Sylvia stood, staring at the mass of people congregated in her rather small living room. Donna crept down the stairs and toward a rather small pale girl who couldn't be older than 5, but he noticed that she was missing Donna's red hair. When Donna's hand fell on her shoulder, the girl let out a shriek and spun.

"Mummy! Who are they?" He watched as she asked, just as unafraid as both Donna and himself.

"They're my friends, Belle. Martha and Mickey. There's someone here to meet you love." She murmured and motioned for him to walk down the steps. As he gracelessly manuvered the stair case, skipping steps and huffing noiselessly, he noticed that Donna's hands rested on not only one side of Belle's chest, but both sides, evenly spaced apart.

"Hello Belle, I'm the Doctor." He folded his tall frame down to her size, watching as she measured him up. Her hands rose to press against his chest, directly over the beating of his two hearts. When Belle felt both beating, she gasped and grinned widely, pressing her small fingers against the cloth more thoroughly. She stared up at him, her eyes sparkling with wonder and so many questions balancing on the tip of her tongue.

"Yes Belle?" He whispered when she had yet to speak, and she started at the feel of his voice rumbling in his chest and in her hands.

"Are you…" Belle stopped and grabbed his hands, placing them against her oun chest. A sudden flash of tears filled his eyes as he felt two separate beats under his palms. No one had uttered a word as Belle and her new Doctor met, but now sniffling could be heard from Martha, a cough from Mickey, and a hidden hum from Wilfred. He looked up to a widely smiling Donna and a silently crying Sylvia. Looking back at Belle, he could tell that she wanted to say something yet didn't know if she could.

"Are you my father?" She blurted a moment later, clambering into his lap.

"I am."

"Where have you been then?" She asked innocently, laying her head against one strongly beating heart.

"I've been lost my dear. Lost in the stars. Locked away in a memory." He stated quietly, staring at Donna.

"Did you know, your mummy saved the world with me. Best temp in Chiswick, that one. She had the whole world locked inside her head." He watched as Belle's face filled with wonderas she glanced at her mum.

"What did you do mummy?" Belle whispered from her perch. He chuckled quietly and looked to Martha as Donna began regaling their daughter of stories from Pompeii and the Oods. 'Thank you' He mouthed to the woman, and watched her smile in silent response. Mickey's arm was draped over her shoulders protectively, and he nodded to the solemn man who had a child now splayed between his knees. A child who was half time lord. Unlike Jenny, Belle would never have to regenerate, she would never lose her small nose, her beautiful brown eyes would never turn green or blue, while her small frame would grow, it would never bend and break to become someone else's.

"Donna…" He murmured, not looking at the woman in question.

"Oi, you daft man. Look at me." Donna knelt down by him and Belle, who currently slept on quietly in his lap.

"If you want to stay, you can. Belle and I are also willing to go with you. Tell me what you want."

He looked at her quietly as if he were comtemplating her offer when he just wanted to look at her. He wanted to understand why she forgave him for hiding such a large part of her life, even if he meant only to save it.

"Doctor," Martha whispered quietly, effectively snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Donna, I.." He stopped, the words refusing to leave his mouth and he sighed before trying again.

"I'm sorry. I thought that you would get hurt if you remembered. I wiped your memory with you standing right in front of me, begging me not to, saying that you were supposed to stay with me forever. I'm so sorry Donna. How could you forgive me, and let me into your daughter's life?"

"You silly silly man. I forgive you because you thought you were doing the right thing. You were trying to save my life and keep me with my family. I know that hurt you more than it hurt me, after losing so many, you thought you lost me too. I remember how sad you looked when you had to take my memory."

"What do you remember, Donna?"

"Everything. The Adipose, the family from Pompeii, losing you the first time. Almost losing you the second time, taking in the TARDIS mainframe, being the best temp in Chiswick and saving your arse."

When Donna placed her hands on her hips, he couldn't help but realize exactly how much he had missed her. Their easy companionship, their past. Hopefully their future with her fierce attitude and blazing red hair. The future he could see with their daughter in tow.

"And I'll let you in on a little secret Doctor. I still have all of that information burning around up here." She tapped the side of her head with a beige colored nail, smiling happily.

"Donna…" His voice warned, a tense urgency in the undertone. She merely shook her head and looked for Martha to help.

"Doctor," Martha butted in carefully. "She's safe. The knowledge is there, but it won't hurt her. Mickey and I had our arses handed to us when we tried to calm her earlier." Martha's voice was clear with a slight hand of humor.

"What?" He took Belle and handed her to Wilfred, who had yet to say a word. He merely nodded and took Belle into her room. Standing to face Donna, he noticed that in his current form, she was much shorter than himself. Softly, he put his fingers on her temples, eyes locked and and lightly tapped into her. He was startled out, not so much by the memories she held of them, but when he registered her heartbeat. It was irregualr enough to make him press one hand against her chest, no matter the consequences, ignoring her indignant squawk and stared down at her.

"Two?"

Donna smiled knowingly at him and watched as he tried to solve the riddle on his own. Finally, he gave up.

"How?" He whispered, standing stock still.

"When I was pregnant with Belle, I got sick. I refused to abort her, I knew my baby would be important. And she healed me as she grew. Belle sent stem cells to save me and when I came to, I had two heartbeats. My babygirl had saved my life and I knew it." Donna's voice was tired, soft and loving as she gazed toward Belle's room before looking at him again.

"Oh. Donna thank you." He crushed the loving woman with the firey red hair and even worse temper to his chest.

"My Donna Noble, my brave Donna. I am so sorry for leaving you behind."

Donna held onto the arms that held her for a moment before trying to push him away to see his face.

"Doctor, stop. I already forgave you, you arse." Donna's eyes had welled up with tears that she stubbornly refused to let spill.

"Doctor. We have to get home." Martha softly interrupted. Only now did he notice that it had gotten dark.

"Go, go home and be with your babies. Don't tell your mum I'm here."

At Martha and Mickey's shocked glances, he chuckled and said "Did you forget that I check in? I like to play with the kids too. When you get home, ask them about the giraffe." He smiled widely and decided in that moment to protect his mismatched little family.

Hello everyone! I know the 11th doctor was a little bit ooc, but I tried to fix that at the end. I should probably warn you that most of this fic is going to be serious, and maybe I shouldve kept 10 as being with Donna, but I decided agaisnt that. Guys let me know what you think, please review! Love you. Bye! 3