Title: Sacrifice
Word count: 350

Spoilers: Season 4

Characters: Donna, the Doctor, Rose

Summary: Set at the beginning of "The Stolen Earth." Written for the prompt "Blue" at Scifi Muses.

The blonde woman in the blue jacket. Rose. Rose was coming back. And Donna had never seen the Doctor so scared.

She had been so happy this morning, and he had seemed more relaxed than ever. Showing off the local delicacies, haggling with the booth owners, daring her to try this and that new thing. Joining in her experience of the new and different. She had been caught off guard by the fortune-teller and had broken her own "no spoiler" rule. The details of that strange world, where one decision by her brought disaster to everyone, were fading. All but the image of the young woman in blue.

Rose. Donna had only seen the Doctor without Rose, haunted by her.

"Rose is coming back. Isn't that good?" She asked gently.

"Yeah." And the look of joy and relief and love on his face sent a strange mixture of emotions through her. Happiness for him, but something else - not jealousy, but...what? If Rose was back, and somehow the world didn't end, what then? The problem, of course, was that she loved him. Oh, she hadn't meant to, of course not. How could she fall for the skinny little spaceman? The last thing he needed was someone else pining after him. But, too late. And she had begun to believe he loved her, too. Not just needed her, or liked her, but loved her. That he thought "skinny little spaceman" was a term of endearment. That he thought she was brilliant.

But, Rose. Rose was coming back. And maybe it would be okay. After all she had seen, with and without the Doctor, she knew her heart was big enough to make it okay. That she loved him enough to let him go, to be the good friend of the happy couple. Travelling together, the Doctor and Rose and their friend, Donna. That would be alright.

Assuming, of course, the world didn't end.