The Doctor stood in Donna's bedroom, just inside the door, and watched her sleep on top of the covers of her bed. His dear Donna Noble could no longer share in his exploits and misadventures. He grimaced silently as he reviewed the situation; when she awoke she'd not have a clue who he was, she'd have forgotten her part in saving the universe... she wouldn't know even that it had needed saving. It was devastating that he had caused this plummet in her from the top of the world to the sleeping ignorance of a child. Much as he always tried to suppress his emotions he had to contemplate that he would need recovery time. There was no way of viewing today other than as a bad one – to be shown up as one who left devastation and destruction in his path, to lose Rose all over again, and now to be leaving behind his best friend, who would be oblivious of his existence. It was indescribably painful.
As he rubbed his face with both hands, long fingers covering his eyes, he heard Donna stirring. With a fleeting wide-eyed look at her stretching, he turned and made to exit. But it was too late.
"Oi!" a voice carried over from the bed. The Doctor turned and smiled casually, hands deep in his pockets. "Don't you smile at me, what the bloody hell are you doing in my room? You better not be one of them perverts!" Donna was on her feet now, and by her expression he knew he needed an explanation fast before there was trouble.
"Ah! You must be Donna?" he asked, with all the conviction of a polite stranger. "So sorry, I was looking for the bathroom. I'm here talking to your Wilf - er... your granddad... y'know about stargazing and all that. I'm quite a fanatic myself. It's John Smith by the way." He proffered a hand, hopefully. Donna accepted with a weak handshake. The threat had left her features now, replaced with an excruciating indifference.
"Yeah, well hope you're not encouraging him too much," Donna mumbled, as she moved to pick up her mobile. "Load of nonsense all that celestial crap and aliens and so on. As if there are aliens out there!"
"Astronomy," The Doctor corrected, wounded by the change in her; the return to disbelief. "Celestial is heaven, angels and stuff."
"Whatever," she said, not looking up from her phone. "It's all still bollocks to me. No offence. The bathroom's that way." She pointed down the corridor and passed him to go downstairs.
After she'd gone, The Doctor released a slow, deep sigh. Poor Donna, there was such a change in her. He understood now better than ever why she was so reluctant to return to this life. Still, he had his part yet to play; he needed to continue his chat with Wilf. Stalling for a few minutes so as to continue the illusion of using the bathroom, he looked sadly around Donna's room, whilst sub-consciously checking for anything that might remind her of him. It seemed harmless enough, she should be safe.
When he reached the lounge, Donna was raving about all the texts she'd received, completely clueless about what had been happening to the world. She hardly looked at him as he entered, striking another blow to his crushed esteem, whilst Sylvia glared at him in warning.
"Wilf," The Doctor said, smiling despite himself. "I suppose I'd better be off. Don't want to outstay my welcome."
"If you think it's best D... er... John," Wilf replied, getting slowly to his feet. "I'll see you out."
"Nice to meet you Sylvia," The Doctor said politely, continuing to smile through the pain of the parting. "Donna." Mother and daughter gave matching uninterested grunts and The Doctor's smile abandoned him. "G'bye then," he said, no longer hiding his misery.
Wilf walked him to the door and stood leaning on the frame while The Doctor commented on the rain.
"Doctor?" he said finally, after letting the Time Lord say his piece. "She will be ok, won't she?"
"She'll be fine Wilfred, just as long as she never remembers me."
"She won't be the same anymore."
"No. She'll be like she never met me. Back to normal... but... well Wilf, I just want you to know... and tell Sylvia too – I know she distrusts me and wouldn't listen... but from you she will. I just want you to know, there are worlds out there, safe in the sky because of her." He paused and looked Wilf directly in the eye. "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..." The sad irony of it hit him, "while she can never remember. And for one moment... one shining moment... she was the most important woman in the whole wide universe."
Wilf nodded, tears gleaming in his eyes. "But now she's got nothing," he said sadly.
"Oh," The Doctor remembered. "About that..." He took a deep breath and looked up the sky, squinting into the heavy rain. "Before... before I wiped Donna's memory of everything, I made her a promise. And now I need you to help me fulfil it. I sort of arranged it so that... so that with a certain trigger, something in Donna will change."
"How do you mean, "change"?"
"I need you... somewhere down the line, not just yet in case it causes associated memories to crop up and undo everything... sometime in the future, in a few weeks maybe... I need you to say "banana daiquiris" and "Agatha Christie" to her... preferably in the same sentence but definitely within a minute of each other. I know it sounds odd, but it has to be inconspicuous. She won't understand... but she'll see the benefits. You both will. Before long, Donna Noble will believe in herself again. She'll have a little bit more motivation in her, you'll see it gradually... hopefully within a year she'll be out there making a difference. Because we both know she's capable of it Wilf, we've both seen a..."
"A better Donna?" Wilf asked, shakily, trying to take it all in.
"If you want to put it like that. I just see it as the real Donna; a Donna who reaches her potential, who gives a damn... who starts to think about "celestial" matters or things outside of Chiswick. Do it for me Wilf... no, do it for her."
"I will, I will Doctor. Agatha Christie, banana daiquiris. I'll remember."
"Thank you," The Doctor said from the hearts. "It's no more than what she deserves." He turned to leave then, looking once more to the TARDIS.
"Wait, Doctor?"
The Doctor turned back, water trickling down his face from his sodden hair, and looked at Wilf once more through narrowed eyes.
"What about you now son? Who have you got left? I mean... all those people, those friends of yours..."
"They've all got someone else," The Doctor said with as much cheeriness as he could muster. "Still, that's fine. I'm fine!" Even as he smiled through the lie, he felt the emptiness in the pit of his stomach. Back to the start he'd go.
"I'll look out for you, Doctor." Wilf said. "I won't tell Donna!" he added, upon seeing The Doctor's look of alarm. "But at night, when I look up at the stars... I'll remember you. On her behalf."
"Thank you," The Doctor smiled, sincerely. With a final nod, he left Wilf there, left Donna behind, and returned to the TARDIS. As he walked around the abandoned console he braced against the pain.
...
Alone again, naturally.
Well there we go. That's all folks! (For now anyway - who can say what the Who-less months ahead will drag out of my consciousness!)
Hope you enjoyed, and thanks for the words of support throughout.
It ain't exactly a literary classic, but it's my take, and I thank you for reading it!