Title: Remember Me?
Rating: T
Pairings: 10/Rose
Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who
Full Summary: As the Doctor investigates some strange alien sightings in 2004, Donna gets a job at Henricks to distract her from causing a paradox. There, she befriends a very familiar blond, who tells her about her dreams to travel among the stars one day. Donna, unable to keep it in any longer, tells her that soon enough she'll be fulfilling that dream. And the Doctor, after meeting with Rose, can't contain the truth. What comes next for our favourite time travellers is a frenzy of misunderstandings, a few terrible dates and a shocking revelation.
Author's note: Sorry I haven't been very consistent with my updates over the course of this story, but I hope you enjoy this next installment.
The Doctor, his hands buried deep into his pockets and a grim expression etched onto his face, marched into Henricks. He kept his eyes staring forward, careful not to attract any attention. Unfortunately, Rose was standing directly outside of Julie's office. He cursed inwardly, and considered fleeing, just so that he wouldn't have to explain to Rose why Donna wasn't at work. Rose dropped a pencil on the floor, and bent over to pick it up. Her hair fell over her face, causing the Doctor to dart directly into the office before she could drag the blond strands away from her eyes and recede back to her original slouching position. Julie's head snapped up as the Doctor stood before her, beaming.
"Can I help you?" She enquired, peering at him over the rims of her glasses.
"Yeah, you can actually. I'm Donna Noble's friend, she's one of your employees. Unfortunately, Donna has had to leave London unexpectedly due to a family emergency in America. She sends her apologies," The Doctor reeled of, before spinning on his heel to go.
"Hold on. Ms Noble's leaving? I mean, she's already left?" Julie's brow crinkled. The Doctor tilted his head to face her.
"Yeah, that's pretty much the gist of it. She's really sorry that she couldn't tell you herself." Julie chewed off her glasses and began to chew the tips of them as she ruminated over Donna's sudden departure.
"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch your name. You're Mr..."
"Smith, John Smith. Shaken, not stirred," The Doctor joked, receiving a stern look for Julie, "James Bond? One of the greatest action heroes of all time? No?"
"I know fully well who James Bond is, Mr Smith," Julie retorted.
"Oh please, call me John," The Doctor insisted.
"I'd rather not, thank you. Who are you in relation to Donna? I know you said friend earlier, but I'll need to know more than that in order to completely understand the story. How long have you known Donna?"
"A while. Julie, I'd love to stop and chat, but I've got to go. Another time, perhaps?" The Doctor suggested. "Again, I'm sure Donna will contact you if she does ever come back to England. But I wouldn't count on it. She's not very reliable, see. I'd rehire if I were you."
"Yes, well, thank you for the suggestions, but I'll be making the decisions around here, Mr Smith. If you're finished, could you please send Miss Tyler in?" The Doctor winced and considered it. "Is there a problem, Mr Smith?" Julie tapped the desk with her pen and glared at him as he fixed a smile onto his face.
"No, no. I'd be delighted," He agreed, and opened the door. Rose was situated right behind it, and her face lit up when she clapped eyes on him.
"John! What are you doin' here? Where's Donna?" Rose asked, scanning around the shop, "She wasn't here earlier, and I've tried 'er phone. She won't answer it."
"Donna's had to be called away to America. Family emergency, you know," The Doctor informed her, as her face fell, "But she would have loved to have said goodbye. She only knew you for a day, but I think she grew really attached to you. Not that I'm surprised, I mean, you're a lovely girl." Rose's face tinted light pink. It wasn't everyday she was told she was lovely by a handsome man.
"That's such a shame! She seemed really nice. And oddly familiar, too. So are you, come to think of it," Rose cocked her head to one side as she stared at him, "You didn't go to Jericho Street Comprehensive, did you? Did Donna?"
"No, no. I think you're confusing me with someone else," The Doctor corrected her hastily.
"It's my lunch in a few minutes, if you want to hang around for a bit and come with me. If you want," Rose offered, trying to sound casual. When the Doctor hesitated, she began to burble excuses, "You don't have too, of course. You've probably got things to do. I won't stop you. I've got to see Julie, anyway. It was nice meeting you, s'cuse me," Rose averted her eyes away from his gaze and oushed past him to get into the office. The Doctor chewed on his lip and shuffled out of the door, not turning back once.
Donna flicked through the magazine for the third time, yawning as her hands sliced the pages half-heartedly. She was restless and bored. The Doctor was wandering around the streets of London, dumping her friends and quitting her job for her, while she was under strict rules not to exit the TARDIS. She propped herself up on her elbows and chucked the magazine across the bed.
"Donna?" The Doctor called, his trainers padding softly against the cold, metal ground. Donna jumped up in excitement. "Donna? Where are-"
"I'M HERE!" Donna hollered, poking her head around the corner, "You would not believe how bored I was! You could have given me the job of cleaning out the horses muck, and I would have agreed to do it, without no fuss or nothin'!"
"You were that bored?" The Doctor said in disbelief, "Wow. I'll remember that next time!"
"How was it then? Was Julie mad?" Donna inquired.
"No, she was fine, surprisingly. I can't say that same for Rose, though."
"Rose? Did you speak to her? You promised me that you wouldn't!"
"What was I supposed to do, ignore her completely? She was standing right outside of Julie's door, I couldn't;t exactly not acknowledge her. That would have just been rude!" The Doctor reasoned but Dona was having none of it.
"No, you just wanted to speak to her for the last time, didn't you! You're a flamin' hypocrite!!" Donna accused him.
"What? I turned down her offer of lunch just so we can get out of here as fast as we possibly can!"
"You...you said no to a date with her?" Donna said quietly, regret slowly spreading across her face. "But...she's Rose. You'll never get to see her again. That one last chance to spend more time with her, and you say no?"
"Well don't over exaggerate, whatever you do," The Doctor responded sarcastically. "I don't believe this! First, you're telling me that I can't speak to her, and when I did speak to her for one tiny second, you go off on one! But now you're telling me that I should be spending more time with her?!? Even when you've forbidden me from doing so?"
"You said it yourself. It;s about the whole world, not just your own personal feelings. Do you want to create a paradox just to see her again?"
"What?!?" The Doctor exploded, "Make your mind up Donna. It's like living with a yo-yo! Do you want me to see her, or not? And, hold on, it's not even up to you! It's my ship, so it's also my rules, got that?"
"Yeah, I;m sorry," Donna replied in a clipped tone. "I'm really tired, I think I'll be off to bed."
"It's still quite early," The Doctor reported, calming down and staring to be more reasonable. "We could always go somewhere else. How about the planet H-Trath? It's got 26 rings orbiting the planet, and the asteroid shower is beautiful to watch. What do you think?"
"I thinm I'm gonna call my grandad and then just sleep. Travelling with you throws my body all over the place! Literally," Donna smiled at him and wandered back into the room, leaving the conversation edging on frosty. Knowing the Doctor was still upset, Donna decided to leave him to his own accord for a while, just to mull things over. He'd just had to say goodbye to Rose again, and that must have been heart-breaking for him. It was best if Donna avoided him for a bit.
Doctor/Donna tiffs are always fun to write! And don't worry, Rose may be gone (for now) but she won't be forgotten. Please review!