Author's Note: Sorry for the long delay in updates, RL has been going insane and most likely will for a while more. I look forward to updating more often soon though. With that, I find that I have been listening to Juan Sam's two hour 50th anniversary mix of Dr Who music on youtube the most while writing. The most inspirational song for me by far is "This is Gallifrey" which I consider to be Ten's unofficial theme. More notes at the end of the chapter. Thanks to all who have commented and liked!
The Tardis slipped through the vortex, the gentle whirring of the time rotor filling the emptiness as the Doctor sat staring broodily up at the gently glowing column.
The universe had been strangely quiet for the last few weeks, a much needed respite which had allowed them to truly focus on Donna and her training. She was progressing astonishingly fast, her mental barriers were fast rivaling his own and she was quite proud every time she was able to fight him off.
He couldn't help the smile that turned up the corners of his mouth at the memory, she had literally been jumping up and down before she could stop herself. It had been a hard earned victory, and one that he had been so proud to have finally seen her achieve.
The days they spent locked in each other's minds were physically draining on the both of them, they were relearning each other after the metacrisis and it was beyond taxing. He didn't know where they were going right now, only that they were on this journey together and it was definitely starting to get complicated.
He still kept his mind locked with hers when she was sleeping, that was the one time she was still painfully vulnerable and had yet to truly master shielding her mind. He found he enjoyed listening to her dreams, though they were not always pleasant. She would dream of the metacrisis quite often, she would also dream of those fateful events on the Dalek Crucible when her entire life had changed so irrevocably.
She was gradually coming to terms with all the changes, though he could still feel the regret that filled her at times. He wondered how she could go on as she was, travelling with him even though he had been the reason for so much of her pain. It was not enough that he had given her own mind back to her, but that he was finally able to help her grow into her new powers and control them better. He thrilled when his thoughts touched hers and he found she was thinking of him, thinking of them together and what journeys awaited them next.
He had to have some answers though, he needed to go back to the source and find out just what had happened and how much time he really did have. It was beyond selfish of him to think that he could start something meaningful with her with the possibility of his regeneration looming over him. Could she love him even after he changed? Could he ask her to?
Standing up and programming the coordinates into the Tardis, the Doctor looked right up into Donna's turbulent blue green eyes. He licked lips suddenly gone dry when his gaze was locked with hers, while his other hand threw the final lever home.
They both held on as the Tardis shuddered mid-stream before slipping into its next path of travel. "I didn't hear you come in."
Which was a huge surprise in and of itself. He should have felt her presence way before she even got into the control room, too damn distracted by the feel of her mind and thoughts. She had been ghosting through his mind while she had made the way to the control room, her touch feather light in a testament to her growing power.
"You're going back then?"
It was a statement more than a question, her eyes shining with unshed tears when she remembered the pain that she had felt on that distant world.
He scrubbed his hand through his hair, leaning back against the console as he nodded. "I need to know, Donna. I need to know what's changed and how it has changed, or if I'm still running towards that death."
She stepped close, her hand rising up to cup his cheek. "What happens if you are Doctor? What then?"
Her hand was trembling against his face, the fingers drumming against the back of his neck while she waited for him to once more rip her world apart. He reached up to take her hand in his, dark eyes pleading with hers as he clutched that hand close to his chest. "I will change Donna. I want to know when or even if that is still coming sometime soon so that I can make sure you are okay through it all. I can't abandon you again Donna. Not like I did before."
She took a deep breath, unable to still the lance of fear that shot through her at his mention of regenerating. She knew well enough what that all entailed, many of his memories were still in her own mind and she remembered quite clearly how he had thought of his previous incarnations. The essence that was him remained the same throughout, but everything else changed even his personality to a large degree.
She nodded softly at his words, leaning close to just breathe deeply of his presence before whispering. "Well don't go chasing it Doctor. If it is out there we will deal with it together."
He wrapped his arms about her body, just holding tight to her for a brief luxurious moment before the Tardis landed with a soft thump.
She looked up at him, hands stilling on his chest when she felt the swell of the Ood song in her head once more. Her hand flew to her temples, the barriers she had built in place suddenly blasted away in the wake of their singing. The beautiful haunting melody that echoed through every corner of the galaxy and threatened to sweep all who she was up in the joy of their song.
His finger reached up to touch her temple, having forgotten just how powerful the song of the Ood had been and how overwhelming it would be for Donna's fledgling senses.
She was quivering against him, eyes wide with panic when she felt herself floundering in the depths of that ancient, ancient song. His hands anchored her to reality, his mind moving gently within her own to help her slam the door closed in order stem the tide of rejoicing. "Was it this loud before Doctor? All that noise, inside your head? How could you stand it?"
He shrugged, letting his fingers ghosted over her cheek, his eyes locking with hers as he murmured. "This was nothing compared to how it was, you heard them for a brief moment. You heard their grief and sorrow, now it is only joy that they sing Donna." His face was lit with a boyish grin. "And it's brilliant!"
She smiled in response to his wonder, the song dulled for the time being but still resonating through every part of her being because she was still so inextricably linked with him. It was tolerable now for the time being. She could do this. For him, she had to do this.
He took her hand and together they stepped to the door of the Tardis, flinging it open and stepping once more onto the frozen surface of the Ood world.
As before, Ood Sigma stood there waiting for them. His alien eyes blinking in that too rapid beat while he regarded them, before lifting his translator ball.
"You have returned Doctor Donna. Much has changed and things are no longer as they were."
The Doctor turned to look at Donna when he felt the instant recoil in her mind at that name, the name that had been so much more than a prophecy for her. "She is not the Doctor Donna anymore. I was able to save her from that."
Ood Sigma regarded him calmly while he spoke, before inclining his head. "She will forever be the Doctor Donna. You cannot change that, Doctor."
The Doctor felt a stab of fear at his words. "But I drained the power from her, she no longer has my consciousness in her mind. Is she safe?"
Donna's hand was trembling in his grasp, the words between the Doctor and Ood Sigma causing her to flash painfully back to the Master's ship and the searing agony that had been her life. She hadn't felt anything in weeks, her body had healed and her mind was slowly starting on that long path as well. If there was anything left… Any residual trace, the Doctor would have recognized it wouldn't he?
"She will always be Doctor Donna. But yes, she is safe from that threat now. Please come with me, the elders need to speak with you."
The Doctor pulled Donna close, his hands framing her face as he whispered. "It will be all right, Donna. We'll get the answers we need here."
She smiled in response to him, her trembling easing away at the warmth of his hand against her face. "I will be all right Doctor. I honestly have never felt better in my life, come on Spaceman let's go see what's going on."
His answering grin was tentative, but he could only nod and take her hand in his so they could follow in Ood Sigma's wake.
The Ood had begun to rebuild their homes in earnest now that the humans had left them alone. There were still ships arriving from all corners of the cosmos, bringing the stolen Ood back home so they could begin to heal once more and join their minds with the great song. Reaching out across the stars, calling every single Ood back home.
Donna looked around as they walked further through the city, her cheeks wet with tears at the joy she felt surging through the Doctor and through his bond with her. It was beautiful and amazing, the cries of a people enslaved had changed to the joy of freedom and it was all because of the man striding next to her. This crazy alien that she had the privilege to travel the stars with once more. This Lord of Time who saved people, who loved and lost and in the end showed such amazing mercy.
She had often wondered how he had not gone mad with all the loss that he had suffered through his long life, but it was moments like these when she realized it was all worth it for him. To know that every once in a while he was able to make that tiny bit of difference and change the history of a people.
She squeezed his hand just a little bit tighter, unable to help the brilliant smile she gave him when he looked down at her in curiosity. "This makes it all worth it, doesn't it Doctor?"
She indicated everything going on around them, the bustling of a people rebuilding themselves and finding their place once more in the universe. He grinned softly in response. "Yeah, seeing them like this, makes it all worth it in the end."
They clung to each other as they followed Ood Sigma into a large cavern, the circular space below reached by a candlelit path that encircled the room. There were seven elder Ood sitting in a circle around a brazier, their hindbrains intact in their laps while they took turns inhaling the vapors rising from the coals.
The heat was nearly unbearable and the smell of incense both musky and alien, nearly overpowering Donna and making her feel her head beginning to swim in response. The Doctor was transfixed by the sight before him, his whole body nearly vibrating with his nervous energy while he waited to be led down to the elder council.
Ood Sigma raised his translator ball, the proper, dry voice echoing through the chamber. "They have come. The Lord of Time and the Doctor Donna. They have come seeking as was forseen."
Donna gasped at the touch of their combined minds, their thoughts caressing her essence even through the barriers that the Doctor had so painstakingly helped her construct in her mind.
They come, they come. Standing at the center of time and space. They come seeking to know what has been torn asunder.
The Doctor stepped closer to the edge of the circle, his eyes burning with his desperate need to know. "You told me my song was going to end. You told me he would knock four times before the end. But that has stopped now for some reason. I heard the knocking, but then there was nothing. Only silence." He shoved his hands into his pocket as he leaned forward intently, the intensity burning off of him in near blinding waves. "Tell me please what has changed? Or has it changed? Is that prophecy still to come?"
Donna couldn't help the gasp that bubbled up through her lips, the instant burn of tears when she thought of his death as something that was still a fixed point in time. No, he had said he felt it shift and change. The knocking had stopped, that awful wretched pounding that had nearly driven him insane. She didn't know what she would do if that was still looming for him, she very much was afraid of the answer even though she strained with every fiber of her being to listen.
Come and sit Time Lord. Come and join with us. The circle parted as he warily moved into the circle, settling cross legged and joining hands with them. His mind was blasted open at the contact, the future laid out before him in breathtaking detail. He saw the future that they had foretold, he saw that death that he had been running headlong from and he very clearly saw the divergent path that branched off. The branch that they were now all walking along.
He pulled back with a gasp as his eyes flew to Donna's, once again time was shaping itself around her and she had been the reason that his future had been so radically altered. The timelines were converging once more around her, drawing them all towards some unknowable conclusion that even the Ood were unable to see. However, one thing was certain. That death would not be coming anytime soon for him. The pain and worry that he hadn't known he was holding just melted away as for the first time, he truly allowed himself to believe there could be a future for them.
That song ended Doctor, just as was foretold. Your song of loneliness and madness died that day over Gallifrey's burning skies. The elders each looked at him with their ancient eyes, the mandibles shifting gently as they continued. A new song was born that day, a song to which the end is still unknown as that future is still forming.
Their eyes lifted up to Donna, their voices lifting in unison as they intoned. She is still the crux of that change Doctor. Though you took that which she had been granted. She is still very much a part of things to come.
Donna cocked her head when she caught that thought, the look on the Doctor's face was unreadable as he digested all that had been said. "Why me Doctor?"
He cleared his throat, his mind reaching out to hers while he tried to grasp all that he had been shown. "Because you're special, Donna."
She jumped as he said almost the exact words that his doppelganger had said all those months ago, the same reaction burning through her even as she murmured. "But you changed me back, Doctor. You made it so I couldn't burn up. Didn't you?"
She sounded so forlorn and lost, her mind was reeling with all that she was hearing even as she worried that the fire would come back once more.
The Doctor broke the contact with the elders when he felt her panicking, he jumped to his feet and took her shoulders into his hands. "Look at me." She struggled to raise her eyes to his, feeling dazed and completely off balance as she fell into the stormy dark depths of his gaze. "You are safe Donna. I've seen parts of the future as they can envision it, and you are still a very big part of that future."
His smile was near blinding, his eyes taking on a dreamy faraway look. "All that fire, your own unique fire that burns so bright even the heavens see it, still so very much a part of you. I didn't take your power Donna, not that which makes you so amazingly you. There is much ahead for both of us." He hesitated, wondering just how much she had seen through her bond to him. How their timelines had merged into one shining strand, the two of them traveling through time and space growing together, minds melding and merging till they didn't know where one ended and the other began. Oh just the sight of it had been absolutely spectacular.
She nodded numbly at his words, her shaking hands reaching up to brush across his cheek as she murmured. "Both of us indeed."
He smiled before turning back to the Ood. "What else has changed? The universe has been strangely quiet lately and I don't like it when things go this quiet."
The elders joined hands once more, their eyes glowing with fierce some power. Change has come to all the universe Doctor. The timelines have been altered and they are still falling into place. You have been granted a brief respite from your struggles, a rare time that you can heal and come to terms with these changes but that respite will end soon. Make of this time what you will, enjoy it now because once the peace is broken it will not be silent again for a long time.
He took a deep breath at those words, having known that the peace had been tenuous at best. The silence was breaking then, it was just a matter of trying to figure out when and how the storm would come.
He bowed deeply and reverently to the elders, his hands twitching now that he had all the information he was going to get. He was itching to be back to the Tardis, ready to fly into the universe once more. "Thank you for the warning and the brief glimpse you gave me. I will be on my guard."
Run free, Time Lord and Doctor Donna, run through the stars ever watchful of the storm.
Donna took the Doctor's hand, her own small hand shaking within his as they turned to leave the cavern. She was still confused with all that she had heard and felt there, the images she had seen pouring through his mind when he had joined with the collective consciousness of the Ood.
Images had tickled the memories in her mind that she had gleaned from the Doctor when he had been joined with her. She had recognized strands of time, but she had been unable to process which were what had been and what had been changed. She had felt the burst of understanding come from him though when one timeline in particular had seemed to blaze across the galaxy, forging through all the heavens in a burst of power.
Their walk back to the Tardis was subdued as they were both serenaded by the song of the Ood, cocooned in their thoughts for once not present in each other's minds but locked in their own musings. So much had been changed, the future rewritten by the very presence of the amazing woman who walked beside him.
She didn't believe in her own self-worth, even after all that had happened to her and the things that she had seen and done, he knew well enough that she most likely never would. It still amazed him that she could be so unsure of herself, when there were worlds out there singing of her with stunning songs of adulation. She stood at the center of storms, her very presence calming time's rage even while all of time bent around her.
They walked hand in hand back through the city, the Tardis coming into view all too quickly. Ood Sigma was standing there waiting for them nearby, translator ball in hand. "Journey safely Doctor Donna. We are always in your debt for all that you have done for us."
The Doctor smiled in return, unable to control the small bow when he stopped by the doors. "It was an honor, Ood Sigma. Continue growing and healing your people, you know how to get a hold of me should there ever be a need."
Donna smiled softly as she murmured. "Thank you, for everything."
She took one last look up at the alien sky above her, the tears burning down her cheeks as the barriers fell away one by one and the song of absolute adulation filled her mind to near bursting.
Turning to follow the Doctor into the Tardis, its blue doors squealing shut as the Tardis slowly faded from view once more.
The Doctor bounced around the console, flipping switches and throwing levers to send the ship into the time stream. He was filled to near bursting with energy, feeling like a man pardoned at the last possible moment.
Donna sat in the jumpseat, watching him bustle about the controls, the energy that was pouring off him was near incandescent. She reached out and felt the tumult of his thoughts, trying to understand all that he had felt though so much of it was still clouded in uncertainty. He was still trying to process all that he had seen, trying to make sense of it all. The thought that was uppermost in his mind though was that he had been given hope again, a new lease on life when he had not been expecting it.
He looked up at the touch of her mind, the smile on his lips radiant as he threw the last lever home and the ship shuddered in response before heading towards the void once more.
She was pinned to the seat by the intensity in his gaze, unable to move when he stepped closer to her. His hand reached up to brush an errant curl away from her cheek, fingers curving about the silken strand as his eyes locked with hers.
"It's finally truly over." He took a deep breath as all the pain and fear that had been gnawing at him while he had been pushing her in her training finally melted away. He had been terrified he would change before he was truly able to make sure she was ready, that even though he had felt his own timelines shift and tear on that fateful day, he had somehow been mistaken. That he would leave her just when she needed him most, worse that his successor would not feel for her what he did nor would he know what to do with her in the midst of his own regeneration illness.
It had been those very fears that had throttled him while he had pushed Donna so ruthlessly the last few weeks, the times she had broken down in tears as she had railed against him. Screaming and crying about the enormity of the wrong that had been done to her and the changes that she had been forced to endure, the things that she felt now from him and from herself as they had delved deeper into each other's minds then either had thought possible.
He had been relentless, driven only by his need to make sure she was as ready as she could be, ready for anything in case he ever had to abandon her again. The burning in his hearts as she had wept, the tears that he had ached to shed but could not because he knew once started he would never stop.
So he had held her, rocking her and comforting her when he could barely comfort himself. The Ood had finally ended all that today, and for the first time since his strange rebirth he was finally free to let it all go.
His eyes shone with a raging fire as all those thoughts burned through him, screaming from his mind to hers while he continued to rub that fiery golden strand between quivering fingers.
"You're finally well and truly safe, Donna. I'm so sorry that I've been so hard on you recently, I'm sorry I pushed you so hard."
She jumped at those words, storm clouds gathering in her eyes when she remembered some of the more intense sessions they had shared recently. "You were a total prawn, spaceman." She reached up to touch his face in return, smiling gently as she murmured. "But I know why you did it, even though you managed to hide a lot of that from me while you were doing it."
She took a deep breath, humbled by the depth of emotion she felt from him. She understood now the strange intensity that had been relentlessly driving him, she understood why he had been so hard on her even while she had begged for time to process all that was happening. It had all been done out of fear for her and what was coming, it had all been done to better prepare her. Realizing that, she leaped in with both feet. "Don't shut me out like that again, Doctor. We're in this together remember?"
He nodded at her words, mind still filled with the shining vision of their timelines. "Never have to again, Donna. Now that it is all over, I'm not going anywhere."
With that, he cradled her face in both of his hands and claimed her lips in a searing kiss. All the pent up fear, frustration and desire burning through his body as he growled into her mouth, tongue sweeping through her parted lips when she gasped in surprise.
He pressed close to her, his entire body screaming with the feel of her against him, her body warm warm and so delicious when she pressed close to him with a soft whimper.
She gasped when she felt his mind thrusting within hers, the caress a disturbingly intimate invasion while his mind wrapped about hers, pulling her essence into his. Her breath caught in her lungs at the sensation of fingers running across her mind, the touch plucking strands of thought until she felt her entire body humming with delicious need.
She could barely form a coherent thought, her entire body was on fire as his lips savaged hers. The release of all his fears, pouring into her mind and her body was overwhelming to say the least. She felt the hope that he had been too frightened to even consider surging within him, his own mind was screaming with joy, the sensation enough to cause tears to spring to her eyes even while her essence was swept away on a tide of white-hot passion. Her hands clenched in his hair, breath panting against his lips while her teeth bit softly into his lower lip, feeling a surge of wet heat at his responding moan.
She could vaguely feel the sense of smug satisfaction from the Tardis as the ship slipped into the void once more, settling into quiet running in order to better cocoon her Doctor and his Donna.
The Doctor broke free with a gasp, his eyes searing hers with their intensity as he took her hand in his and pulled her up from the jumpseat. He was vaguely aware that the Tardis was no longer in the time vortex, but unless the ship was crashing and burning around them he could care less where they were as he grabbed Donna close once more. Crushing her body against his, thrilling when she melted into him just as eager to be closer.
He was not going to stop, not this time and she was happily leaping in feet first with him as they locked lips once again, bodies straining closer, hips pumping against each other while his hands travelled down her back to grab a tight hold of her hips.
Her head fell back with a cry, eyes clenched tightly closed at the feel of being lifted up against his body, the searing heat burning against her body was mind-blowing and she was far too gone to even remember when or where they were.
He urged her to wrap her legs around his hips so he could stumble from the control room, his body was on fire as twin hearts pounded with a maddened cadence of desire and raw need. The Tardis thankfully shifted the corridors about in her usual way, bringing his room closer to him so that they would not have to stumble too far before falling into his bed.
He set her down, face covered in a fine sheen of sweat as he let his hands roam up over her arms and across her throat. He couldn't believe that she was here and with him, that finally all the running had come to a crashing halt and that she was letting him be with her in all the ways he had been dreaming of for longer than he cared to remember.
He was himself with her, she was the only one who ever saw the heart of him in all his rage and madness, and still gave of herself so completely to him. The surge of tenderness was nearly overwhelming at the touch of her gaze, her lips swollen from his kiss, her body swaying in time with his mind that fueled the fire in her body to dizzying heights.
It was the most amazing and intimate caress of all, the touching of his mind to hers as he pulled her close to him once more and gently laid her out on his bed. She screamed out to him when he descended over her, body arching up to meet his while her lips locked onto his own. Grabbing handfuls of his hair and pulling him tight to her, she went wild beneath him feeling everything building to a fever pitch now that the dam had finally been broken.
The Doctor's lips seared down the arched column of her neck, teeth grazing across the delicate pulsepoint while his fingers ghosted down over the buttons on her top. Fingers trembling, he flicked them open one by one, unable to stop the caress of heated creamy flesh while his lips travelled lower still.
She was writhing against him, her whole body going up in flames at the delicious feel of his body pressing her down into the softly yielding mattress beneath them. He was wearing far too many clothes still, she needed to feel so much more and she needed it now.
Arching up with a gasp when his lips grazed the tender flesh between her breasts, her mind whited out at the sensations that exploded through her and into his through their bond, his head lowered against her chest at the fire that raged between them.
He was gasping desperately, trying to regain some control so that they could better enjoy each other, but he didn't know if he would be able to at least not this first time. The sensations were far too intoxicating, and he was drunk with the feel of her mind clouded with hunger and passion and driven far past any coherent thought. He no longer knew where he ended and she began, the intertwining of their minds was so complete while they shared thoughts and desires and sensations. Back and forth, spinning them up higher in a web of passion that neither had ever thought possible. Trembling hands caressed tender flesh, his lips blazing a heated path between her breasts, sucking first one nipple then the other into his mouth.
She screamed when teeth grazed teasingly over each aching bud, her hands restlessly pushing at his jacket while her back arched up closer. Aching for so much more, her heels planting against the bed to push herself even closer to him. The need was all-encompassing, she had never before been so consumed by passion and she knew that he was only just beginning.
He sat up when her felt her hands insistently pushing his jacket off his shoulders, her eyes spitting near sparks when she could barely budge it from his shoulders. Her fingers were completely incapable of working buttons right now, but she desperately needed to feel him against her to feel all of his body fused with hers just like his mind already was.
"Too many clothes. Take them off Doctor, just take them off now!"
He nodded while he tried to tackle the monumental task of ridding himself of his usual tight suit, the buttons slipping through trembling fingers and causing him to growl in frustration. His hands clenched on either lapel and with a heave, he tore the jacket right off his shoulders. Buttons flew in every direction as he ripped the clothes from his body, far too worked up to even care as he finished undressing her with the same savage urgency. She couldn't stop the grin that ghosted across her lips, his intensity only serving to fuel her own heat.
He paused when she finally lay naked beneath him, the cloud of fiery hair spread out in a silken pool over his pillow. His breath caught and his hearts stuttered as she stared up at him, her eyes deep green pools of warmth and desire while her body shifted and turned beneath the touch of his gaze. Gods she was stunning, her body ripe with curves he had only dreamed about. His fingers traced a blazing path down her throat, gently stroking over the pale curve of a full breast before skimming back over a taut aching nipple.
She gasped at the sudden stab of heat at his touch, hips jerking up towards him while she looked her own fill. She had seen him naked before, well his doppelganger anyways but it was the same thing, she remembered well the strange thrill that had burned through her at that glance even before she had looked away. Now though, she was staring with rapt attention, her lips quirking into a smile as her own hand reached out to touch the pale skin before her.
She remembered calling him a long streak of alien nothing, and she really had believed that when she had said it, but then she never in a million years had imagined that this was where they both were heading. His body was long and lean, wiry muscles in just the right places. She sucked in her breath at the quiver of those muscles beneath her fingers, his head falling back so he could just enjoy the sensation of her touch. Her fingers trailed through the light dusting of hair on his chest and down over his belly, swirling lazy circles before continuing lower. She jumped when his hand grabbed hers, the thought all too clear in his mind that if her hand had continued this would be over far too quickly for the both of them.
Her tongue darted out to moisten suddenly dry lips, his gaze drawn to that movement as he stretched himself out over her body once more. The shock of skin on skin contact nearly drove them both out of their minds then and there, his world went dark with screaming pleasure when he felt her thighs parting so he could settle between them right where he had wanted to be for so long.
She moved restlessly against him, hips bucking and arching against the turgid shaft that pressed so close to her own burning center. She whimpered and moaned, completely lost on the tides of sensations and emotions filling the both of them. The overwhelming power of his passion as he devoured her body in fiery kisses and caresses filled her near to bursting, his own heat somehow becoming hers even as she was completely engulfed in a raging inferno of passion that had centuries to build.
It had been far too long since he had truly allowed himself the luxury of this kind of lovemaking, when his mind and soul were so entwined with another as to become nearly a single being. It had been centuries, since before the fall of his people really, and he had truly thought he would never be able to feel the all consuming passion ever again. The feeling was intoxicating, his mind caressing hers in ways she had never felt before and the responding surge of fire only served to fuel his own hunger. He could still scarcely believe that she was there with him, that he had finally for once in his long life been granted something solely his own. He was like an untried youth, unable to control the power of his own mind as he took her with him spinning into oblivion. She was right there with him though, the depths of her own fire making her a more than fitting match for his passion.
His hands smoothed over Donna's quivering body while his eyes stayed locked with hers, the other half of his soul that had been missing for so very long. She had become everything to him, and she was here with him giving herself into his keeping and trusting while she was swept away by the furious passion of a Time Lord.
Her head arched back, her breasts heaving as she screamed and cried out to him, thighs moving restlessly as she squirmed trying to find the heart of him with her own body. Her hands clenched tight to him even as her mind screamed out to him, one word that seemed to explode in his head even as he reared back in shock.
Eyes locked with hers, his lips parted on a gasp at the sudden calm look that she gave him, the warmth was unmistakable.
"You know my name." His voice cracked with emotion, his eyes searching hers even as the fires in his own raged almost beyond his control. How had he missed that little bit of knowledge in her head all these weeks? How had she managed to keep that from him when they had spent so much time locked in each other's minds?
She looked at him with fathomless eyes, her hand rising to curl about his neck so she could pull him close. "You were in my head, for months and months on end. Every part of you was in me, of course I would know your name. Of course I would know it and remember."
His lips parted at the feel of her reaching back out to him, that long hidden name shivering across their bond as she opened her mind and body to his raging passion once more. "It was yours to give, Doctor." She whispered, reverting back to the name he had assumed. "But it has burned in my mind ever since you were there. I figured you would tell me all in good time."
His mind was numb with shock as he leaned close to her again, feeling the wonder flow through him at the melting away of the final barrier that had lain between them. She knew his name, she had known it for months and yet she hadn't used it except for now when she was so completely lost in his arms. His hearts swelled with so much emotion he could barely name them all, his mind clouded with the ecstasy of finally truly not being alone.
She cried out in happy delirium as he returned to her, his mind entwined once more with hers while his hands travelled down between them. Brushing lightly over her quivering belly, the smile on his lips unmistakable at her gasp.
He was fast losing any semblance of control, it had been far too long and he had been dreaming of this day for so bloody long. His hand travelled lower over her hip, urging her to press higher and harder up into him as his mind stroked through hers in delicious anticipation of what was to come.
She was lost, utterly and completely lost in everything that she was feeling. Her newfound ability had opened her mind to certain possibilities, but nothing ever like this. Sure, she had had lovers in the past but those times were but a pale imitation of the total consuming passion of a Time Lord. The complete and utter claiming of her body and mind, till she felt laid completely bare in a sea of fire.
His mind urged hers to move within his own, to reach out to him in just the way he was to her so that she was able to revel in the pleasure of such a claiming. She was human yes, but her mind and powers now made her a more than equal match for him. His head was thrown back in wild abandon as her tentative strokes grew more confident, as he felt her reaching back out to him until they were both completely entwined. The sheer eroticism of feeling her moving within his mind was enough to send his body into wild paroxysms of screaming delight, his muscles were clenching in time to her tentative strokes, hips moving unconsciously. Their very essence moving within each other, rubbing and caressing thoughts and dreams and hopes. He wasn't even aware of the tears that streaked down his cheeks, the beautiful completion stilling the longing that had filled him for far too long. Oh his Donna, his amazing miracle.
He pressed close against her, his lips capturing hers in a rapturous kiss while his thighs urged hers further apart. She whimpered when she felt his hand reach down between them, long fingers gently brushing against her aching center and causing her to nearly throw him off her as she bucked in response.
He could barely control himself when he felt the burst of moist heat deep within her, the responding surge against his hand was his undoing as he wrapped his hand about his cock before pressing himself home.
Her eyes flew open to lock with his, the breath coming in hitching gasps when she felt his searing heat beginning to fill her. She couldn't stop the scream that was building, her hands clawing at his back in crazed need, arching up to meet him when he finally settled fully within her.
He held himself tautly over her, his breathing ragged and hearts racing a frenzied beat that no human heart could ever match. His breath was fire against her neck as he paused for a moment to let her adjust to the feel of him, and to gain semblance of control over his frayed senses. He was nearly insensible with the burning sensation of tight, hot muscles clamped down near painfully around him. His mind pouring the sensations into hers so that the muscles quivered and contracted around him in quivering response, her own response was volcanic at the touch of his mind and she surged up against him with a scream.
Her hands clawed near bloody furrows down his back when he began to move, pulling out and thrusting back home in a rhythm as old as time itself. The tension building between them both as their bodies lit fire, the heat growing within them and drawing tighter and tighter. She clung to him, completely lost on the waves of ecstasy searing through the both of them.
Her heart was slamming against her ribs, the pleasure was fast becoming too much at each long, perfect thrust. His body moved over hers in exquisite delight, his hands trailing fire in their wake as he caressed her hips and breasts. His mouth traveled back down her arched neck, tongue flicking over the insanely fluttering pulsepoint until she could barely whimper in response. Her mind was completely incoherent with sensation, the inferno spiraling into a searing ball of white hot agony before exploding outwards and sending molten waves of ecstasy cascading through her entire being. Screaming out his name, she arched up one last time and spun away into a fiery release that caused her mind to completely white out.
The Doctor cried out to her as he felt those tight silken muscles lock down like a vise about him, before exploding in spasms of delirious release. He felt the explosion deep within her spirit and body, the waves blasting over him as with a final scream, he spun over the edge of reason and felt his body explode within hers in a release that was far more spiritual than physical. Their minds completely enmeshed within each other as they lost themselves in each other's fire and passion, the shivers of release quivering through both of them as they both spun away into white hot release. He couldn't even think, his spirit moving against hers in the most intimate caress of all as they surged together for long, long moments.
He finally fell against her with a soft cry, body numb and muscles quivering in useless spasms while she shivered beneath him. Her legs were locked about his hips even as her hips still moved restlessly beneath him in a motion she was completely unaware of, her arms were clamped about him in an unbreakable hold as they slowly came back to each other.
He looked up at her with a goofy grin, hand rising to brush sweat soaked hair out of her eyes before he leaned down to brush a soft kiss across her swollen lips. She lifted a trembling hand in response, gently wiping away the tears that she knew were mirrored on her own cheeks.
He turned his head to press a soft kiss into the palm of her hand, eyes sliding closed at the sweet lassitude that filled him. His mind was still locked in hers and he knew that it would be for a long time to come, he would most likely never be able to be completely out of her mind again such was the completion of the mating of the Time Lords. They truly would become two halves to a whole, minds and bodies completely joined together in a union that eventually only death would be able to tear asunder and even then not for long.
He chuckled softly as he remembered when she had come back to the Tardis, eyes locking with hers when he felt the question in her mind. "I did say I wanted a mate when you came on board."
She couldn't help the tired laugh at that comment, nodding in response before pulling him down for a searing kiss. "Yes, you did. Though I doubt this is what you had in mind when you said it. Not that I'm complaining mind you." She playfully swatted at his arm when she felt the burst of smug pride from him. "Now don't go getting a big head, Spaceman."
He laughed at that, lips nibbling on hers as he murmured. "That'll never happen with you around. You're very good at keeping my ego in check, earthgirl." She grinned softly up at him, delighting in the playful banter even though their bodies were still locked tightly together and still quivering in the aftermath. She just reveled in the closeness with him, not ready for it to end anytime soon.
He pulled away from her once more, finger brushing over her cheek to dry her tears before he asked. "Why didn't you tell me, Donna?" His eyes locked with hers, there was no accusation in the question only a burning need to know.
She drew a deep breath, gathering her thoughts in regards to that painful time in her memory. "I didn't want you to feel obligated for anything, Doctor. I know what that means to you, and its not like you had a choice in the matter with me. Whatever was in your head, was in mine as well. I didn't want it to feel like…" She paused thinking of the right word before continuing. "I didn't want it to feel like I had stolen something from you. I really did figure you would tell me if and when you were ever ready. Many things have faded, but some are still there just as fresh as they were when your mind joined with mine."
She whimpered softly when he rolled to his back, pulling her with him and cradling her body close to his like he was loathe still to break the contact with her. It didn't feel like she had stolen anything from him, quite the opposite actually. She had given him back himself. She had given him hope and completed him in the ways of his people even though she was still human herself. He would have told her eventually, especially as their bond only continued to strengthen with each passing day. "I don't want to rush you, Donna. You've been through so much already, but that name is a promise. No one has known that name for hundreds of years and there is only one person that I had ever considered telling it to."
She reared up to look at him, her eyes suddenly stormy at his words. "Don't feel obligated for anything, Doctor. I told you we are in this together, and we move when we both are good and ready." A mirthless smile turned up the corner of her mouth. "Not because of some damn metacrisis."
He growled at that, reaching up to claim her lips in a searing kiss. "Stop that, Donna. Stop thinking so little of yourself." His hand cupped her cheek, forcing her to meet his eyes once more. "After you have been in my mind, after you have felt all of me as you just did, you still think I consider you a chore? Or worse a duty?" She shuddered when he asked that question, unable to still the tears that burned down her cheeks.
His lips brushed them away one by one, his mind moving within hers once more to hold her spirit close. "You have been my salvation, Donna. You complete me in ways I had never dared to dream. I was going to tell you my name when the time was right." He smiled against her cheek at that. "This couldn't have been more right. You used it as a talisman, you named me as you gave everything that you were to me. How could anything ever be more right than that?"
She looked up at him, eyes filled with wonder when he pulled her close once more. "We'll move at our own pace. We have all the time in the world together now."
She smiled against his chest, snuggling close as the strength finally seemed to drain from her body. She had never felt such an intense firestorm of emotion and need, nor had she ever lost herself in a man's arms so completely. The effect was euphoric but was also completely exhausting.
They had a bright and shining future before them, and for now they just reveled in the newfound closeness between them. He buried his face in her hair, just holding her close but unable to believe that finally he had had her and it had been far more than he had ever expected it to be.
She truly was his equal in all ways. Her passion a more than perfect match for his where she met him as an equal, it had been a near battle between them but it had been glorious. This is what he had been missing for centuries, this level of closeness with another being , one who knew everything there was to know about him. Oh the glory of not being alone anymore, it was almost more than he could bear.
He would need to talk to her more about his name, and why he had chosen the name of the Doctor. She had not used his name as a weapon, but as the talisman she knew it to be. An affirmation of the trust and the love that she had for him, and that now their future together had just been sealed.
He kissed her forehead, smiling when she shivered and pulled the blankets up around them to stave off the chill of the room. The Tardis reached out to him, letting him know how happy she was that the two of them had finally quit with all the stupid running and were finally together as they should have been all along.
He pulled Donna close against him, thrilling in the feel of her naked body against his and his ship surrounding them with her affection and warmth, he drifted off with Donna into some much needed sleep.
Author's Note 2: There is some debate on what the Doctor's real name is. His name is uttered in old who, though it sounds more like a mathematical equation which makes sense considering the Gallifreyan language is mathematically based. Personally I like to think he would have something a little warmer than that, but that's just my preference. For that reason, I did not have Donna actually say his name, only that she shouted it to the Doctor when completely lost to him. In the end though, names are power and his name is a very powerful talisman indeed for good or for evil which is why I believe he always protected it so jealously.
I am debating where next to take this story as there are several options. The universe does move on and there will be challenges for them to face together, but I am uncertain how I wish to write those challenges. Daleks and Cybermen or something more insidious? Any ideas would be appreciated as I need to take some time for RL before returning with more adventures and sexy times!