Time to continue on with the melodrama! Enjoy and let me know thoughts, concerns, hopes, dreams, all...
Thanks so much for reading!
The Drive Home
The Doctor finally hit down a last lever, spinning around with a smile on his face. "There it goes, pulling the Earth back to its orbit. It'll take about an hour though because the TARDIS is lugging so much."
"Fine by me," Rose whispered. She was still huddled on the jump seat. After she spoke, she buried her face against her knees, trying to hide the fact that she was crying.
Martha, feeling an urge to talk to this girl she had been so jealous of, went over to sit next to her. It was odd, she always thought that everything was different when Rose traveled with the Doctor. That he didn't close himself off and barely ever say anything of substance when he was around her. But it was looking like she had thought wrong. Because here sat Rose, feet from the Doctor, and she had barely seen them say two words to each other. But really bothered Martha was that there was no baby here and she hadn't heard anyone mention it. "I've always wanted to meet you, Rose. He really missed you," Martha whispered. She didn't know why she didn't want the Doctor to hear this, she just felt like there were too many ears in the TARDIS right now. "Both of you."
Apparently Rose was smarter than Martha thought because she glanced up at Martha with a small smirk on her face. "Nice job asking about the baby without outright mentioning her."
"So you aren't going to answer?" Martha sighed. She caught sight of Mickey out of the corner of her eye glancing at her and Rose, obviously listening in on their conversation.
"Don't worry, Rose," Sarah Jane said. She had moved over to stand behind the jump seat, as had everyone else besides the Doctor and Jack. Those two remained in a corner of the control room, looking like they were in deep discussion about something. "She'll be perfectly fine with Luke. He won't let anything happen to her," Sarah Jane explained, noticing the confused look on Donna's and Martha's faces, continued. "Clara had to stay with my son, Luke."
Mickey let out a laugh as he scooted next to Rose on the other side of the jump seat, casually throwing his arm around her shoulders. "Hope he has some earplugs. You don't want to know how many times I woke up to her wailing in the night. Good thing I was there, Rose always needed me to help burp her."
"I know," Rose murmured. She looked up to acknowledge the Doctor again before she spoke. "Even then I can't stop feeling scared about it. I just need to hold her to make sure she is safe."
The Doctor didn't respond, just moved away from Jack and stood in front of Mickey with his arms crossed. With the cocking of one eyebrow, Mickey appeared as if he got the message and immediately took his hands off of Rose and vacated his seat next to her. It was the first time the Doctor had interacted with Rose and it seemed like the whole group in the TARDIS was holding their breath. "Donna, tell the others what they should be doing with the controls please."
"Jack, press that button there," Donna explained, sending Jack a wink as she instructed him. "Marta move that lever when I tell you too. Mickey spin that ball the same time I tell Martha to move the lever. And Sarah Jane flip that switch on right now."
While everyone else was occupied the Doctor sunk down next to Rose on the seat in silence. Rose sat there stiffly, unsure of how to respond after all that had happened. Thankfully, the Doctor moved first, pulling Rose back so that her back was leaning against his chest, wrapping his arms around her as he rested his chin on the top of her head.
"Rose Tyler," the Doctor whispered as if he was testing the words with his mouth.
After that no more words were spoken between the couple. The Doctor spent several minutes intertwining their hands and just staring at it, hardly believing that Rose was actually there.
"Mr. Mickey then, eh?" the Doctor asked. Rose couldn't see his face, but she knew exactly how it would look by how he said the words.
"What do you mean?" Rose mumbled, turning around so that she was facing the Doctor.
"I think," the Doctor began, shooting Mickey a dark glare. "I think you know exactly what I'm talking about. I'm sure Ricky knows too."
Rose could feel the tension practically radiating tension, so stood up with her hands on her hips. "Stop acting like such a spoiled little brat, Doctor," Rose announced as she glanced around to see how the others were responding to her words. Except for the shocked look on Martha's face the rest of them looked like they were trying hard not to laugh. "Come on, you obviously want to talk to me about something."
Letting Rose lead him away, the Doctor ignored the whistle Jack let out and reminded himself to pummel him in the future. However Rose was all he could think about right now. She was there, right in front of him, close enough to touch. "What do we need to discuss, Rose?" the Doctor asked when Rose stopped a few steps into the library without turning around at him.
"Oh," Rose whispered. "I'd forgotten how beautiful the library was."
Noticing she was crying, the Doctor spun her around so that he could look at her. Her eyes were red and her mascara had begun to run but the Doctor was sure he had never seen anyone so beautiful before. "Please tell me this isn't a dream."
"This isn't a dream," Rose sniffed before she launched herself at him, practically pushing him onto the ground as she clung tightly to him to make sure he was real. "I found you, Doctor. I finally found you."
"Rose," the Doctor whispered. He couldn't believe he hadn't asked yet, it was so important to know. "How long has it been since I last saw you?"
"Only six months, Doctor," Rose responded as she clung onto him tighter. "They were already working on the dimension cannon and when Torchwood found out that my child's father was in another universe they spent all of their time on the project. How long has it been for you?"
The Doctor let out a choking noise and buried his face into Rose's hair before he spoke again. "I was so scared, Rose. That I was going to lose you again when I just got you back. And now…we have so much time, love."
"Doctor, how long has it been since you've seen me?" Rose asked again, knowing that she would make sure she got a response this time. "I mean, obviously it has been quite some time if you have had two companions that I know of since then."
"Almost three years," the Doctor answered in a quiet voice, trying to block out the pained noise Rose made.
"I'm glad you moved on," Rose lied, pulling away from the Doctor and looking at the floor. "I didn't want you to be alone, I'm glad you found someone else to travel with."
"Rose…it wasn't," the Doctor explained as he reached out to stroke her cheek. "Don't think that, Rose. They weren't you, Rose."
"Doctor, please don't pretend for me," Rose whispered, but she moved closer to him. "I understand, I really do. You would always have to live on without me, it just happened sooner than we expected."
The Doctor let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. "We both understand what the other is feeling, Rose. Mickey the idiot being there with my daughter, that kills me and I know you feel the same way about my other companions. But I want to get past this together," the Doctor explained, looking deeply into her eyes to make her understand. "I never got to finish my sentence on that beach, Rose."
"No," Rose exclaimed, quickly covering the Doctor's mouth before he could speak. "Don't say it because you feel like you have to, Doctor."
"Shush, you have no idea how long I've waited to tell these words to you," the Doctor said, his voice so quiet Rose could barely hear it. Then he looked up at her and smiled before he spoke again, the words ringing around Rose's head. "Rose Tyler, I love you. I love you so much, Rose. I need you and words cannot explain how much I love you."
Rose immediately gripped onto the Doctor's lapels and pulled her towards him, pressing her lips against his. She sighed the moment his lips met hers, she had missed him so much, the feel of his lips against hers.
The Doctor pulled away after a few minutes and just rested his forehead and just stood still. "Oh, Rose, you are so perfect."
"I love you, my Doctor," Rose whispered as his arms tightened around her. He smiled brighter than he had in over two years.
The Doctor was the one to lean forward now, kissing her with what he hoped would display how much he loved her. Just as he was in the process of repositioning themselves onto the couch they both felt the TARDIS give a sudden jerk.
"I guess we can't ignore that," the Doctor laughed as he jumped to his feet and helped Rose up. "Apparently Donna can fly the TARDIS as good as me."
…
Rose stayed inside of the TARDIS as the Doctor said goodbye to Martha. Even though she had only known her for a few minutes, she knew how important she was to the Doctor. It had surprised her when Martha had hugged her and told her she was so happy she had found the Doctor again before she left.
Right now Rose was smirking at Mickey, knowing what he was going to say next. "You are definitely staying, aren't you?" Rose asked as she pulled Mickey into a hug. She knew she was going to see him again, he had been a rock for her when she was in the parallel universe. "I saw what you were looking at," Rose continued with a wink. "Martha Jones sure is pretty and I think if you leave right now you can catch up with her."
With a thanks and a brief hug Mickey took her advice and bolted out of the TARDIS after Martha. Rose was surprised when she felt someone's arms wrap around her and lift her a few feet off of the ground.
"Jack!" Rose squealed when he finally put her down and turned around and launched herself into his arms. She hadn't had much of a chance to talk to him yet, it seemed as if Donna was trying to get his whole attention. It was sad, to be reunited with all of these people only to say goodbye to them only hours later. If she had anything to do with the Doctor piloting the TARDIS, and she knew that she would, she would make sure to visit all of these people. "Oh, are you sure you have to go back to Torchwood? I will miss you so much and you never got to meet Clara!"
"You haven't seen the last of me, Rose!" Jack called out as he left the TARDIS to say goodbye to the Doctor. "After all, I think that Mickey Smith and Martha Jones need a little talking to about Torchwood!"
It seemed like seconds later when the Doctor entered the TARDIS again with a strange look in Donna's direction. If Rose was right, it looked like his hearts were breaking when he looked at the redhead. And that confused Rose, after all everyone was safe, the Earth was back in place, and he was about to meet his daughter.
"Sarah Jane, would you mind if I let you off here?" the Doctor pleasantly asked the confused woman. "Don't worry, Rose and I will come get her right after you get home."
With a nod that she would see them again soon to say goodbye, Sarah Jane also exited the TARDIS.
Now with everyone else gone except for the Doctor, Rose, and Donna it was quiet on the ship, as if they were waiting for someone else to start talking.
"So, what are we going to do now?" Rose asked as the Doctor went over to the controls and piloted them into the Vortex. "I mean, why can't we go get Clara now. I know she just misses her mummy and she will love to meet her daddy!"
"We will get her soon, Rose," the Doctor mumbled as he met her eyes and tried to show her how serious his next words were. "Then we are going to come back to the TARDIS and travel."
Donna sensed a strange tension between the couple and spoke up as she went over to stand next to the Doctor. "I thought first 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? I'm sure the baby would love that."
"And how do you know that?" the Doctor asked as he turned to look at Donna with a broken look on his face. His hands were clenched as he spoke and he wouldn't acknowledge Rose even when she pulled on his jacket.
"Because it's in your head," Donna proclaimed with a smirk. She loved knowing this much, it was amazing how much the Doctor knew and never mentioned. "And if it's in your head, it's in mine."
The Doctor stayed in the same position and gave her a sad look. "And how does that feel?"
Before Donna could answer, Rose spoke up first. "Doctor, what's wrong? Why are you acting like this?" Rose asked, deciding to try to make a joke. "Come on, I just got back. Don't turn into a moody mess yet!"
"Rose Marion Tyler," the Doctor snapped as he turned to look down at her. "Please, just go somewhere else in the TARDIS right now. I'll come get you soon so we can go pick Clara up, I promise."
"No," Rose answered with a determined look on her face. She had been through so much today and she wasn't going to give up now.
"Rose, please. Just go to our room, okay?" the Doctor asked even though he knew it was a fruitless request. "It is exactly how it was when you left. Or you could go to the garden, you always loved going there."
"Doctor," Rose whispered as she grabbed hold of his hand. "I am never going to do that. I am going to stay right here. Whatever it is that you don't want me in here for, just let me be here with you. I just got back to you, don't send me off."
"Fine, you shouldn't have to watch this," the Doctor huffed before he turned back to talk to Donna. "And how does that feel, Donna? Having my head in your head?"
Donna looked shocked for a moment before she shifted over and began hitting the controls just like the Doctor had before. "Brilliant! Fantastic! Molto bene! Great big universe, packed into my brain," Donna rambled as she picked up the phone. "You know you could fix that chameleon circuit if you just tried hot binding the fragment links and superseding the binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary," Donna gasped as she was finally in control of her mouth and stared at the Doctor with wide eyes.
"Donna," Rose whispered, attempting to step towards her. Before she reached her the Doctor wrapped his arm around her waist and held her back behind him.
"I'm fine. Nah, never mind Felspoon," Donna announced with a frantic look in her eye. "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."
Rose could tell something terrible was happening, even though she didn't understand it. She felt the Doctor's body tense up and laid her head against his back, hoping that the light contact would help a bit. However, from the way the Doctor clenched his fists she knew there was nothing she could do to stop his pain this time.
"Oh, my God," Donna gasped out as she slumped against the controls with her head in her hands, obviously in pain.
The Doctor moved away from Rose and she stood in the same position. This wasn't her place to interfere, this was between the Doctor and his best friend. So Rose just stood there, willing herself not to cry and hurt the Doctor even more. She barely knew Donna, but she felt like this was goodbye and she wished they had more time to get to know each other.
"Do you know what's happening?" the Doctor gasped as he moved towards her with a pained expression on his face.
"Yeah," Donna whispered as she looked up at the Doctor. Her eyes looked so broken and there was tears in her eyes, but the moment they flitted over to Rose she slightly smiled. The Doctor wouldn't be alone.
"There's never been a human Time Lord metacrisis before now," the Doctor said as he moved right next to her and laid a hand on her shoulder. "And you know why."
Donna took a quivering breath before she met his eyes and began to shake. "Because there can't be," she whispered as she shook her head back and forth. Her voice was breaking but she didn't care right now. "I want to stay."
"Look at me," the Doctor ordered when she looked down and he put his hands on her shoulders. "Donna, look at me."
"I was going to be with you forever," Donna whispered as she began to cry. He understood, they had the same mind. She knew how he was feeling and her heart was breaking. She didn't want to go, she wanted to stay.
"I know," the Doctor responded. His voice was breaking, but he had to stay strong for Donna.
"The rest of my life, travelling in the Tardis," Donna proclaimed as she began to resist his grip. "The Doctor Donna. And Rose would be there too with the baby. I wanted to see you be a father, Doctor," she cried. "No. Oh my god. I can't go back. Don't make me go back. Doctor, please, please don't make me go back."
The Doctor took a deep breath before he spoke again, the last conversation he and Donna would ever have. "Donna. Oh, Donna Noble. I am so sorry. But we had the best of times."
"No," Donna sobbed as he positioned his hands on her temples. She knew what he was going to do next.
"The best," the Doctor whispered as he tried to convey how much he had loved traveling with her in two words. "Goodbye."
"No, no, no. Please. Please. No. No," Donna exclaimed as the Doctor closed his eyes and entered her mind.
Donna let out a sharp gasp as all her beautiful journeys with the Doctor flew into her mind as he erased them from her mind. She passed out then, falling right into the Doctor's awaiting arms as he hugged her limp body and wished he hadn't had to do that to Donna Noble.
"Doctor," Rose whispered as she hesitantly approached with tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry."
"Rose," the Doctor responded, not having the energy to smile at her. "I am going to take Donna back home and explain to her parents what happened. I need to do this alone, Rose. Please just stay in the TARDIS for me."
Thankfully Rose did as he said for once as she stood and watched him lug Donna off the TARDIS. She felt terrible, she couldn't help the Doctor. He was hurting and she was just standing there, unsure of what to do to ease the ache in his hearts. The TARDIS had been so full only hours before, and now it was slowly emptying out.
…
Rose jumped up to her feet when she heard the TARDIS doors open and saw the Doctor come into the room soaking wet with a broken look on her face.
"Oh, Doctor," Rose sighed as she ran to him and hugged him as tight as she could. She didn't care that she was getting wet too, he needed her right now and she was going to be there for him.
"Rose," the Doctor whispered against her hair. "She doesn't remember me. When she said goodbye, she just said, 'see you' and it hurt so much."
"I'm here, Doctor," Rose said as she began to move over to the jump seat so they could both sit down. "I'm never going to leave you. I'll be here. It's okay, Doctor. You can cry now, I've got you right now."
When they got to the jump seat the Doctor allowed himself to crumple against Rose. They both had no idea how much time passed, just that they were together right now. It was odd, the Doctor was crying because he had just lost Donna, but there was so much more than that. Both he and Rose were crying as well because they were together again. After so long, they were together and no one was trying to pull them apart.
After quite some time, the Doctor pulled away from Rose and composed himself. "So, what do we do now?"
"Come on, Doctor," Rose said, trying to blink out the tears that were filling her eyes. "Come on and meet your daughter."
I am quite sorry the Donna situation ended the same way, but I like the realistic part of a not always happy ending. But the next chapter...my favorite...
Gabrielle
