A/N: I think there's one chapter left after this.
As the old saying goes, "someday even this distance we'll be able to embrace"...
Chapter 21 – Final Distance
Flashback…
The Doctor, Jack and Rose had arrived back at the village to a chorus of deafening cheers. The Malums had been detained at the village before the authorities from the nearest town came to pick them up. The village had had a feast in celebration of the bandits' defeat, the honoured guests being the Doctor, Jack and Rose. However, at least one person was not rejoicing.
As Jack happily drank his way through the night, Rose returned to the hut where she knew the Doctor resided, trying to recuperate from the hammering his body had taken over the past few days. She quietly pushed open the door to a dark interior, catching the Doctor's form laid on the bed across the room, eyes closed, chest rising and falling periodically. She padded over to the bed; dropping down next to him and reaching up to his face. She almost jumped out of her skin when a hand suddenly reached up and stilled her's, cool fingers clamped over the back of her hand as the Doctor's eyes flew open to look at her.
He smiled gently. "Hey."
"Hey," she said softly, reaching up with her free hand to his hair, picking out the last of the flecks of mud. She could feel the tears pricking at her eyes already. He dropped his hand and pushed himself up to sitting position, his beautiful brown eyes locking with hers.
"You okay?" he asked.
Rose tried to nod, but she couldn't stop fresh tears falling from her eyes as she began to cry once more. "No," she whispered, grateful when he put his arms around her, holding her tight. "Every time I close my eyes… All I can see is him…"
The Doctor sighed, closing his eyes and resting his chin on her head, which was now buried in his chest. "I can take it away," he said quietly.
Rose looked up. "You can what?"
"I can make you forget it ever happened."
She straightened up, eyes wide.
"Please think about this before you rush into it," the Doctor warned quickly. "I'll get rid of the memory and send you to sleep. When you wake up you'll be completely refreshed. But that's a part of your life I'd be taking away, Rose, a part of you."
"I don't care," she said. "Please, take it away."
"Are you sure?"
She nodded quickly, taking his hands and placing them either side of her head. He smiled gently, closing his eyes and diving into her mind.
A few silent seconds passed before Rose finally went limp, and the Doctor caught her in both arms. He used the last of his strength to pull her up the bed, placing her head on the pillow. Energy spent, he dropped down next to her, out like a light.
Josh was, for once, speechless.
He looked around in awe at the interior of the time ship, his jaw agape, little eyes flicking about all over the place as he tried to take it all in. Even with the shooting pains in his damaged legs, the Doctor couldn't help but smile at the sight as Josh ran up to the TARDIS console, poking it experimentally with a look of awe on his face.
Closing the door behind her Donna quickly moved to support the Doctor, who was heavily leaning on the railing, sweat lining his forehead. The quicker she got him to the Infirmary, the better.
"Come on, coupla steps and you'll be doin' the London Marathon tomorrow mornin'," she coaxed him gently, putting on a smile for him.
He tried to smile back, but could hardly muster the energy. Donna could see he was on his last legs; the colour that had previously returned to his cheeks drained once again to white, making the bruises and cuts on his skin look more vicious than ever.
He tried to take a step forward, but unsurprisingly, it simply could not bear his weight anymore. He slipped out of Donna's grip like a wet bar of soap and hit the floor with a thud.
Donna swore she heard the TARDIS give a small whine in response to the events. She knelt down next to him, about to shake his shoulder when she realised he'd probably broken a bone in that area and wouldn't particularly appreciate her moving it. She knew there was no chance in getting him to walk to the Infirmary now, but tried anyway.
"Come on, Doctor. I can't carry you, can I?" she said in her sternest voice. He just groaned and turned his head on the grating.
"Infirmary," he muttered. "TARDIS'll guide you. Stretcher."
Flashback…
Jack wandered into the hut at 9:28am the next morning, nursing yet another aching head and wondering what it was about this place that got him drinking so much. He dropped down at the circular table in the centre, hand against his head. His eyes flickered across the room to the bed, and instantly he smiled at the sight.
"That is too damn cute for words!" Jack said allowed, pushing himself onto both feet and walking over to the bed, looking down on the Doctor and Rose still sleeping. During the course of the night Rose had inadvertently turned towards him and put her arm over his chest, and in return the Doctor had moved his arm around her protectively. Jack looked at the Doctor for a moment, trying to determine if he was actually breathing or not. Deciding to take a quick pulse check, Jack reached down to the Doctor's neck…
The second Jack touched his skin the Time Lord suddenly jolted awake with a gasp, snapping up to sitting position and instinctively throwing his body over Rose to protect her. Jack jumped back in alarm, raising his fists in defence as the Doctor began to register his surroundings, and he realised what exactly he was doing. In a flash he had backed off of Rose, his eyes wide in alarm.
"Good mornin' to you too!" Jack said sarcastically as the Doctor tried to slide his arm out from underneath Rose, but she just moaned softly in her sleep and curled even more into him. Jack rolled his eyes. "Leave her alone, she's comfortable."
With a resigned sigh, the Doctor laid back down on the bed, letting Rose resume her position. He reached up to her temple, doing a quick check to make sure everything he'd touched the night before was in working order. Once happy, he took his fingers off and turned his head, looking over at Jack.
"I had to wipe her memory," the Doctor informed him.
Jack nodded, already understanding. "There was really no other way."
"She will never remember," the Doctor continued. "I've hid it in my own memories. No one will ever find it."
Jack nodded again. "I'm glad you did. I can't watch her go through life with that guilt."
"She's got the killer instinct, Jack. Did I do that?"
Jack shook his head, quickly. "No, Doctor. She already had it in her. You can't change that. But really, would you rather she got raped?"
The Doctor sighed. "Gabrielle did."
Jack's eyes widened. "What?"
"She's pregnant," the Doctor muttered. "I offered to abort… But she didn't want to."
Jack didn't reply to that. He simply looked back over at Rose, thinking over what could have been, and utterly glad it wasn't.
Five hours later, the TARDIS was in flight.
Inside the Doctor was at the helm, albeit a little slower-paced than usual. Donna watched him like a hawk, knowing just how severe the injuries were beneath his fresh new brown suit. The Doctor's superior healing technology had repaired the breaks and lightened the worst of the cuts and bruises, but even the crème de la crème of future technology could not work miracles.
Josh however was jumping around the console, making up for the energy the Doctor was lacking. The boy seemed to take the alien environment into his stride, the same euphoria Donna often saw in the Doctor reflected in his bounce… though he still came back to clutch onto the Doctor or Donna whenever the ship jolted.
The TARDIS landed, and the Doctor gave Josh a wide grin. "Wanna open the door?"
Josh's face broke into an irresistible smile. He spun around and ran towards the double-door entrance, pulling it open and running outside. The shriek of utter delight that followed was surely audible for miles around.
The Doctor grinned at Donna before disappearing out of the door. She could tell it wasn't often that he had had children on board the TARDIS. With a contented sigh, she followed him out onto the open and was met by a moving sight.
Martin was hugging Josh tightly in both arms, a loving father reunited with his son. Donna closed the door behind her, joining the Doctor as he looked down on the two, his hands in his pockets. Donna looked at his face, expecting him to share her joy, but instead she was surprised to find him looking down on them with a sombre expression, almost as if he found it painful to watch.
"Thank you for bringing him back," Martin said to them both.
The Doctor's face split into a grin again, all hints of his previous disposition vanished. "He's fully fed and watered, no need to panic."
Martin watched him for a moment more before he and Josh pulled apart. "I guess this is good bye once more?"
The Doctor nodded. "Places to see, people to go." He paused for a moment, frowning. "Or was it the other way around? Can never remember. Still, good luck, Martin! Say buh-bye to everyone for me?"
He looked puzzled. "You are not going to say it yourself?"
The Doctor grimaced. "Nah, never liked goodbyes. Too depressing." He gave a little farewell wave, turning to go back into the TARDIS. Donna loudly cleared her throat, and he stopped dead in his tracks.
"You're forgetting someone!" she said. His eyes dropped to Josh, giving a half smile and a wave before turning back around again towards the TARDIS, but was instead surprised to find Donna suddenly between him and the safety of the TARDIS, her arms folded, foot tapping. "Properly!" she demanded. He turned back around again, looking down to Josh's face – a picture of innocence. The Doctor managed to drop on his knees through his battle wounds, holding his arms out to the boy. Josh's face broke once again into his irresistible smile as he ran forward, throwing his arms around the Time Lord and clinging on with all his might. Donna watched from a few paces, smiling broadly at the sight. Both man and boy were grinning widely in a perfect mirror image of the other. In fact, the more Donna looked, the more similarities she could see. That grin… The unruly brown hair… The deep brown eyes… Donna's smile froze on her face. Surely not…?
Then the moment was gone.