A/N: Alright then, hoping the John/James thing isn't too confusing. Or...sick. It could be both. Feel free to let me know either way! One more chapter and this should be finished up! Just in time for me to start another one. Oh brother. Thanks for reading!

"Hello again." The Doctor grinned as he stepped out of the TARDIS into Rose's garden. His hands up in the air triumphantly.

"Oh thank god." Rose cried as she ran forward, rushing into her husband's arms. The Doctor was pleased to see the newly dubbed 'John' didn't hesitate in the least. He gathered her up and hugged her tight against him.

"It's alright. We made it." He whispered into her hair, his eyes closed and for that one moment, he was the happiest man in the entire universe.

"Oi, stupid." Amy had been leaning against Donna's TARDIS and now stood at attention. "Get over here," She beckoned to Rory with a smile. "Next time don't let that idiot take you anywhere without me, alright?" She warned him, tugging on his shirtfront to let him know she was serious. As carefree as she was, she had been worried when they had nearly left without them.

"Consider it done." Rory put his arms up in surrender. She giggled and her face relaxed. "Are you alright?" He stroked her cheek affectionately, having the unpleasant feeling she had been in just as much danger.

"I am now," She said before pulling him in for a kiss.

"Cutting it rather close, weren't we sweetie?" River stood near the TARDIS and gave the Doctor a challenging stare.

"Yeah, I live for the dramatics though. You know me. Love to put on a show." He leaned against the side of the TARDIS casually. "Look at you though, fending off the Dalek's again. Tough as nails you are. Bet they're not going to forget you." He gave her a playful punch on the shoulder.

"If I had let them live, perhaps they wouldn't have." River shrugged. The Doctor made a face but she just grinned at him. "Oh don't look at me like that; you knew what you signed up for."

"I'm not really sure I did." He shook his head with a smirk.

"I don't understand," Donna's voice broke up the happy reunion. "Where's the Doctor? Or, my Doctor?" She corrected herself when she caught the eyes of the Doctor leaning against the TARDIS.

They all grew quiet as the Doctor walked over to her, Donna, his best friend through so many adventures, he hadn't even really thought. Of course, neither of them had. He wouldn't have thought it was possible, for him to feel worse about it than he already did. But the look in Donna's eyes proved him so very wrong. He put his hand on her shoulder and breathed out slowly. "I'm truly sorry Donna. We were attacked, he didn't make it."

"What do you mean, didn't make it?" Her tone was angry now. "He was there, I saw him. I went through all that trouble to try and fix everything. That's not right," She shook her head, covering her face now. "That's not right at all." She stared up at the Doctor and gripped his tweed coat. "I'll go back and fix it, please. Just let me just go back."

"Oh Donna," He smiled sadly and pulled her in for a hug. "It's alright Donna. I'm still here." He whispered.

"But it's not-" She let out a shuddering sob, trying to control the tears that were threatening to overwhelm her. "You're not…I've only just met you." She shook her head, knowing the Doctor had died, while at the same time he stood in front of her, holding her, was enough to make even a time lord's head spin. "I'm sorry," She whispered, tears running down her cheeks. "I suppose I'm a right prat if I tell you it's not the same."

"Course not," He shushed her, but it did hurt him, somewhere deep inside. "It's going to be alright Donna."

"You always say that," She smiled through her tears.

"I'm always right." He reassured her. She pulled away slowly, finally looking up into his face, and recognizing him, despite the differences. He smiled then, knowing then that it was true. It was going to be alright.

"You always say that too," She sniffed and adjusted her jacket.

"Yeah, I say a lot of things. Listen, Donna. I was wondering," He shot a glance over his shoulder at the blue box behind him. "Well, what do you think, want to give it another go? You and the Doctor, wild and crazy adventures? We could finally take that trip to Felspoon."

"The Doctor Donna, at it again?" She smiled sadly. It wasn't quite the answer he had been hoping for, perhaps it was better that she didn't want to come. He was a danger to everyone around him, did he really want to find Donna again just to lose her on some distant star?

"Well, I mean, I know I'm not your first choice and all that." He feigned a laugh. "Loads of other people you could travel with. You could even get your own companion." He adjusted his bow tie self-consciously. "No need to say yes, I just thought maybe you'd like to see a bit more." He held out his hands to encompass the photo booth they stood by. "But, of course, you've got your own TARDIS now; don't need me to be cramping your style. Never mind, forget I said it. Forget I said anything. It was great to see you again Donna Noble." He smiled bravely.

"Blimey, you sure do ramble." She raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah, tend to do that. Sorry. Again, great to see you." He looked over Donna's shoulder. "River, I assume you need a lift back to prison?" He spun around and snapped his fingers for the TARDIS door to open. Donna grabbed his arm, startling him.

"I'd love to." She beamed at him.

"Love to?" The response had caught him rather off guard and a hesitant smile came to his lips. "With me?" He pointed to himself as though he hadn't been clear enough. "In the box?"

"Yeah, with you. Ya big idiot." She made a face at him that almost made him forget the tears.

"Oh, well…that's brilliant!" He grinned just as the cloister bells of the TARDIS started to chime. "Oh, blimey. Look at the time, got that hole in the universes collapsing as we speak. Really must be going. Rose," He held her by the shoulder and kissed the air by both of her cheeks. "It was lovely to have seen you again. I'm glad to see you're…happy." He smiled genuinely then, feeling as though a weight had lifted from his heart. He truly was happy to see that she had found a place in the world, and that she had found it with John. "John," He grinned and pulled the man in for a hug and patting him on the back heartily. "Good luck, John."

"Thank you." John returned the hug and his eyes glittered as he pulled back. There were no doubts or second guesses in that face, only joy. The Doctor was glad he had been able to get that right, if nothing else.

"Alright, alright, let's move everyone; rifts in space and time don't grow on trees you know." He held his finger up as he was thinking. "Though they do have something similar to roots. Which they use to siphon off displaced energy that comes from total event collaps-"

"Nobody cares, dear." River interrupted him but kissed him on the cheek to lessen the blow. He looked up to realize that they were all too busy saying their own goodbyes to Rose and John. Donna teared up again as she hugged John, she had a peculiar look on her face as she stepped back, but she smiled broadly as she hugged Rose. Rory and Amy said polite goodbyes to the both of them, not really having known them well. River satisfied herself with a wave and a blown kiss as she hopped back onto the TARDIS.

"Donna? Donna what are you doing? Cloister bell, closing window. Not a lot of time." She had ducked her head back into the other TARDIS without saying anything. "Did you change your mind?" The Doctor called after her, running his hand through his hair, suddenly afraid that she might. But she returned a moment later, a sad smile on her face.

"Just sending it back home." She patted the side of the machine as it started to fade away. "It should be with the rest of them."

"Yes, you'll have to show me where you found that…although." He stopped himself. "There weren't any…bodies lying around, were there?"

"Bodies? What? No!" Donna looked at him strangely.

"Didn't smell like armpits?" He eyed her carefully. It would surprise him to find that two time lords had fallen out of the universe in the same place, but not so much that it would be impossible. "No large incorporeal voice calling itself 'House'? I mean, it was actually the planet itself, which, coincidently enough, was just…well, a rather large alien." He stretched his hands out to encompass the largeness. "A rather large alien who devours TARDIS'. But I imagine since you made it out alive…well. I suppose not then." He shrugged with a smile.

"I worry about you sometimes, spaceman." Donna said with a shake of her head and looked back at John one more time. He was still waving, with that big grin of his. But something was different, something she couldn't put her finger on. It was still hard to look at him, and know that his match was dead. Harder still to say goodbye forever.

"Excellent, off we go then." He pulled them both into the TARDIS and closed the door behind him. "River, dearest. I'm letting you drive. Take the kids home, will you. You lot," He grabbed Rory and Amy's shoulders and pulled them into a huddle. "I'll see you shortly, not to worry, not to worry. In the meantime, have some of that good old fashion…normalcy. I bet it's oodles of fun. Try it, tell me how it goes." He gave them both a quick hug goodbye and pointed up to the console where River was already starting to take off. "And you, make sure you get yourself back in the slammer at a reasonable hour. You know how the guards hate it when you wake them up."

"Certainly sweetie." River blew him a kiss from where she stood.

"Great. Fabulous." The Doctor let out a sigh, and then a more faked yawn. "Blimey, I sure am tuckered out." The Doctor made an effort to stretch his long limbs over his head. "You know, I think I'll just catch some shut eye. Donna, if anything goes boom, let me know, will you?" Donna nodded once and the rest of them watched him disappear down one of the halls of the TARDIS.

"Well that was weird." Amy frowned. "Oh well, you ready to go and be normal then?" She asked Rory as she intertwined her fingers with his.

"Oh god, I thought you'd never ask." Rory said with relief. Amy laughed and smiled at Donna.

"It was nice to meet you Donna. You keep him company for us, will you?"

"Sure thing," Donna gave them both a quick hug as River landed the ship. They both hugged River and told her to visit them soon in their new boring lives. She just laughed. "Parents." She muttered as they walked out the door. When they left, she turned her attention to Donna more seriously.

"There's something wrong." She said working the controls of the TARDIS once again like an old pro.

"Wrong? We've just fixed everything. Can't things stay right for one bloody minute?" She said with a smile that she didn't entirely feel. Things weren't right, her Doctor was dead, and it was all her fault. She was going to have to come to terms with that. But she didn't imagine that's what River was talking about.

"I'm worried about him." River pressed her lips together. "But I don't think he'll tell me; always stubborn about his time lord business. See if you can get something out of him. Because if you don't he'll just sit in that room of his and brood. And then he'll pop out like nothing was ever the matter." River shook her blond curls and Donna thought she saw her eyes glisten. "But it will be, and I worry how many times he can just pretend to bounce back like that before he won't be the same."

"Alright, I'll talk to him." She nodded quickly.

"Thanks," River hugged Donna, which surprised her. "Take care of him, will you?" The ship settled around them once again and River gave a small smile. "That's my stop." And suddenly it was just Donna in the TARDIS alone; it felt strange without the Doctor there. She flipped a few dials herself, setting them parked out in space where they hopefully couldn't get up to anything too bothersome.

"Alright then, let's go sort him out." She said to herself.