The Doctor stood at the TARDIS console and smiled to himself, thinking of the first time he had seen Donna Noble. A random ginger woman in a wedding dress appearing in his TARDIS, looking just as shocked and incredulous as The Doctor himself.

They had been through a lot since then, and she was no longer just a random ginger. Together they'd solved mysteries, witnessed the eruption of Vesuvius, saved the earth from Sontarans, and most recently, escaped the Vashta Nerada that lived in the largest library in the universe. His mind was still spinning with questions from his encounter with the mysterious Dr. River Song, but for now, he figured both he and his companion simply needed a good holiday.

She was a brave one, that Donna, and somehow, she always knew what to say. Somewhere underneath her boisterous exterior was a soft young woman who just wanted to love and be loved in return. That side of her came out on occasion, as she grew to trust The Doctor, and he knew in his hearts that someday, she would find someone to build a family with.

Right now, Donna was in her room on the TARDIS, presumably asleep, while the Doctor manned the controls. She had headed straight back there the moment the TARDIS door had closed on the library. The Doctor guessed she wasn't in the mood for his jabbering. Couldn't say he was surprised. She had just lost a family that she never actually had in the first place. You never really get used to losing loved ones.

The Doctor drew in a breath and rubbed his face to wipe away the sad memories that threatened to flood his mind. Isolation was seldom kind to him.

"Oi, Spaceman, where're we off to now?" Donna's voice almost made The Doctor jump out of his skin.

He put on a smile and spun around to face her, "We are off to the beautiful planet Midnight." he replied.

Donna scoffed, "Who names a planet 'Midnight'?"

"Someone with a brilliant sense of humor, I think. It's one of the brightest inhabited planets in the universe. Very close to its sun. Mind you, you can't actually go outside because of it, but still, funny ol' name for such a shiny planet. We're almost there, actually."

"Almost there? Alright then, what are you doing standing around? Steer the ship!" she punctuated her shout with those silly emphatic arm gestures that always made him smile.

He chuckled and gave her a lopsided grin before spinning back around to flip levers and turn dials on the TARDIS console. "Allons-y!"

Donna was back to her loud, rambunctious self, and that was all The Doctor could ask for. Whether she was smiling up at him holding his hand, or, as more often happened, glaring at him ready to deck him, The Doctor could always count on Donna to bring him out of his melancholy moods. As they whirled through space and time on their way to Midnight, The Doctor contemplated how very lucky he was to have a friend like Donna, who loved him so much but didn't 'fancy' him. She was his best friend, and he would be there for her and protect her for as long as he could.

If I ever do regenerate as a ginger, he thought, shooting a smile sideways at his companion, I hope I'm just like Donna.