Okay, yes, I know I promised I would update all my unfinished stories super-fast, and I did feel I was making progress when I updated TWCAR but I got this idea while in the car driving around this little village in Scotland and it WOULDN'T GO AWAY, not even when I attempted to stuff the little plot bunnies back down their rabbit-holes, and not even when I screamed abuse at them, or threatened to cook 'em and serve them with HAGGIS. So, I thought "Hey! Here's a good way to get back in the swing of things; a Doctor Who oneshot!"
So…
Yeah.
I don't own Doctor Who. Some lucky a-hole in the BBC does. :(
Title: The DoctorDonna
Summary: 'I didn't even remember then. I didn't remember until an unfortunate medical student ran in to check her vitals, and discovered she had two hearts. Then, it all came back.'. Donna gives birth to a baby with 2 hearts, and all her memories of adventures with a certain Time Lord come back.
The DoctorDonna
I thought the world had gone mad in those first couple of months, but I had absolutely no reason to believe what they were saying. I mean, 27 planets appearing in the sky? The Earth moving? Giant pepper pots invading? My friend Nerys was in Germany at the time, and came back full of stories about being kidnapped by a German speaking pepper-pot. I would laugh manically at these dumb stories, stating my disbelief in them, and everyone would sigh and shake their heads. Another thing Donna Noble missed, they'd say, rolling their eyes.
They were still going on about it 2 months later, but the Earth was starting to settle down, heal, after this 'adventure'. More interesting things were happening, especially around my family. Namely, me, Mum and Gramps sitting in a doctors' office only to be told I was two months pregnant.
Mum kept a surprisingly cool head, telling me it was all going to be alright even as I was panicking. She told me I'd make a great mother.
"I'm really proud of you, Donna," she'd said.
At the time, I thought she was just being nice to me because I was so upset. She probably thought I was a failure, her poor pregnant daughter without a husband or job.
Mum and Gramps never asked about the father, and I never brought it up; that didn't stop me thinking about it. How could you be pregnant when you hadn't slept with anyone for at least a year?
I never suspected that my pregnancy was more abnormal than others. Sure, at scans, the doctor would sometimes get a confused look on his face and stare intently at the picture, before smiling and reassuring me everything was good. Of course, sometimes I heard this…singing, in my head, but I always rolled my eyes and shouted at Gramps to turn the television down, or I'd complain about the noisy neighbours, and it always seemed to stop.
I gave birth about 7 months later, two weeks past my due date. The doctor had to enduce the labour, saying the baby was probably going to be quite large as it'd had extra time, but she was still rather small. Her lungs were definitely developed though; she was screaming the room down. My mum, who had stayed with me, fondly told me she was going to be her mother's daughter.
She had stopped crying the instant she was put in my arms, and she blinked at me with big blue eyes. I had started crying then, but only because I couldn't believe that she was mine; that I had made her.
I didn't remember then. I proudly showed her off to visiting friends and relatives, while pondering over a name. At first I wanted to maybe use a name some celebrity had used like Shiloh or Suri. I did think about Sunday Rose, like Nicole Kidman, but my poor girl would probably be tortured with Sunday roast jokes, so I went against the celebrity names and tried to think of some more traditional names.
It was weird, names that had never appealed to me before where suddenly coming out of my mouth. I toyed with Evelina, Martha, Jenny, River, Evangelista, Anita, Rose and even Agatha! I mean, who calls their daughter Agatha nowadays? Everytime I said it, I thought of Agatha Christie.
So that's what I named her. Not Agatha, of course, but Christie. Christie Rose Noble. My mum liked it, Gramps liked it and even little Chrissie herself seemed to like it, gurgling whenever someone said it.
I didn't even remember then. I didn't remember until an unfortunate medical student ran in to check her vitals, and discovered she had two hearts. Then, it all came back.
I had a rare moment alone with Christie, as my mum and granddad were down in the cafeteria, when he came in. A young man, maybe early 20s, wielding the stethoscope like a weapon. He seemed nice enough, but turned practically maroon when he asked how I was doing with breastfeeding her, and I don't think I made it any better by giggling. Then, he took the baby and put a stethoscope on the right side of her chest instead of the left, listening intently. I rolled my eyes; I'd seen enough medical shows to know your heart was on the left side.
"Sorry," I said, "But, er, you've got the stethoscope on the wrong side,"
He looked confused, "I-I haven't,"
"You have." I insisted, pointing.
"But I can hear the heart," he said, eyes wide. My eyes widened too.
The med student slowly moved the stethoscope to the other side and listened again, face paling.
"Oh my God," he whispered, pulling his stethoscope away and holding the baby out to me like she was some alien object.
"What??" I cried impatiently, taking my daughter and cradling her against my chest.
"S-she has t-two!" he whispered, stepping back, "T-two h-hearts!"
Then he turned and left the room at the fastest speed he could, practically running. I stared after him in shock, before looking down at Christie who blinked back innocently.
Two hearts?
And, suddenly, it all came flying back.
The wedding. The Racnoss. The Adipose. Mrs. Foster. Pompeii. The Ood. The Sontarans. Messaline. Agatha Christie. The library. Midnight. Turn right. Turn left. Rose Tyler. The stolen Earth. Davros. The metacrisis. The Daleks. The mind wipe.
The Doctor!!
I barely had time to put Christie in her little trolley-bed before my head fell forward into my hands, feeling heavy as all those adventures came back.
I let out a sob as I realised I must be dying; the Doctor had said I would if I remembered. I had only just met my daughter and now she was never going to know who I was.
I must've stayed in that position for ten minutes and nothing happened. I slowly sat up, my neck and back aching from bending at an awkward angle. It was then I dared to explore my mind, look for this Time Lord knowledge that was going to kill me. I found nothing. I was still just Donna Noble.
That was when something in my mind clicked, and I turned to look at the baby, gurgling away, her blue eyes wide. I reached forward and tenderly pushed her little cap back, and looked at the thick brown hair on her head.
A baby who magically appeared, without any father.
I may've only been a temp, but I knew what had happened. My daughter resulted from the metacrisis. Two hearts, and all that Time Lord knowledge in my baby. She was created from that suppressed intelligence and Time Lord regeneration energy to save me.
I shuddered when I realised that, technically, that made her the Doctor's baby.
9 months, my mum and Gramps have been spinning me this tale about sleeping through the pepper-pot invasion. 9 loooooong months.
They came back about 20 minutes later. I looked at them and said two words that made them freeze in their tracks.
"I remember,"
I was discharged from the hospital the next day. I guessed the med student had kept the discovery to himself as there were no tests run, no funny looks or questions and Christie wasn't taken away as some medical miracle.
I had to find the Doctor; if not to punch his lights out, then to tell him he pretty much had a daughter. I didn't have a number for him, and when I checked my phone to see if Martha's number was still there, I discovered one of my 'concerned' family members had deleted it.
But, I do not give up easily, and whenever Christie was down for a nap or I had a spare moment, I was looking up someone who could help online. Someone, anyone! It took 2 weeks; I couldn't find anything about Martha or Torchwood, where I knew that nice Captain Jack fellow worked, and in the end I just wound up searching Martha's parents in the phonebook and I had a number and an address. My granddad laughed at me, saying I spent all that time crouched over a computer screen for nothing. He had been trying to earn my forgiveness for lying by helping me find the Doctor, to my mother's disdain.
"You have a daughter now!" she'd complained, "You can't go gallivanting off; not when you have responsibilities!"
I'd hotly informed her I wasn't gallivanting anywhere, and that I wasn't exactly going to run off and leave Christie.
That little girl was definitely like the Doctor. Her brown hair had fallen out and she was now growing red curls, the same colour as mine, and her lightly blue eyes were changing day by day into a more chocolate-y brown. Mum had been worried, saying she was developing very early but I said this must be some Time Lord thing.
When Christie was a month old, I decided just to leave her for one day with Gramps and go and see Martha. Of course, when I got there on that Friday evening, her mum answered and said Martha was out, but would be back soon. She let me wait in her living room, and we made small talk for an hour until Martha came home.
Francine Jones told me Martha now worked in Cardiff, at Torchwood – which explained why I couldn't find her – and that she was in the city all week, but brought the train back home every Friday to see her family.
At the point where I was very close just to getting up and walking out after my third cup of tea, the girl in question arrived, and yelled from the hall about her day to her mum.
"The Doctor came to see us!" her voice said from the other side of the wall, "Poor soul's travelling all alone still; he hasn't found someone after he left Donna."
I sat up straighter at the mention of my name.
"Did I tell ya about Donna? Hm? Well, he had to wipe her mind clean of all memories of him, else she'd burn up after taking in that Time Lord mind! I'd hate to lose all my memories of him. I'm better for having them, even if we've had a bit of a hard time since I've met him, right, Mu—"
She finally came in the room and froze on sight of me. Francine looked rather embarrassed, while I smiled sweetly at her shocked face.
"Hello, Martha Jones," I beamed, waggling my fingers at her.
I didn't just leave Christie for a day. Martha realised I remembered everything – without blowing up or whatever would've happened – and insisted she took me to see the Doctor, as he was probably still up at Torchwood 3. So, she dragged me on the train, and that's where we're sitting right now, in quite an uncomfortable silence as Martha ponders everything over.
"How?" she suddenly says, "How can you be here? The Doctor insisted you'd die if you remembered anything?"
With a sigh, I tell her, "It's complicated, Martha. I think I'd best talk to the Doctor first,"
She nods tightly at me and I turn to look out the window, watching the landscape blur by.
I wonder what Christie's up to. Hopefully she's in bed as it's after 8. I'd texted Mum to say I was going to see the Doctor and I'd be back soon, but so far, nothing back.
Christie will probably have Mum and Gramps up all night. She hasn't had one full night asleep yet, and I have a feeling it's because of the rarity of Time Lord's sleeping.
The Doctor certainly never slept, not that I knew of.
I yawn as I stare out the window, suddenly feeling tired. I hadn't had a full night's sleep since she'd been born. Maybe Martha wouldn't mind if I just closed my eyes…for…a…minute…
I jolt awake when the train stops, and look around bemused. Martha smiles at me.
"C'mon," she says quietly, "We're here,"
"Cardiff?" I ask, suppressing a yawn. She nods and leads me out onto the platform, into the car park, towards a sleek Mercedes.
"I have my own car to get around Cardiff in," she tells me as I climb into the passenger seat, "And to bring me down to the station every Friday."
We drive right into the centre of Cardiff, where she parks and leads me towards what looks like…nothing.
I'm about to say something when she tells me, with a grin, "Invisible elevator, to get into the hub,"
Two months ago, I'd have thought that the weirdest thing ever, but, when you saw Vesuvius erupt and have a two-hearted daughter, your perception on weirdness alters slightly.
As we travel down, I suddenly am hit with a wave of nausea.
I'm gonna see the Doctor for the first time in months and tell him I gave birth to a two-hearted baby who most defintely was his. Who else do I know who has 2 hearts?
Oh boy.
We come to a halt in a big room – which is probably the Torchwood hub, and I find the Tardis has apparently parked right in front of it. I look happily at it as Martha walks around it, and I hear voices the other side of the Tardis.
"Martha?" a man with a distinct Welsh accent says. Was it Ianto Jones?
"What're you doing back?" a Welsh woman says. Gwenyth? GWEN! Gwen Cooper!
"I thought you'd gone home," an American says. Jack Harkness, I presume.
"Is something wrong, Martha?"
Oh God. His voice.
I lean against the Tardis, closing my eyes tightly. How was I gonna do this?
I open them again and slowly walk around the Tardis, the other side from the one Martha went around. Sure enough, Martha is facing me with the other four people with their backs to me.
Still wearing those trainers, I think, smiling when I see his unmistakable Converse.
My eyes travel up and I stare at the back of his head.
He left me, I think, Erased my mind and left me, not even thinking I could survive or come back! He didn't give me the choice!
Rage fills me, and I lean against the Tardis doors, eyes narrowed.
"I had to come back cos—" Martha begins but I cut her off.
"Miss me, Spaceman?" I ask coolly. The other four all turn around and their eyes widen almost comically at the sight of me, particularly him.
"D-D-Donna??" the Doctor stammers.
I grit my teeth and force myself to keep a cool head. This is really hard.
He is gaping at me, and I can see he is attempting to form something akin to words in his mind.
"How are you--? What are you--? How?" he asks.
"How do I remember?" I ask, pushing off the Tardis and walking towards him. Although my words don't hold any emotion and my face is neutral, I'm certain all my anger is in my eyes as he backs away slowly.
"Now, Donna, don't do anything rash…" he begins, holding his hands out to keep me away, "Remember, I did it for you…"
I pause, smirking, "Oh dear. You're not in the safety of your Tardis so you're grovelling?"
"I thought she wouldn't be able to remember," Ianto Jones whispers, "Doctor, you said—"
"Ah, he says a lot of things," I say, turning to smile at Ianto, "But, then, he never listens! Even when you are pleading to stay with him!"
"That's hardly fair!" the Doctor exclaims, dropping his hands.
There's my window.
My hand comes back, and smacks into his face with all the power I can muster. Must've been rather a lot, because he staggers backwards and collapses onto a desk.
I finally relax, feeling a lot of the tension I've been feeling gone. The Doctor looks up, holding his red cheek.
"Okay," he says gently, "I deserved that…"
"Oh yes you did," I snarl, folding my arms crossly, "My brain; my choice, Martian! If I would've rather died than forgot, that's my choice! That's practically mind-rape, what you did!!"
The Doctor made no move to defend himself, "Okay, and now…you remember!"
"Yes," I snap, "And I have done for at least a month now!"
"How?" he asks, "What made you remember? What changed?"
Ooo-er. The hard bit.
"Well…" I begin. Everyone frowns slightly; I couldn't blame them, I'd gone from raging angry woman to suddenly meek and reluctant to talk.
"The, um, suppressed intelligence found a way to come…out of me," I say, vaguely, waving my hands about in unrelated hand gestures.
"How?" the Doctor presses, looking interested, stepping forward and pulling those daft glasses on, staring intently at me, "There is no way, you would've died! Your whole mind would burn up. It couldn't exit easily; you'd have noticed, remembered too soon and fried. How could all that Time Lord consciousness come out unnoticed?"
I can't help but laugh, "Oh, it was most definitely not unnoticed!!"
He frowns again. "Donnnnnnaaaaa…" he says, drawing out my name.
I had missed him doing that. I had missed him.
Before I could stop myself, I felt tears seep out my eyes and covered my face with my hands, sobbing. I knew the team were probably all exchanging uncomfortable, surprised looks, but I feel two familiar arms wrap tightly around me.
"Hey, it's alright," the Doctor says, hugging me. I can almost see him smiling, "I've missed you too, Donna Noble,"
I grin into his jacket, and hug him back just as tight.
"What have I missed, then? Eh?" the Doctor asks, pulling back and looking me in the eye, "What happened to you, Donna?"
It's now or never.
"A baby." I say bluntly. His eyes widen.
"A baby?"
I nod, "Two months after you left me, I found out I was pregnant. That suppressed Time Lord energy made a baby."
I suddenly feel sick again, realising how much I miss Christie, "My little baby who is currently at home with my grandfather and whom I really should be getting back to,"
I turn on my heels and walk away, heading for that invisible elevator when he asks.
"Does this child have two hearts?"
I freeze, hand resting on the wall of the Tardis. I look over my shoulder for a moment, and take in the sight behind me. Jack, Ianto and Gwen Cooper all look shocked, Martha has gone pale and the Doctor is looking right at me, desperately.
"Does it have two hearts? If it was made by the Time Lord energy - my Time Lord energy - then I rather think that...means..." he trails off. I roll my eyes, rather irritated with all this 'it' nonsense.
"She." I snap, "And, if you must know, yes, she does have two! Because, it is your regeneration energy that made her so technically it's your kid!"
Martha sways dangerously, but luckily Jack is there to keep a hold on her. The Doctor runs a hand through his hair.
"Right," he says, matter-of-factly, like he found out he had a daughter every day.
"'Right'?" I repeat, "After leaving me alone for 10 months to care for your daughter, all you can say is 'right'?"
He looks straight into my eyes, and suddenly his face splits into a grin and he runs forward and hugs me, swinging me around.
"Donna Noble, you are brilliant!" he cries, "I thought I'd really lost you forever but, nooo, you just keep comin' back!"
After he sets me on my feet, he looks me in the eye, "Now, are you going to tell me this girl's name?"
I suddenly go red. I'd called her Rose. Of all the names from my past I could've subconsciously called up…
"Christie," I tell him, "I was toying with Agatha but she'd be teased mercilessly…"
"Christie," he repeats, rolling it around on his tongue. He then takes my hand and leads me towards the Tardis doors, "C'mon,"
I scowl, "Where are we going?"
He gives me a mega-watt grin, "Chiswick!"
It's got to be around nine o'clock the next morning when the Tardis lands on the street outside my house. I'm the first out, knowing Christie will be up soon and hungry. The Doctor, Martha and Jack follow at a slower speed.
When I get in the kitchen, Mum is making toast practically half-asleep. Granddad is asleep at the table, with Christie gurgling in his lap. Christie sees me and gurgles enthusiastically, waking up Granddad.
"Donna!" he yawns, "You're back. How'd it go?"
I don't answer; I've picked Christie up and I'm holding her tightly. I have missed her.
"Why don't you two go up to bed?" I suggest, looking at the dark circles under Mum and Gramps' eyes. Gramps responds immediately, getting up and going upstairs, while Mum is slower, asking me how it went.
She has only just got into the hall when the Doctor and the others come in. She pauses, looking at the Doctor.
"Look whose back," she says bitterly. I come out into the hall, holding the baby up against my shoulder.
"Oh, Mum, don't start," I grumble, swatting in her direction with one free hand. She yawns again and goes upstairs.
"She looks tired," the Doctor says.
"Oh, still so observant," I say sarcastically. Christie gurgles up against my shoulder and Martha, who must love kids, gasps, stepping forward.
"Oh my gosh," she whispers, as I turn the baby around and let Martha look at her, "She's beautiful! Oh, Doctor, look!"
She waves the Doctor over and nods at Christie, "She's gonna have your eyes!"
The Doctor looks at Christie, who stares back. I felt my stomach twist. The Doctor had reacted so badly to Jenny, what was going to stop him doing the same with Christie? He didn't plan her, he didn't want her, and he certainly didn't have a say in her creation.
The Doctor must've known I was worried, but then he always does, doesn't he? He smiles reassuringly and takes her out of my arms, holding her like he had been for years.
"She's beautiful," he says reassuringly, mostly to me than anyone else. I smile back, happiness radiating through me.
"So…" Jack says, ruining the moment, "Are you two, like, gonna be together now, to give her a proper family!"
Both me and the Doctor shook our heads suddenly, "No!"
I laugh, putting a hand on the Doctor's shoulder, "Look, we didn't do anything to actually make a baby! We're just friends, and that's how it's gonna stay!"
Jack nods, understandingly, "But, who's she gonna stay with? Or is she going to be one of those kids who are with Dad one week and Mom the other?"
I look up at the Doctor, before saying quietly, "Well, if we're allowed, I'm sure Chrissie and I could come stay on the Tardis with Dad…"
I trail off hopefully, but the Doctor says nothing. He's looking down in wonderment at the baby, who's clutching his finger tightly and babbling. I smirk, and look back to Jack.
"I think that's a yes," I say, shrugging.
"How do you know?" Martha asks. My smile grows, and I step closer and whisper in her ear.
"Cos look how smitten he is,"
Sure enough, less than a month later, I'm back on the Tardis, with the Doctor and Christie. That's where we belong, with him.
The Doctor took to being a dad again like a fish to water. Nothing altered him, not even when I finally told him Christie's middle name was Rose. I love watching him playing with Christie, who sure enough has got his chocolate coloured eyes and my red hair. We've taken to calling her the DoctorDonna on board, cos she is a perfect mix.
I always said I would never go back to regular life after being with him. Even after wiping my mind, I'm still back. He often jokes that he really, really can't get rid of me, but I think he's glad to have us onboard. We're never gonna leave him, and, truth be told, I think he's glad we're here to stay.
End
GAAAK GAAK GAK!! CHEESY ENDING!!
But I couldn't think of a better end, and I would've kept going on and on!
I hope no-one's thinking "-GASP-! She just wrote a Doctor/Donna fic!!" because I really didn't mean it as that.
Anywho, this is probably terrible but I had to get this idea down. Thanks for reading and, um, maybe drop a review? XD