…but how?"
"Hang on, I'm getting there. So anyway, as I was saying before I was interrupted," Donna paused to glare at The Doctor, "The Master came back and transplanted himself into everyone, but not me. All the memories came flooding back, and right then I couldn't cope with it so, BANG!" All three of her listeners flinched. "The memory block went kaboom and knocked out the people who were attacking me, and then I passed out"
The Doctor, Wilf and Sylvia were all silent waiting for Donna to continue. When she didn't, The Doctor prompted her. "Well…?"
"Well what? I passed out!"
"But how can you survive with a Time Lord consciousness inside your head? It's impossible!"
"No, you see I was made stronger by the memories slowly coming through, strong enough to survive all that information inside my head, all that Time Lord-iness"
Both Wilf and Sylvia who had been silent throughout Donna's recount were now bursting with questions.
"Are you sure?" Sylvia asked.
"It's not going to burn your mind?" Wilf queried.
"Is this safe?" Sylvia asked again.
The Doctor remained silent while Donna reassured her family. He was thinking about everything Donna had said, and he was beginning to accept that what she had said made sense, when he was brought back to reality by a sharp pain in his chest. He had forgotten about his impending regeneration. Donna noticed The Doctor's pain, and quickly realised what was happening.
"Oh Doctor, I'm so sorry"
"Donna, it's okay"
"Oh Doctor, do you have to go?"
"Yes, I do. But I will be back, even if I'm different," The Doctor turned to include Wilf and Sylvia, "I'm still the same, remember that. Because when you see me next, I will be a new man, and everything I am now will be gone. But remember me, because I want to be remembered. I will see you again, through new eyes, with a new face, and I look forward to it. Oh, and Donna?"
"Yes?"
"I'm so glad you remember"
The Doctor smiled as he stepped back into the TARDIS. Before he closed the door, Wilf called out.
"Doctor, wait!"
The Doctor turned to look at Wilf, he had his arms around Donna and Sylvia, and single tear ran down Donna's cheek.
"We will miss you"
The Doctor smiled once more as he closed the door and the TARDIS dematerialised, off to get his reward.