Here Today

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the characters and places mentioned in this story; nor do I own the song Here Today by Paul McCartney

And if I say

I really knew you well

What would your answer be?

It has been three weeks since the Doctor last saw Donna. Three weeks since he last heard her laugh. Three weeks since he last saw her red hair. Three weeks. Twenty-one days. Five hundred and four hours. Not a minute went by without him remembering her.

He was in the TARDIS console room, playing with his sonic screwdriver and an old padlock he found. Sonic. Open. Click. Close. Sonic. Open. Click. Close. Over and over again. Somehow, he didn't feel like saving the world that day.

The Doctor missed Donna. He really really missed her.

If you were here today

He found Donna's old hair tie that day. He saw a redhead the next. It seemed like the universe wanted him to remember Donna every single day. He went on a lot of trips to take his mind off it. He went to Raxacoricofallapatorius to check on the Slitheen. He patrolled the skies for any sign of the Daleks. He took a secret visit to Torchwood, just to keep himself busy.

But at the end of the day, it was still Donna he was thinking of.

What about the time we met?

Well, I suppose that you could say

That we were playing hard-to-get

Didn't understand a thing

But we could always sing

The next day, he stopped by a wedding ceremony. It was nice. At least the bride didn't vanish into thin air that time.

The Doctor dared not admit it to anyone but himself, but he loved how Donna was not afraid to stand up to him. He appreciated how she would stop him from crossing the line, even if she had to slap him in the process. She was never scared to give him tough love, and to stop him from doing things she knew he was going to regret. She was honest, she was true. She made him laugh, she made him happy. She was his best mate.

What about the night we cried?

Because there wasn't any reason

Left to keep it all inside…

Every night, as he lies in bed to sleep, he remembers. He remembers her. He remembers how she begged, how she pleaded to let her stay. He remembered the tears in her eyes, the sadness and desperation in her voice.

"I was going to be with you…forever."

But he knew he couldn't. No matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't make her stay without killing her. He knew it broke her heart but nobody knew how much it broke his. How his heart broke as he laid her on her bed, knowing that as soon as she woke up, he would be nothing to her.

Nobody knew how much it hurt to have your best friend taken away from you in the cruelest way possible. Nobody knew how much it hurt when his eyes met hers, but without seeing the usual warmth and comfort he had always found. It was as if she never knew him at all.

And if I say

I really loved you

And was glad you came along

If you were here today…

The Doctor loved Donna Noble. He really did. And as he was walking past a boutique in Chiswick, he caught a glimpse of bright red hair…and a familiar shrill, loud voice…

"You bloody well make sure that my wedding dress has POCKETS!"

And the Doctor smiled.

Author's Note: This is my first Doctor Who fic, so please do bear with me. And obviously Donna is my favorite companion and it still breaks my heart to think of what happened to her so please just dmdicmdifmhunmskdm sorry got a bit carried away there.

Anyway, reviews please? I'd really like to know your feedback. :)