Donna had argued, of course. There was no way that silly Martian –she knew that he wasn't from Mars by now, she really did, she just wasn't about to change- was going out there without her. The way she saw it, if he wanted to leave her behind, there must be great danger. And if there was great danger, the last thing he needed, was to be alone.

They worked better as a unit. A younger Donna, might have tried to turn it into something it wasn't. She might have sought out more than friendship, even when he had lain on his cards on the table from the beginning.

Now, she was satisfied to call him friend. She often wasn't sure if what she felt was even beyond that, because she had never had a friend like the Doctor. Never had she been so willing to follow someone into danger, as she had when she had found herself back into his life.

"Grab a coat," he finally said, the evidence of the effort it took to agree with her, clear on his face. His eyes were wrinkled up tight, and his lips had gone to a thin line.

He was tired of arguing. She wanted to feel guilty, she really did. Because she knew he worried about losing her, because he had lost others. She had found rooms, she'd never mention, and halls she didn't dare stumble upon again.

He was trying to save her, and maybe a bit of himself in the process. Still, what she really felt, was relief. Because she'd go down, if that's what it took, but there was no life, going on, knowing she had left him all alone, on a dark world that seemed to draw the fear up out of him slowly.

She pulled a coat on, zipping it up and moving towards him. He didn't glance back at her, and she tried to pretend the snub –the lack of offered hand- didn't bother her a little. But she kept strong, stepping out behind him.

The air was colder than she was expecting, even with the warning to grab a coat. The lack of sun had done more than create darkness, and she rubbed her hands together behind the Doctor's back. She looked around. As he closed the TARDIS door, her eyes tried to adjust to the lack of the light that it had offered.

They were in a field. The grass crunched beneath her feet. The Doctor squatted down, near enough to her thigh that she could have touched his head if she dared to. She knew that her breath should be visible, but her eyes strained to make out anything but the light in the distance. It was the same as they had seen on the monitor, but somehow out here, it seemed even farther away.

She couldn't see anything farther. Not a star in the sky, despite the darkness, nothing. The Doctor stood again, reaching out. He took her hand gently, his hands feeling warmer than normal. She opened her palm, as he dropped dry blades of grass into it.

Closing her hand, she crumbled them easily, dropping the dust to the ground.

"This isn't just darkness," he said, and she could hear the rustle of fabric. She imagined him wiping his hand on his jacket, and wondered when she started knowing him so well, she didn't need her eyes to see him. "It seems like a drought. We need to talk to the locals."

"What about the moving thing," Donna asked, wiping her hand free of the clinging pieces.

"Not sure," he said, and she felt him take her hand.

He was still upset with her, she was certain, but he was taking her along. They were heading for the house, with more questions than answers, before them still.

DW

The air was cool against his cheeks, not quite smelling like something dead, but it was getting there. The whole planet was going to fade without light...of course that wasn't exactly true. He let out a small sigh, glancing at Donna. He could make her out, her hood up to keep out the chill, her eyes straight ahead. Her hand was warmer than his, though it was cooling rapidly.

He squeezed it a bit tighter, causing her to glance at him, before returning her attention to the next step before her.

He should have left her behind, fairly certain that the only thing they were going to find at the end of this trip was heartbreak. But she was strong willed, and around her he seemed to bend. But he knew that was much better than shattering, and her hand in his always did manage to chase his demons away...at least while the moment lasted.

"It's so quiet, " she said, as they made the slow progress to the house they were trying to reach.

Her voice seemed to echo in the silence, and he nodded, before he remembered that she wouldn't be able to see the action.

"It is," he agreed, trying to push them faster, nervousness settling around his stomach, making an all too familiar ache begin.

"But I mean..." she started, and he heard her draw in a slow breath. He wanted to stop. To acknowledge her fears, but he didn't. He wouldn't let her drown, because he was certain he would be all too willing to die trying to save her. "I mean, really quiet. Not an animal, or anything? Shouldn't there be something? Is everything dead? Doctor...tell me that's not why you wanted to leave me behind! This isn't like land of the zombies or something. I don't think your screwdri-

"Donna!" he said, quickly cutting her off. "You watch too many movies."

He increased his pace once more, and she huffed, moving to keep up.

"That isn't a denial."

He let out a breath, trying to control his urge to snap. It wasn't her fault she didn't understand. It wasn't as if he had shared everything with her. It wasn't as if he could.

He paused, letting her catch her breath, while he watched her.

"I'm not expecting, zombies, Donna," the Doctor said. "I don't think everything is dead. I do think this situation...will become quite difficult, but until I have all the details, there is no point in us driving ourselves mad with all the possibilities. Okay?"

He knew that he was speaking to himself too in that moment, as his mind tried to reach out for every glimpse of trouble he had heard of or found himself mixed up in. He really was getting too old, it would take too long to remember everything that had happened lifetimes ago. He suddenly felt weary, and he was thankful when she nodded.

"Okay," she agreed, after a moment.

He gave her hand a grateful squeeze, when she didn't argue and turned to start walking again. They were making good progress, silently, while he tried to figure out what else could possibly being going on.

"Doctor!" Donna said, giving his hand an urgent squeeze.

He jerked his head towards her, so lost in his thoughts he couldn't place the reason for her concern for a moment that seemed to stretch out before them.

"The light is out," she said, pointing.

He turned, and pulled her to a sudden stop.

"Damn," he muttered, digging in his pocket for his sonic.