Title: Touching time and space with wings of fire
Author: Little Firestar 84
Fandom: Doctor Who & Uncanny X-Men (Comics)
Characters: Tenth Doctor, Donna (Doctor Who), Phoenix Force (Uncanny X-Men)
Rating: K
Word Count: 1260 circa
Notes: Au. Set before Journey's end (DW) and Phoenix: Endsong (UXM). Sort of sequel to "weight of history", featuring the whole cast from UXM and the Ninth Doctor, but doesn't require knowledge of previous events nor of the story.
Summary: when they offered the creature their hands, it took them, deciding then and there to never leave them, so that it could help them out and repay the universe of its wrongs. Touching time and space with wings of fire. Sort if 10th/Donna
The creature was wandering through the universes. It didn't remember a lot from its past, and whenever she went, she tried to look into people's minds, hoping to find a glimpse of what it used to be.
It loved red hair. It thought it remembered that-red hair. But it didn't know whom it belonged to. It was long, so it was a woman, maybe? But it wasn't sure. In that strange world, both males and females had long hair. It didn't like it, for it had to look through many minds to look for its host. It remembered planets where there were huge differences between the sexes...being in such worlds would have made it so much easier!
So, it flied, and flied, and flied, skimming over the surface of people's minds with its flaming wings. Often in the middle of the night, when they were unguarded, or were going to dismiss it like a dream.
That, until it found her.
It visited her one night, and saw of what her dreams were made of. It also saw a great sufferance, because she couldn't understand those dreams. The woman had lost part of her memory, but felt that along with her thoughts, her heart was gone too. She felt incomplete, like some pieces were missing, but she couldn't explain herself. And nobody seemed to care. It pained it, to witness such a thing.
So, it wondered into the minds of those closer to the woman. It knew it wasn't right, but it couldn't explain why it was doing it. It felt like it was the right thing to do, like it had to help the woman out.
The one the woman called mum didn't help a lot, but with the grandfather was another story. In his minds, only images of his granddaughter- Donna was her human name- and of the Doctor. He looked human, but a trip into the old man's mind revealed him to be alien, and he and Donna looked very happy together. There was also another image, one that broke the man's heart every time he thought about that day. It was the time the Doctor said goodbye, and gave them back Donna. He told them that she was the most important woman of the universe, but she couldn't know it, that he had had to erase her mind to save her from certain death.
It didn't know if it had a heart, but it knew that it suffered for the couple. It thought it had loved once before, but it wasn't certain. A short, dark haired, blue eyed man? Or was he a tall, brown-haired, red eyed young boy? Or maybe...both?
It didn't know. And somehow, it didn't matter any longer, for it just wanted to help Donna out. If she was the most important woman in the universe, she had a right to know it, didn't she?
It smiled, and flew away in the middle of the night, transported by its wings made of fire. It traveled through time and space, for what it felt like years, even if time didn't matter a thing for it, until one day it finally found him, the one it was looking for.
The Doctor.
It went through the doctor's mind, or at least it tried to, for he saw it coming, and stopped the intrusion. He was mad at first, and it was scared, it remembered someone being very angry, saying that it was time for it to pay and die, but then the Doctor smiled, skimming on its wings. No one had ever touched its wings, for they were the purest fire of them all, the one of life and passion made flesh.
"Hello little Phoenix. Did you get lost in your way out of the White Hot room?" he asked with a gentle smile, and for the first time the creature felt at easy. "Yes, you did, I can see that. You lost all your fragments on your way out, don't you? Poor little thing..."
It nodded. Even if It didn't know what the Doctor was talking about. Or maybe... it did? It remembered a crown, and something warm, and white. It believed the red-head to be there.
"Oh, you are such a beauty... I know you, you know? You didn't see me, but I was there when you were born for the first time here. A thing such as yourself...it's hard to miss, trust me."
He smiled of a sad smile, and It decided that it was time to dig deeper. It wanted to know the truth. Wanted to see if it could remember its own past... and the Doctor allowed it to.
It saw its host, a red haired woman by the name of Jean Grey, and it saw her lovers, Scott, the tall one, and James... or maybe Logan... the short one. It saw how good Jean was, and saw.. and saw...
"Why are you crying, little Phoenix?" The Doctor asked. It looked straight into his eyes, and showed him what it had just remembered, how it had corrupted Jean and destroyed billions of creatures with his wings of fire just because it could, and how Jean had killed herself to stop it from hurting more people.
It decided that it had to do something to set things right, just a tiny bit. It said goodbye to the Doctor, and went back to Donna, for it couldn't bring back those it had killed, it could just at least do this.
It touched her mind with its wings of fire, and blessed her with its powers. Knowledge was now in her, but she could handle it, bear all that it was in her brain. She was enlightened. So enlightened that she understood why he had done such a thing, and could forgive him from the deepness of her soul.
Even if it had to struggle to keep being serious as Donna slapped him. Twice. For good measure.
It was going to leave, a tiny jealous of their happiness, when Donna stopped it. "Wait... where are you going now?"
It didn't answered, for it didn't know this itself. It was still lost, still missed all of its pieces. It didn't know why it bas back, nor who it exactly was.
"Come with us little Phoenix" he offered, and it looked into their eyes, and saw the love and affection, the good souls of these people. It remembered Logan. They were just like him... he had loved Jean... and maybe it too... without pressure or need, just because he wanted to. From afar, because he thought there was someone else who was more worth her. It was a good man, who did his best to get better to protect the ones he cared about, and that when he had to use strength and violence, it always broke his heart, because he felt she couldn't understand or that he was turning even less worthy of her love with each life he took, no matter how many he saved in the process. Even when they counted in the millions. Just like the Doctor and Donna.
It didn't have to think about it. It was an easy choice, really. Maybe the only one available. So, when they offered it their hands, he took them, and flew in the core of the one the Doctor called the Tardis, becoming one with it, with all of them, so that it could never leave them, could help them out and repay the universe of its wrongs.
Touching time and space with wings of fire.