A/N: If you wanna cry even more when reading this chapter then watch this edit like I did. watch?v=OmqWFYt8Tok (I tend to watch edits of whatever character I write in my stories if I'm focusing on them more in a certain chapter or just introducing them so I can better get into their mindset.)
"Do you know what you've done?!" the Doctor cried. "Now get in the Tardis! Everyone! All of you, inside! Run!" He snapped.
Ariel and Jack shared a look before all of them, even the new Doctor, bolted inside.
"In! In! In!" the Doctor yelled.
They ran inside and the new Doctor waved them towards the console as the Crucible exploded around them.
"Sarah Jane!" The new Doctor exclaimed upon her entrance into the Tardis. "Rose! Ariel! Jackie! Jack! Mickey!" He shouted as each person ran past him.
Outside the Tardis, the explosions of the dying Daleks were beginning to wreck the Vault and Davros peered through them at the Doctor.
"Davros?" the Doctor implored. "Come with me. I promise I can save you," he said, extending his hand out to his lifelong enemy.
"Never forget, Doctor, you did this!" Davros shouted. "I name you. Forever, you are the Destroyer of the Worlds!" He yelled before a wall of flames jumped up and blocked their vision from each other.
Davros cried out his last dying scream before the flames consumed him.
"One will still die," Dalek Caan warned, somehow unaffected by the explosions surrounding him.
The Doctor inhaled sharply and ran inside, slamming the doors of the Tardis shut behind him.
"And off we go!" the Doctor exclaimed.
The Tardis dematerialized just as the Crucible they left behind exploded, destroying the new Dalek Empire.
"But what about the Earth?" Sarah Jane wondered, frowning at the Doctor. "It's stuck in the wrong part of space," she reminded him.
"I'm on it," the Doctor nodded, pulling the Tardis screen to him. "Torchwood Hub, this is the Doctor. Are you receiving me?"
"Loud and clear," the voice of Gwen Cooper rang out through the Tardis.
"She's alive!" Ariel exclaimed with a grin, looking up at Jack.
"Yes!" Jack cried, laughing happily.
"Are Jack and Ariel there?" Gwen asked.
The Doctor chuckled and peered at the two in a happy daze over the fact that Torchwood had survived the attack. "Can't get rid of them," the Doctor smirked. "Jack, Ariel, what's her name?"
"Gwen," Jack said.
"Gwen Cooper," Ariel nodded.
"Tell me, Gwen Cooper, are you from an old Cardiff family?" the Doctor asked with a small frown, waving Rose to his side so she could look at the screen.
"Yes, all the way back to the eighteen hundreds," Gwen said.
"Ah, thought so," the Doctor hummed, nodding at the screen. "Spatial genetic multiplicity," he smiled at Rose waving to the screen.
"Oh, yeah," Rose grinned.
Ariel sighed and turned away. She knew that was how it was bound to be throughout the future. Rose and the Doctor bonding over past adventures and forging new ones and she would be in Torchwood, trying everything to forget about the Doctor.
"Yeah, it's a funny old world," the Doctor chuckled before taking a deep breath and turning back to the screen. "Now, Torchwood, I want you to open up that Rift Manipulator. Send all the power to me," he instructed.
"Doing it now, sir," Ianto nodded.
Ariel smiled, sighing softly. They had both survived the Dalek attack. They were safe. She didn't have to mourn any more people.
"What's that for?" Donna wondered, frowning at the Doctor.
"It's a tow rope," the Doctor replied. "Now then. Sarah, what was your son's name?" He asked.
"Luke," Sarah Jane nodded. "He's called Luke. And the computer's called Mister Smith," she added.
The Doctor nodded. "Calling Luke and Mister Smith," the Doctor said into his screen. "This is the Doctor," he announced. "Come on, Luke. Shake a leg."
"Is Mum there?" Luke asked.
"Oh, she's fine and dandy," the Doctor smiled, glancing back at Sarah Jane.
Sarah laughed joyfully and pumped her fists in the air. "Yes! Yes!" Sarah exclaimed.
Ariel smiled at her. It seemed they all got the chance to celebrate someone surviving the attack.
"Now, Mister Smith, I want you to harness the Rift power and loop it around the Tardis," the Doctor instructed. "You got that?" He prompted.
"I regret I will need remote access to Tardis base code numerals," Mister Smith said.
The Doctor pulled back and raked his fingers through his hair with a small frown. "Oh, blimey, that's going to take a while," the Doctor mumbled.
"No, no, no," Sarah Jane said, running up to the Doctor's side and peering into the screen. "Let me. K9, out you come!" She called and Ariel smiled softly.
Ariel had once asked the Doctor if he'd ever had a pet, thinking of her own dog back home. He had told her the story of his robotic dog, K9. She had laughed back then, thinking how it was obvious that if he were to take care of an animal, of course it would be a machine.
"Affirmative, Mistress," K9 said.
"Oh! Oh ho!" the Doctor laughed, grinning at the screen. "Oh, good dog!" He exclaimed. "K9, give Mister Smith the base code," he instructed.
"Master. Tardis base code now being transferred. The process is simple," K9 said.
"Now then, you lot," the Doctor sighed, moving away from the screen and walking around the Tardis to instruct each of them. "Sarah, hold that down. Mickey, you hold that. Because you know why this Tardis always is always rattling about the place? Rose? That, there. It's designed to have seven pilots, and I have to do it single handed," he shrugged.
"Martha, keep that level. But not any more. Jack, there you go. Steady that. Ariel, hold that down. Now we can fly this thing," the Doctor grinned, but froze when he approached Jackie. "No, Jackie. No, no. Not you. Don't touch anything. Just stand back," he sighed and Jackie nodded, taking a single step back as he continued on his way, carrying on speaking as though nothing had happened. "Like it's meant to be flown. We've got the Torchwood Rift looped around the Tardis by Mister Smith, and we're going to fly Planet Earth back home. Right then. Off we go," the Doctor beamed at all of them.
He ran back to his part of the Tardis and started the engines and together they all flew the Earth through the sky and back home where it belonged.
Donna walked through the Tardis smiling at each of them as they flew it while the new Doctor sat back and watched with a grin.
"That's really good, Jack," Donna nodded. "I think you're the best," she smirked at him and Ariel snorted as she watched the ginger go up to the new Doctor's side.
"Think she's got a crush on you," Ariel remarked with a small laugh.
Jack chuckled and shook his head.
They flew the Tardis right back to the moon and everyone celebrated as the Earth was dropped off and the Tardis began drifting through space.
"Good job!" Jackie exclaimed, laughing and celebrating with them.
They all celebrated happily, laughing and hugging each other at the fact that they had each made it out alive and were able to save the Earth. Ariel hugged Jack, then turned to hug Mickey and Martha. She giggled as she watched Donna pull Sarah Jane off of Jack and hug him herself.
Sarah Jane just looked blindsided so Ariel walked up and gave her a hug, explaining Donna quickly as Sarah Jane laughed.
The Doctor sighed and stood in front of them all. "Right then, you lot. Let's get you all home," he hummed and they all grinned up at him.
The Doctor flew them back to a random park on Earth and landed just out of eyesight as everyone was running around celebrating the return of the Earth.
Ariel glanced over at Jack and he nodded to her. If she was going to take the job with him, they had to go.
Ariel took a deep breath and walked up to the Doctor as Rose talked to her Mum.
"I guess this is goodbye," Ariel sighed.
"What?" the Doctor frowned.
"You've got Rose and Donna to travel with now," Ariel nodded. "You won't be needing me," she shrugged.
"What do you mean?" the Doctor shook his head.
"I've been offered a job at Torchwood," Ariel said and the Doctor's eyes widened.
"Well, it that's what you want," the Doctor mumbled awkwardly.
"I'm not saying that's what I want Doctor," Ariel shook her head. "I'm saying that you can be with Rose and I won't be some odd burden sticking around."
"You were never a burden," the Doctor frowned.
"But I will be," Ariel nodded. "If I stick around while you're traveling with Rose. And even if I'm not to you, I'll feel like it," she shrugged.
The Doctor glanced at Rose warily and sighed softly. "We should talk outside," he said. He grabbed Ariel's hand and guided her just outside the door.
Ariel stood back and watched with a small frown as he closed the door and made sure Rose hadn't noticed their absence.
"What is it?" Ariel asked. "If you're gonna try and convince me to stay traveling with you and Rose like she wanted I'm just gonna say right now I can't do that, Doctor. It would be too hard. I'm sorry."
"No," the Doctor smiled softly. "That's not it."
"Then what, because Jack says that if I-," Ariel began but was cut off when the Doctor's hand shot to the back of her neck and pulled her close before he planted his lips on hers. She sighed softly and ran her fingers through his hair, allowing herself to melt into the kiss momentarily and feel the rush of emotions wrap around her heart and almost made her want to stay before the flash of Rose's face in her mind had her pulling back.
"You can't do that," Ariel shook her head. "You're gonna be with Rose now."
"Rose is going home," the Doctor said.
At those four words, Ariel faltered, frowning up at him. "What?" Ariel prompted.
"She's going back to the parallel world before the dimensions restore themselves. I'm sending her back home."
"You're joking," Ariel shook her head, staring at the Doctor with wide eyes.
"She has to take care of the other Doctor. Nobody can do it like her. She helped me when I was battle scarred just after I committed genocide, she can do the same for him," the Doctor nodded.
"Are you serious?" Ariel breathed.
"Completely," the Doctor nodded.
Ariel stared up at him with wide eyes and a grin before she latched onto his suit and yanked his lips down to her own. She felt his smile against her lips as he placed his hands on her hips and kept her pressed against him.
Sarah Jane walked out and smiled softly at them. "Am I interrupting something?" Sarah Jane chuckled and Ariel pulled away from the Doctor with pink cheeks. Sarah Jane just laughed and shook her head. "I'm glad the pair of you could work things out. You deserve a woman like her, Doctor," Sarah Jane smirked. "You know, you act like such a lonely man. But look at you. You've got the biggest family on Earth," she sighed.
Sarah Jane hugged the Doctor and turned to Ariel. "You too," Sarah Jane nodded. "I'm sorry about your mother, but you've still got a great big family in there ready to support you. You haven't lost it all," she assured her and the women hugged.
"Thank you, Sarah Jane," Ariel smiled. "Tell Luke I said hi."
Sarah Jane's eyes widened as she realized she had to get moving. "Oh!" Sarah Jane exclaimed then laughed as she started running down the pavement. "Got to go. He's only fourteen. It's a long story. And thank you!" She called before running off.
The Doctor smiled softly and wrapped his arm around Ariel's shoulders and she sighed in the familiar comfort as she placed her head against his chest.
As she left, Jack walked out and sighed as he saw the Doctor's arm around Ariel.
"So, I guess this means you're not joining the team?" Jack prompted.
"Guess not," Ariel shrugged, smiling softly up at the Doctor. "Sorry."
"Oh, it's not a big deal," Jack muttered. "I should probably be getting back to them anyway," he nodded.
Before he could leave, the Doctor held up a hand to stop him. "Now hold on just a minute," the Doctor said and Jack sighed.
"I knew it wouldn't be that easy," Jack mumbled and Ariel snickered.
"How exactly did this happen?" the Doctor asked, gesturing to Jack and Ariel. "How did you find Ariel?"
"Well, he was in that bar. He found me in the booth and when I found out he was Jack Harkness, I told him everything," Ariel nodded.
"Yeah, and push came to shove and we wound up back on Earth tracking you down," Jack shrugged and tried to leave once again but the Doctor stopped him. Jack knew full well that the Doctor planned on taking apart his teleport once again after he had worked for months to get it fixed.
"Jack," the Doctor said, the tone of warning creeping into his voice.
Jack sighed and turned to find the Doctor glaring at him. "Y'know, rage isn't a good look on you," Jack remarked.
"Jack!" the Doctor snapped.
"I've had the teleport working for two months now," Jack sighed. "Happy?" He prompted as Martha walked out and frowned at the three of them.
The Doctor sighed softly and pulled out his sonic, waving Jack forward. He unmended Jack's teleport bracelet while Ariel snickered.
"I told you, no teleport," the Doctor scolded. He put his sonic back in his coat and Jack just rolled his eyes at the Doctor. The Doctor turned to Martha and took a deep breath. "And, Martha, get rid of that Osterhagen thing, eh? Save the world one more time," he advised.
"Consider it done," Martha nodded.
The pair saluted the Doctor and the Doctor rolled his eyes but returned it, deciding he would rather salute his friends, people who try not to kill. Martha pulled Ariel into a hug.
"I'll be seeing you around, yeah?" Martha prompted.
"Of course," Ariel grinned. "You can't get rid of me yet," she nodded.
Martha chuckled and Jack walked up to the young brunette before pulling her into a fierce hug.
"Just because you're not working for me doesn't mean I'm losing track of you," Jack insisted. "You've got my number?"
"You practically stole my phone and put it inside at the Hub, Jack," Ariel giggled. "Yes, I've still got your number."
"Good," Jack grinned and nodded. "Then, I'll be seeing you," he said before waving at the pair of them and walking down the pavement.
"He gave you his number?" the Doctor frowned.
"Yeah," Ariel sighed. "He gave me some pizza then stole my phone off the table and typed it in," she shrugged. "I didn't exactly object. I was eating."
The Doctor just laughed and pulled Ariel close, wrapping his arm around her waist.
Just then, the door creaked and Mickey stepped out.
"Erm, what are you doing?" Ariel frowned. He was supposed to be going back to the parallel world with Rose.
"Where are you going?" the Doctor asked.
"Well, I'm not stupid. I can work out what happens next. And hey, I had a good time in that parallel world, but my gran passed away. Nice and peaceful. She spent her last years living in a mansion. There's nothing there for me now, certainly not Rose," Mickey shrugged.
"What will you do?" the Doctor wondered.
"Anything. Brand new life. Just you watch," Mickey grinned.
Ariel smiled at him. "Can I make a suggestion? I know Torchwood and Unit are hiring and from what I've seen, you're one hell of a fighter. They could use a man like you. Who knows? Maybe you could wind up working with Martha or Jack?" Ariel suggested with a small shrug.
"Yeah," Mickey smirked. "That's definitely a good idea," Mickey nodded. "I'll give it a shot. In the meantime, good luck with that one," he chuckled.
Ariel laughed and the Doctor frowned. "Oi, what's that mean?" the Doctor said.
Mickey just laughed and shook his head. "See you, boss," Mickey sighed, before turning to Jack and Martha who were still visible in the distance. "Hey, you two!" He called, running up to the pair of them.
They both turned and Jack seemed visibly irritated by the sight of Mickey as he ran up to them.
Ariel laughed and shook her head. The Doctor smiled softly at her. "Ready for the last trip?" He prompted.
"No," Ariel breathed. "Rose seemed nice and I know you love her. I'm gonna hate watching her go."
"You know it has to be done," the Doctor said. "We can't have the other Doctor wandering around after he just committed genocide and I certainly can't take care of him."
Ariel sighed softly and nodded. "I know," she mumbled and they headed inside.
"Just time for one more trip," the Doctor nodded. "Därleg Ulv Stranden," he sighed as he plugged into the coordinates. "Better known as Bad Wolf Bay," he hummed.
Ariel took a deep breath and walked over to Donna's side smiling at her kindly.
"How are you?" Donna asked. "You've been through quite a bit," she remarked.
"I could say the same about you," Ariel smirked. "The Doctor Donna, huh?"
Donna chuckled. "Yeah," she sighed. "It's a bit much to even process. The entire Time Vortex in my mind. I can see everything All that ever was. All that ever could be."
"Like the Doctor," Ariel breathed, frowning at her. That sort of pressure caused the Doctor so much pain. She could see it on him everyday. He hated seeing that and yet Donna seemed to be coping fairly well. It was either that or she was just masking the pain it was causing extremely well.
Donna nodded with a grin plastered across her face. "But never mind me, are you okay?"
"Okay?" She echoed with a raised brow. "Sure," she shrugged. "Fine? Not in the slightest," she sighed.
Donna smiled sadly and wrapped an arm around the brunette unsure of what to say but more than willing to be a physical comfort. Ariel sighed into Donna's arms and the ginger pulled her closer to her chest, rubbing her back to calm her.
They landed on Bad Wolf Bay and the Doctor announced their arrival happily.
The new Doctor and Jackie were the first ones out and Donna, Rose, and Ariel all followed.
"Oh, fat lot of good this is," Jackie moaned. "Back of beyond. Bloody Norway?" Jackie scoffed.
"This is Norway," Ariel frowned, peering around. "Blimey," she hummed.
"I'm going to have to phone your father," Jackie sighed to Rose. "He's on the nursery run. I was pregnant, do you remember? Had a baby boy," she smiled at the new Doctor.
"Oh, brilliant," the new Doctor grinned. "What did you call him?"
"Doctor," Jackie nodded.
The new Doctor's eyes widened and he smiled seeming so touched by the very thought. "Really?" He prompted.
"No, you plum," Jackie chuckled. "He's call Tony," she shrugged.
Ariel snickered. "I told you Doctor was a strange name for a mother to call her child. I said it from the moment I met you," she sighed and the new Doctor just rolled his eyes.
"Hold on, this is the parallel universe, right?" Rose frowned, turning back to the original Doctor.
"You're back home," the Doctor nodded.
"And the walls of the world are closing again, now that the Reality Bomb never happened. It's dimensional retroclosure. See, I really get that stuff now," Donna smiled.
"No, but I spent all that time trying to find you. I'm not going back now," Rose insisted.
"I'm so sorry, Rose," Ariel breathed. "I didn't like the idea of you going back either," she told her honestly.
"But you've got to," the Doctor nodded. "Because we saved the universe, but at a cost. And the cost is him," he said, nodding to the new Doctor. "He destroyed the Daleks. He committed genocide. He's too dangerous to be left on his own."
The new Doctor gazed at him with wide eyes, seeming to be blindsided by the Doctor's statement. "You made me," the new Doctor reminded him.
"Exactly," the Doctor nodded. "You were born in battle, full of blood and anger and revenge. Remind you of someone?" He prompted, turning to Rose and raising an eyebrow. "That's me, when we first met. And you made me better. Now you can do the same for him," he said, smiling softly.
"But he's not you," Rose mumbled, tears beginning to form in her eyes.
Ariel winced. She hated seeing Rose suffer life that because she knew if it were her, she would feel the same pain Rose was experiencing.
"He needs you," the Doctor sighed. "That's very me."
Ariel winced. It wasn't exactly easy listening to the man you loved tell another woman that he loved and needed her right in front of you.
"Rose, you deserve to be with the Doctor," Ariel muttered. "He is the Doctor," she nodded.
"But it's better than that, though," Donna smirked, stepping forward. "Don't you see what he's trying to give you? Tell her. Go on," she nodded to the new Doctor.
Rose turned to the new Doctor with tears streaming down her cheeks and a small frown across her lips.
"I look like him and I think like him. Same memories, same thoughts, same everything," the new Doctor said. "Except I've only got one heart," he sighed.
"Which means?" Rose murmured.
"I'm part human," the new Doctor told her. "Specifically, the aging part. I'll grow old and never regenerate. I've only got one life, Rose Tyler. I could spend it with you, if you want," he shrugged and Ariel smiled softly.
He was like the Doctor in every way. He even acted like the Doctor when faced with a relationship. It was adorable for her to watch.
"You'll grow old at the same time as me?" Rose asked, sniffling as she wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Together," the new Doctor nodded.
"You can have a stable life with the Doctor," Ariel smiled at Rose. If she was honest, she would've loved to get a stable life with the Doctor as well some time in the future.
One day it might be nice to be able to get away from all the fighting and question of survival.
She knew it would never happen anytime soon and she was happy with that. She didn't mind running with the Doctor for a few more years.
Just then, the time motor in the Tardis revved announcing their impending departure.
"We've got to go" the Doctor sighed. "This reality is sealing itself off forever," he said.
"But, it's still not right, because the Doctor's still you," Rose frowned, glancing at the two Doctors.
"And I'm him," the Doctor nodded to the new Doctor.
"Alright," Rose said, taking a deep breath and glancing at the pair of them "Both of you, answer me this. When I last stood on this beach, on the worst day of my life, what was the last thing you said to me? Go on, say it," she nodded.
The Doctor gulped harshly and glanced at Ariel who smiled sweetly and waved at him, blissfully unaware of what had happened that day on the beach.
The Doctor took a deep breath and turned back to Rose. "I said Rose Tyler," he told her.
"Yeah," Rose nodded. "And how was that sentence going to end?" She prompted.
The Doctor thought of how upset Ariel looked when she glanced up at him and told him she was leaving so he could be with Rose. He sighed softly.
"Does it need saying?" the Doctor shrugged.
Rose narrowed her eyes at him and turned to the new Doctor. "And you, Doctor?" Rose prompted. "What was the end of that sentence?" She asked.
The new Doctor leant forward and whispered the three little words in her ear and in a split second, she pulled him forward by his suit and crushed his lips against hers.
Ariel smiled softly at the pair and the Doctor sighed as he turned away and held out his hand to Ariel.
"Come on," the Doctor nodded. "We've still got one more thing to take care of," he said.
Ariel watched as Donna walked into the Tardis before them, spinning around in the console room and she nodded. "I know," Ariel sighed.
Ariel wasn't sure what would happen next but she knew that Donna couldn't hold the Time Vortex in her mind. Even if it didn't show yet, it would start seriously hurting her. It pained the Doctor, who knew what it would do to Donna?
They headed inside and before the Doctor could even start up the Tardis, Donna did it for him and happily strutted through the console room. Ariel stared at her with teary eyes while the Doctor sat back and watched with a sigh.
"Where should we go next?" Donna prompted. "I thought we could try the planet Felspoon. Just because. What a good name, Felspoon. Apparently, it's got mountains that sway in the breeze. Mountains that move. Can you imagine?" She smiled.
"And how do you know that?" the Doctor asked.
"Because it's in your head," Donna shrugged. "And if it's in your head, it's in mine," she grinned.
"And how does that feel?" the Doctor asked.
Ariel knew how it was supposed to feel. The Doctor wasn't shy about how painful it had been when she asked him after the planet of the Ood. She had genuinely wanted to know what else he could hear, see, or feel that they couldn't and although he had been worried about making her pity him, he told her everything. She knew how much pain her went through.
"Brilliant! Fantastic! Molto bene! Great big universe, packed into my brain. You know you could fix that chameleon circuit if you just tried hotbinding the fragment links and superseding the binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary," Donna gasped. "I'm fine," she assured them with a nod.
"Nah, never mind Felspoon. You know who I'd like to meet? Charlie Chaplin. I bet he's great, Charlie Chaplin. Shall we do that? Shall we go and see Charlie Chaplin? Shall we? Charlie Chaplin? Charlie Chester. Charlie Brown. No, he's fiction. Friction, fiction, fixing, mixing, Rickston, Brixton," Donna rambled like a track skipping. She winced and clutched her head in pain, tears streaming down her face as the Doctor walked up to her with sad eyes.
"Oh, my God," Donna breathed.
"Do you know what's happening?" the Doctor asked.
"Yeah," Donna mumbled with a nod.
Ariel sniffled, wiping silent tears away as she watched.
"There's never been a human Time Lord metacrisis before now," the Doctor nodded. "And you know why," he said.
"Because there can't be," Donna sighed. She took a deep breath and turned back to the console. "I want to stay," she insisted. "I want," she looked up and met Ariel's eyes and a single tear streamed down her cheek. "Ariel," she sighed. "Please don't make me forget Ariel," she begged.
Ariel choked back a sob and wiped her eyes frantically.
"Look at me. Donna, look at me," the Doctor insisted.
Donna took a shaky breath and turned back to the Doctor. "I was gonna be with you forever," Donna breathed.
"I know," the Doctor nodded.
"I'm so sorry, Donna," Ariel muttered.
"The rest of my life, travelling in the Tardis," Donna sighed. "The Doctor Donna. No. Oh my god. I can't go back. Don't make me go back. Doctor, please, please don't make me go back," she begged. She couldn't go back to a life where she was nothing. She had no friends like Ariel or the Doctor in that life. She certainly didn't have adventures like the ones they went on together. She couldn't lose that life.
"Donna," the Doctor mumbled. "Oh, Donna Noble. I am so sorry. But we had the best of times."
"I'll always remember you, Donna," Ariel sniffled. "We had so much fun together. I'll miss you."
"No," Donna cried, looking at the pair of them with wide eyes.
"The best," the Doctor nodded, he held his hands out and began to place them on her temples. "Goodbye."
"Goodbye, Donna," Ariel mumbled, wiping tears from her eyes.
"No, no, no. Please. Please. No. No," Donna begged, tears streaming down her face.
The Doctor closed his eyes and placed his hands on her temples, mind melding with her and taking her memories of him, Ariel, and the Tardis all away.
"No!" Donna screamed one last time before passing out and falling into the Doctor's chest.
Ariel covered her mouth and let out a small scream as tears poured down her cheeks and she watched her best friend lose every memory of her.
The Doctor sighed softly and hugged Donna tightly. He glanced over at Ariel and she smiled sadly at him.
The Doctor took a deep breath. "We have to get her home," he said, his voice cracking as he spoke.
Ariel nodded, understanding what he was silently asking her. She walked up and took Donna from his arms so he could fly them back.
The Doctor took a shaky breath as Ariel brought Donna over to the jumpseat and he cast one last regretful glance at Donna before plugging in the coordinates and flying to Donna's home.
"I can't carry her anymore!" Ariel cried, her wavy brown hair being flattened by the rain that had started up the second they arrived.
"Then, knock on the door," the Doctor nodded. "I can carry her the rest of the way and maybe Wilf or her Mum can help," the Doctor said.
Ariel sniffled, looking at Donna who was still passed out after the Doctor had mind melded with her. She gulped harshly and nodded. She ran up to the door and knocked loudly as the Doctor carried Donna over to the front door and sat her down with a sigh.
Ariel held back tears, cupping Donna's cheek sadly. She deserved a better end to her story with the Doctor. Donna Noble was the most brilliant woman in the universe and when she woke up she wouldn't even remember that.
Ariel heard voices inside and the sound of approaching footsteps. Wilf swung the door open and stared down at the Doctor with wide eyes.
"Donna," Wilf gasped.
"Help me!" the Doctor cried.
Wilf gulped harshly and nodded frantically, scrambling to help the Doctor. Ariel held the door open for them as they carried Donna into the house and to her room.
The Doctor and Ariel promised Donna's mother and Wilf an explanation and Donna's mother made some tea for them.
They headed to the sitting room and Ariel sat on a sofa beside the Doctor.
A thunderstorm rolled in overhead as they accepted the tea gratefully and the Doctor leant forward with a sigh to explain what had happened to Donna.
"She took my mind into her own head," the Doctor said. "But that's a Time Lord consciousness. All that knowledge, it was killing her."
"You could see it just by looking at her," Ariel nodded. "She looked like she was in pain."
"But she'll get better now?" Wilf prompted, the voice of hope creeping into his tone.
Ariel and the Doctor shared a sad look and the Doctor sighed softly.
"I had to wipe her mind completely. Every trace of me, Ariel, or the Tardis, anything we did together, anywhere we went, had to go," the Doctor said with a nod.
"All of it is gone," Ariel said. "As far as Donna knows, neither of us have existed in her lives."
"But why you?" Wilf wondered.
"She met me through the Doctor and since I'm so closely tied to him, it's sort of hard to explain how we knew each other without him," Ariel sighed. "She forgot us and she's forgotten everything we did together."
"All those wonderful things she did," Wilf sighed.
"I know," the Doctor nodded. "But that version of Donna is dead. Because if she remembers, just for a second, she'll burn up. You can never tell her. You can't mention me or Ariel or any of it for the rest of her life."
"But the whole world's talking about it," Donna's mother frowned, unsure of how she could keep information like that from her daughter. "We travelled across space."
"It'll just be a story," the Doctor shrugged. "One of those Donna Noble stories where she missed it all again."
"She can't remember how she saved everyone today," Ariel nodded.
"But she was better with the pair of you," Wilf sighed.
"Don't say that," Donna's mother frowned.
"But it's true!" Wilf insisted.
Ariel knew it was true. She was better with the Doctor too. It wasn't because he forced them to be something they weren't. He encouraged them to be who they really were. He showed people how brave the could be if they only believed it was possible. He gave them the encouragement and the extra push they had never received in their daily life and helped them become the people they were always meant to be.
"I just want you to know there are worlds out there, safe in the sky because of her. That there are people living in the light, and singing songs of Donna Noble, a thousand million light years away. They will never forget her, while she can never remember. And for one moment, one shining moment, she was the most important woman in the whole wide universe," the Doctor smiled softly.
"She still is," Donna's mother nodded. "She's my daughter."
"Then maybe you should tell her that once in a while," Ariel snapped. Donna had told her all too many times about how horrible her mother could be, and she wasn't going to stand by as Donna sank back into the same like she'd had before they started traveling together. Something had to change.
"I was asleep on my bed in my clothes, like a flipping kid!" Donna exclaimed, barging into the room as Ariel felt her heart shatter in her chest. "What do you let me do that for? Don't mind me. Donna," she introduced, checking her mobile and holding out her hand to the pair.
"John Smith," the Doctor said and shook her hand.
Ariel gulped harshly and sniffled, blinking back tears as she stood up and faked a smile for Donna.
"Mary Johnson," Ariel nodded and shook the woman's hand.
Donna barely even seemed interested in the pair of them, far too immersed in her own mobile.
"Mister Smith and Miss Johnson were just leaving," Donna's mother nodded, glaring at Ariel who took a shaky breath and nodded.
Donna just nodded and shrugged, holding up her mobile with a grin. "My phone's gone mad. Thirty two texts. Veena's gone barmy. She's saying planets in the sky. What have I missed now?" Donna laughed. "Nice to meet you," she said quickly before heading into the kitchen to talk on her phone.
Ariel felt like she had received a strong blow to the chest as she sighed and fought back tears as the Doctor turned to her and grabbed her hand, wiping a stray tear off her cheek and hugging her to his chest.
"As I said, I think you two should go," Donna's mother repeated.
The Doctor took a deep breath and nodded. He pulled away from Ariel and cupped her cheek delicately, searching her eyes for a sign that she would be alright saying goodbye to Donna. When he knew she wasn't, he smiled softly.
"Wait in the Tardis," the Doctor instructed.
Ariel sniffled and nodded, heading back to the Tardis while the Doctor said goodbye to his best friend one last time.
A/N: There are moments when I'm writing when I'll start crying because I'm putting myself in the mindset of someone going through this and let me tell you I was bawling during this chapter.