Evie hadn't spoken for at least an hour. She was clinging onto Donna as though the red-head was the only stable thing in the universe. Donna didn't mind, feeling oddly protective of the girl, but it did make searching the crowds of people for Lee extremely difficult. Every time she tried to prise Evie's fingers off her and move the brunette into the Doctor's arms, Evie gave a terrified whimper and clung on even more tightly. In the end, Donna gave up and leant against the wall behind her, stroking Evie's hair and back calmingly.
"Doctor… in that other world or whatever it was–" She started slowly.
"An alternate reality made up in the mind of a little girl and kept safe in a computer mainframe." He corrected her quickly.
Donna rolled her eyes slightly. "Yeah, that. Well in that alternate reality made up in the mind of a little girl and kept safe in a computer mainframe, I honestly believed that Evie was my niece. I… I don't know how to explain it. She didn't feel like a relative stranger that I barely knew… she felt like someone I would have done anything for… like one of the most important people in my world." Glancing up at him, Donna hesitated. "Why did I feel like that?"
"Weeelll…" The Doctor shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck as he tried to think how to answer. "It could be a couple of things. Maybe she is actually someone important to you in the future… that can happen sometimes. You can catch a glimpse of someone you'll know very well and get the odd feeling that you already know them. Or it could be that she dragged out some maternal instinct that was hidden away very deep inside you."
"Oi!" Donna muttered, momentarily letting her hand leave Evie's hair to smack his chest with the back of her hand.
"But I think the two most likely theories are that because you were the only reminders of the outside world – the only things that were constant – you latched onto each other and kept that link alive as a way of trying to retain your memories or maybe that the computer created this idea that you were related and made you believe it." He continued, ignoring her interruption.
"Mmm…" Donna mumbled, glancing down at the girl for a moment, before looking back at the Doctor with eyes that were sparkling with unshed tears. "So why do I still feel it?"
He shrugged, reaching for her hand on Evie's back and squeezing it tightly. "I don't know."
They looked at each other for a moment, before Donna dropped her graze back to Evie and sighed, kissing the top of the girl's head and returning her attention to scanning the room for any sign of Lee or Alex.
"Doctor… I need to go and look for them. Can you look after Evie?"
He nodded and together they freed Donna from the brunette's grasp, trying to ignore the anguished expression on her face as she was separated from the older woman. Donna quickly walked away as the Doctor pulled Evie into his arms, stroking her hair and holding her tightly as she finally started to cry, warm tears soaking his shirt.
He didn't say anything as she sobbed, holding her up and continuing to run his hands through her hair comfortingly. After a while she sniffled and pulled away slightly, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her palms and took a couple of deep breaths.
"I'm sorry…"
"Why are you sorry?" The Doctor furrowed his eyebrows.
Evie shrugged and sniffed. "For crying."
"Why should you be sorry for that?"
"There's no point in crying, is there? It doesn't solve anything. It won't bring River back."
She rubbed her eyes again, taking a few more deep breaths and giving herself a silent talking to. Resolutely looking anywhere but at the Doctor, Evie's eyes wandered through the crowd looking for Alex. She couldn't believe that he hadn't been real; or she didn't want to believe it. Then again, he'd seemed so perfect that she hardly dared to let herself believe that he could be real. Without realising it, she found that her hand was resting on her flat stomach, her thumb gently brushing backwards and forwards over it.
Noticing that the Doctor was frowning at her hand, looking a little concerned, she removed it hastily, rubbing her eyes for the third time before pushing her hands into the pockets of her spacesuit. If the Doctor had been about to speak, he was prevented from doing so by the return of Donna through the excited crowds.
"Any luck?" He asked as she reached them, holding out her hand to Evie who took it quickly.
She shook her head slowly. "There wasn't even anyone called Lee in the Library that day. I suppose he could have had a different name out here, but… let's be honest, he wasn't real, was he?"
"Maybe not."
"Alex?" Evie asked quietly, glancing up at Donna as the red-head wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Instead of answering, Donna just shook her head and rested her forehead against Evie's for a moment.
"I made up the perfect man. Gorgeous, adores me and hardly able to speak a word. What does that say about me?"
"Everything." The Doctor muttered quickly. As Donna turned to look at him he backtracked quickly. "Sorry, did I say everything? I meant to say nothing. I was aiming for nothing… accidentally said everything…"
Either accepting his flimsy excuse or choosing to let it go for once, Donna sighed and looked back at Evie who was staring off into space as if she wasn't aware of anything that was around her. Then Donna glanced back at the Doctor.
"What about you? You alright?"
"I'm always alright." He told her quickly and completely unconvincingly.
"Is 'alright' special Time Lord code for 'really not alright at all'?" Donna asked.
"Why?"
"'Cos I'm alright, too…"
There was a moment of silence while they looked at each other, each seeing the way they were feeling reflected back at them. Then the Doctor sighed and pushed himself away from the wall they were leaning on. He shifted slightly, pulling them with him, his hand closing around Donna's. She clamped her arm around Evie, propelling the younger woman along firmly.
"Come on." The Doctor commanded.
They walked out of the hall, rounding a corner and entering a corridor that was completely empty. It was a relief to be away from the crowds of happy, celebrating people. Evie felt as though she could breathe again; that there was enough air available to fill her lungs.
"Where are we going, Doctor?" Donna asked as they walked quickly away from the main lobby where the TARDIS was parked. "Shouldn't we get out of here?"
"One last stop." The Doctor told her quietly, glancing at Evie.
They descended a flight of steps and stopped in the break before the next couple. Two information stations stood on either side of a small balcony which gave a view over the whole planet. They could see for miles, but none of them particularly cared.
The Doctor let go of Donna's hand and turned to face the two women, pulling a small, TARDIS blue book out of the inside pocket of his coat. Evie recognised it at once and felt hot, fresh tears springing to her eyes. They clouded her vision, spilling over and falling down her cheeks.
They walked down the last few steps together, Donna clinging tightly to the young woman, before the Doctor balanced River's Diary on the railing along the edge of the balcony.
"Your friend… Professor Song… She knew you in the future, but she didn't know me. What happens to me?" Donna asked quietly, as though she almost didn't want to know the answer. "Because when she heard my name… the way she looked at me…"
The Doctor grasped her shoulders tightly. "Donna, this is her Diary. My future… I could look you up. What d'you think? Shall we peek at the end?"
Evie felt panic rise up inside her and made a grab for the Diary. "You can't!"
The Doctor pushed it out of her reach and looked at Donna. The red-head looked as though she was thinking for a while, before she glanced at Evie. Taking in her pale face and red eyes the older woman sighed. She looked back at the Doctor and shook her head.
"Spoilers, right?"
"Right." He agreed in a low voice with a smirk.
Then he pulled River's screwdriver out of his pocket and looked at it for a moment, turning it over in his hands. Carefully he balanced it on top of the Diary. They stood for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts.
"Come on." The Doctor commanded after a while. Evie allowed Donna to pull her away, glancing over her shoulder at the book and the screwdriver. "The next chapter's this way."
They had just reached the top of the stairs when, without warning, the Doctor gave an odd little cry and whirled around. He sprinted back down the steps and skidded to a halt on the balcony. Evie and Donna stared at each other, before the brunette grabbed the older woman's hand and pulled her back towards the Time Lord.
"Why?" He demanded, more to himself than anyone else. "Why would I give her my screwdriver? Why would I do that? Thing is, future me had years to think about it; all those years to think of a way to save her. What he did was give her a screwdriver! Why would I do that?" He removed a tiny panel and revealed a bar of green lights, remarkably similar to the ones on the spacesuit communicators. "Oh, oh… OH! Look at that! I'm very good!"
"What've you done?" Donna demanded, totally confused.
The Doctor held up the screwdriver to show them properly. "Saved her!"