The Doctor had fallen asleep, though he wasn't tired. He suspected it was because he had been holding the woman he may or may not be in love with, and felt completely content. But he was awoken by that woman shivering in his arms, now.

He opened his eyes, and could feel her bare arm pouring out heat from her now much higher fever. He brushed hair away from her face, and saw that her eyes were still closed. He decided to let her rest, while he slipped out to get a fever reducer from the med-bay, and it was time to give Donna another dose.

He tried to extricate himself from her body but she groaned so he stilled for a moment.

"Doctor," her voice was only a whisper.

"Yes?"

"Don't go?"

"I'll be back," he soothed, rubbing up and down her back, trying to ignore the feelings that the small action caused in him. "Just going to get some medicine to make you feel better, and I'm going to check on Donna."

"Oh," she got out. "Okay."

"Good girl," he told her, softly, and kissed her cheek before she rolled away from him, pulling the blankets up over her.

He would have to take some of them off of her until her temperature dropped, but he would let her have the warmth in his absence.

She was asleep again before he had even made it to the door, which he was thankful for. She needed the rest anyway, but especially now that she was sick.

He made a quick trip to the med-bay and then to Donnas room. Inside he found Jack and Donna cuddling with each other, but Jack was awake and just watching her sleep.

"Doctor," he said softly.

The Doctor looked on in fondness. His Donna, and his Jack, oh how he hoped they could finally see each other.

"Hi Jack," the Doctor grinned. He moved over to the bed, leaning in just far enough to reach her neck and gave her the injection.

"Thanks, Doctor," Donna murmured, though he suspected she wasn't really awake.

"Jack," the Doctor turned, wanting to return to Anna but he stopped. "Promise me that you'll be good to her."

Jack looked like he was going to deny what had been happening between him and Donna but at last he nodded. "I promise."

"If you don't…" he left the threat empty, leaving Jack's imagination to fill in the blank. "If she needs anything, come and get me. I'll be back to check on her in a bit. You still okay?"

"Fine," Jack agreed. "Get back to your girl."

The Doctor shook his head. "You know you both are just as important to me, right?"

"Of course," Jack nodded. "But there is nothing wrong with you wanting to be near her. We won't stand in your way."

With a small smile the Doctor left the room, returning to Anna's side, giving her the shot. She muttered something that sounded like a protest, but then she closed her eyes again. He pulled the top layer of blanket off of her, though she clung to them with a might her sick body shouldn't have had the energy for.

"Fever," he told her gently, tugging again.

She wrapped her hands in the blankets, "I'm going to fever you."

He smiled a little, "That doesn't make sense, love."

She sighed, and opened her eyes. "It did before I said it."

He knew that she was trying to sound fierce, but the fragileness of the hoarse words lacked sting.

"Come on," he encouraged, reaching up to untwist her hold on the blankets. She let him, but was mumbling some words that Jack must have taught her.

"Language," he chastised, though he was only joking.

She groaned.

He lay beside her in the bed, and pulled her back into his embrace, hoping it would be a peace offering.

"Doctor," she asked his chest.

"What?"

"Thanks."

He wasn't sure what he was thanking him for, but he didn't care. "Your welcome."

"No," she leaned away from him. "Really, thank you. This all, this life, is the best thing that has ever happened to me. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me."

He felt his hearts miss a beat. Did she mean that like he would mean it when he said she was the best thing that had ever happened to him?

"I'm not," he started. She thought too much of him, it would only hurt her if he let her down. Which he was bound to do.

"Don't argue," she told him. "I love you, you silly alien. Did you know you have two hearts?"

He was losing her back to sleep, "Yes, I noticed."

"Good," she murmured, "That would have been a shock. Did I just tell you that I love you?"

He was beaming at her, but her eyes were closed. "Yes."

"Oh," she buried her face into his chest. "Sorry, can we blame the fever?"

Did that mean that she didn't mean it? "If you want…if you didn't mean it."

"Of course I meant it," she whispered, almost too low to be heard before he could tell that she slipped all the way back under the pull of sleep.

She meant it! He could do this, he could. No more wasted years, with words that he should have said. He would tell her when she woke that he loved her too; there he said it to himself. That was a start, right?

He held her close, and sighed feeling a deep peace. He knew what time would do, and how badly it would hurt when their run came to an end, however that came about, but until then he would hold on tightly and she would know where she stood in his eyes. He could give her that; he had to give her that.

DW

Anna awoke with a small headache, but felt much better overall. That was probably the mildest flu that she had ever had, though it probably had something to do with the medicine the Doctor had given her.

She was still in his arms, though she vaguely remembered him leaving a few hours ago to check on Donna again. She didn't want to move, she was quiet comfortable, and she hadn't had any nightmares with him holding her.

"Good morning," the Doctor told her, apparently realizing she was awake, but he didn't move to let her go.

"Morning," she agreed. Her voice was still a little hoarse but it was coming back.

"Anna," he sounded cautious, almost like he was afraid. He was the Doctor. What made him afraid?

"Yes," she finally moved away from him so that she could see his face. He had a little stubble on his face, the first time she had seen him that he wasn't clean shaven. Of course she had never seen him this early in the morning.

"Do you remember last night, what you said?"

Anna thought back, and when it clicked she was certain that she blushed. Oh no, she had told him that she loved him. It wasn't that she meant it; just that she didn't mean to say it. He must get that all the time, him being who he was.

Full of mystery and goodness, and she didn't want to be just another woman throwing herself at him.

She looked down, ashamed of herself. What would he say, what would he think? She should tell him that it was the fever, even if it killed her. She didn't want to go home. She would be happy with friendship, that's all she wanted in the first place.

"Yes," she said meekly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to tell you. Please don't be upset."

"Why would I be upset," his finger touched her chin and she found herself looking into his eyes. "Anna, I loved you from the first moment I saw you. I just couldn't imagine you feeling the same way."

"Really," how could she believe that? He was a Time Lord. She was just a plain old Human.

He smiled faintly and moved in close to her. "Really." His lips touched hers softly, and she felt something she had never felt before. Complete.