Chapter 3 + epilogue
Donna was dreaming again. She was in a world of shouting and smoke. People running, screaming, crying. The air was thick with ash and smoke, sulphur burned her nose. She watched as the world was torn apart, homes burned, people buried under ash. Then above the noise someone shouting her name.
"Donna, we need to go. Now!"
She saw the man with the suit and trench coat reaching for her across the chaos. She stepped forward to take his hand holding on to it as the world went black.
When she blinked again she was back in her bed in sandy oaks. She felt week and dizzy. The room took a few minutes to slide into focus. When it did she saw Rory. He looked pale and tired, he held her hand gently. When he realised she was awake he smiled.
"Good morning Ms Noble. I have brought someone who wants to see you."
As the rest of the room swam into focus she saw a man with a bow tie standing in the corner of the room. He smiled at her sadly and walked towards the bed, kneeling next to Rory and taking her other hand gently.
"Donna Noble. What a fantastic name."
She smiled weakly in thanks and raised her eyes to meet his. She gasped. Those eyes, they were the same eyes as she had seen in her dreams.
"It's him," she whispered to Rory, "He is the one in the suit."
Rory glanced at the Doctor.
"What does she mean?"
"Not important now." Said the Doctor gently, almost to himself.
"You remember, don't you Donna?" he said softly. "The fires, the ood, the planet midnight, you remember."
"They are all dreams, just dreams."
The doctor looked at her with those sad eyes. They seemed to have grown older, just as she had.
"No, not dreams. You were so important Donna Noble, the most important woman in the world, in all the galaxies. I owe you so much, more than I can possibly pay but let me try, please, let me show you the most important woman in all of time and space.
Donna nodded. The Doctor gently touched his fingers to her temples and images flooded through her brain. Being trapped by a giant spider beneath the Thames barrier, waving at fat, watching as Pompeii exploded in front of her, the ood and their song of the Doctor-Donna, the library, fighting sontarans, giant wasps, daleks and Davros and becoming half time-lord, understanding everything in all of time and space. She remembered all the happy times, all the sad ones, but most importantly she remembered that she was important. She saw all of this and understood that her time stream was ending. She put a hand to the Doctor's chest, feeling the two hearts pound beneath her fingers. She looked directly into his age old eyes and the world faded around her.
"Thank you." She whispered as she fell into eternal sleep.
Epilogue
The first thing Donna became aware of was a pinprick of light illuminating the pitch darkness around her. As she looked at it, it grew until it filled her entire spectrum of vision. Slowly details began to filter through the light. A lobby of some kind. A man and young girl sat behind the desk.
"Ah!" the man said noticing Donna was there. "Miss Noble, so pleased to see you at last. My names Doctor Moon, if you will kindly follow me I will take you to your room."
Donna followed the man down a long corridor with various names on the doors and after walking for a few minutes stopped in front of one with her name on it.
"I hope you find it prepared to your liking. This is what the data bank believes will be your perfect home. If you have any questions do not hesitate to call the welcome desk. Now, excuse me, have a pleasant evening."
Donna pushed open the door, not knowing what to expect. She stepped into the lounge to find a man already sitting on the couch. He jumped up as she approached his face breaking into a broad grin.
"D-d-Donna!"
Staring into the eyes of the only person she ever truly loved she knew, at last, that she was where she belonged. And as the last phantom rhythms of the Doctor's heartbeat faded from her fingertips she held Lee close. Nothing could separate them now.