Memories

The Doctor looked across the road at the bust street opposite. People were shopping and bustling along. He looked back down at his newspaper. It was on the page with the family announcements. He stared at one of the photos. It was of an old lady. An old lady that looked vaguely familiar. He looked again. Then he realised who it was. As he realised it, he read the piece next to it. Donna Noble. A loving mother, wife and friend. Died peacefully in her sleep on 29th August. Her funeral will be on 5th September at Chiswick cemetery.

The Doctor ran a hand through his dark brown hair, ruffling it slightly. It had been a long time since he'd spoken to Donna. His hearts had been torn in two when he had to wipe her memories. She had been his best friend. They had travelled together. They were the best of friends and he didn't even remember her. How had it come to this. He had come back, a couple of times to watch her. Not for long, he hadn't even said hello. He just watched her, seen how she was doing.

She had always looked so empty. Like something was missing. Like she couldn't even remember what. She had gone back to her old self. She thought she was just a useless temp from Chiswick. Like she had never been the most important woman in the universe.

The Doctor felt his cheek, a single salty tear was running down it. He hadn't even noticed he was crying. He folded up the newspaper and tucked it in his pocket whilst standing up. He walked down the street to where he had left the T.A.R.D.I.S. He pushed the door open and walked in. Slinging his long brown coat onto the rail on the way in. He sat down on one of the seats, his head in his hands. He sat there a while, contemplating an idea forming in his head.

Eventually he decided. He walked to the console and started it up. The comforting whirring soon started and he was flung across the T.A.R.D.I.S. He ran back over and carried on pushing buttons and pulling levers until the whirring stopped and he had landed. He picked his coat up and put it back on and put his hands in his trouser pockets as he went out.

Outside the sky was bleak and grey. The air had a crisp chill to it. There were gravestones lined up in rows and rows, some almost eroded away, some with flowers in front of them. Near one of the gravestones was a small group of people. All dressed in black. Some crying, others comforting them. Many of them held flowers. The Doctor gazed over at them, before walking over slowly to join them.

"You knew her?" An old man asked the Doctor.

"Yeah," He replied "A long time ago, I saw the announcement in the paper and thought I'd come, for old time's sakes. How do you know her?"

"She was my wife." He said "We were together for years and years. It was inevitable she was going to die soon."

"Doesn't make it any easier though." The Doctor sighed. "How was it inevitable though?"

"She had dementia. She was dying slowly. The evening before she died she said a load of strange things. Skinny men, screwdrivers. Blue boxes, always blue boxes. She went to bed that night, and we all knew it was going to be soon."

"I'm sorry." The Doctor said, "I missed her a lot when we stopped travelling together."

"She went travelling?"

"Like I said, it was a long time ago." He replied "It ended badly though, she didn't want to talk about it, so she just shut it out. Well that's what her grandad said anyway."

"Wilf." He smiled sadly "He died not long after we married."

"Anyway, I'd best be going, it was nice meeting you." The Doctor turned away, now certain of what he had to do. He went back to the T.A.R.D.I.S and the whirring started up soon.

He stepped out again soon, when he came out, he was in a small room with a bed against one wall and a bookshelf against the opposite. Next to the bookshelf was the door. The Doctor looked across at the bed. An old lady was sitting up, staring at him.

"How'd you get in here?" She asked, not in fright though.

"You'll find out in a minute, what time is it?" He walked across to her. He needed to make sure he did this correctly.

"You just randomly appear in my room with a police box and you just ask me the time." Her voice started to raise. "It's 3:20 if you must know." The Doctor looked through the blinds onto the dark street.

"Donna, I'm sorry, but it was to protect you." He placed his fingers on her temples.

"How'd you know my name?" Then her eyes closed as memories flooded through her mind. "Space boy? She whispered in amazement. "I got glimpses of you, sometimes. I thought you said I'd die if I remembered."

"I couldn't let you die without knowing."

"Oi, don't turn up here after all these years and tell me I'm going to die."

"I'm sorry, but it was all I could do. At least you remember now." She held her arms around him.

"Still could give me a paper cut." She smiled.

"We had the best of times." The Doctor smiled.

"The very best." Then the Doctor felt her go still in his arms. "We were going to be together forever." He carefully lay her down on her bed and looked at the body of his best friend for one last time, before going back into the T.A.R.D.I.S. The whirring started up and when it stopped, he opened the door.

He was standing next to the medusa cascade. The last time he had been here was with her. At least she had remembered. They may not have been together forever, but they'd had the best of times.