Author's Note: The Doctor and Donna have now come full circle and the Medusa Cascade beacons.
lots of angst and explicit sex in the last part of the chapter.
Thanks again to BMG, Sarahjag, dm1 and noteissignedlc and all who have messaged me... Reviews make me say SQUEE!
The shuddering through the deck of the Tardis was steadily growing in intensity by the time the Doctor and Donna raced into the control room. Donna let go of the Doctor's hand as he raced up to the control console, his mind already sinking deep into the consciousness of the Tardis in order to better understand what she was reading in the space around them.
Donna leaned back against the railing, closing her eyes to let her thoughts float quietly in the back of his mind, truly seeing for the first time the stunningly beautiful connection between the Doctor and his ship. The Tardis had been connected with the Doctor for such a very long time, she understood him in ways that even he didn't know about himself and as she had done with each incarnation before him, she adapted her interaction with each new regeneration to best suit their needs. She however hadn't been this connected with him in several centuries and Donna could tell that the Tardis loved this incarnation more than most because of the depth of their connection.
She just reveled in watching him scamper about the control console, flipping switches and pulling or pushing levers to better tune the scanners. It was strange but she suddenly realized she hadn't seen him use the mallet on anything in a little while, and she could tell that the Tardis was more than thankful for that little oversight. It brought a soft smile to her lips when she realized she was picking up more and more from the Tardis as well, as if the ship were reaching out to Donna to include her more in her connection with the Doctor.
Donna frowned when she felt the shudder increase beneath her feet for a moment while the ship struggled to stabilize itself within a single time stream before the deck plating settled once more. Her gaze was drawn to the double doors that led to the outside of the Tardis and she knew that she had to see the space beyond in order to make better sense of the connection that it held to all that had happened to her in the last year. She needed to see it to finally begin to make peace with the life that she was living now and to make sense of living in the aftermath.
With that thought uppermost in her mind, she pushed off the railing and made her way across the control room towards the doors. It was finally all coming together for her, the focus of all her shifting thoughts and fears that she had built this into was finally right outside of that door. She paused for a brief moment, her fingers resting lovingly on the wood before she reached down for the knob.
"Just WHERE do you think you're going?"
She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard the shout from behind her, her head whipping around so fast that her hair flew out of its messy bun and smacked her face on the rebound. Spitting her own hair out of her mouth, she gaped up at the Doctor shocked by the fear and anger that she felt screaming through their bond.
He stood on the other side of the control console, his eyes blazing with so much emotion that she was completely overwhelmed by its intensity. The Doctor and the Tardis for once were both completely focused on her, all extraneous thought for the moment silent as they both waited with fearful anticipation for her response. She blinked slowly, trying to gather her thoughts out of the storm of chaos that had erupted in her mind when he had shouted at her. Her eyes dropped from his fierce gaze and came to rest on his hands where she could see the veins standing out in stark relief from where they gripped the railing around the control console, his body was vibrating with barely contained energy and he was panting like he had just run a marathon.
She shook her head to ease the nearly painful movement of his mind within hers before she was finally able to respond. "I need to see it, Doctor. It's not the same as looking at it through a monitor or reading it through sensors. I need to actually see it."
He had walked around the console, his hand patting the panel lightly before he made his way down the ramp to her side. When he had seen her standing in front of the door, he had been shaken by the terror that had suddenly surged out of his control. The Tardis had reacted just as swiftly and nearly catapulted him from her own consciousness so that he had been momentarily disoriented before he had been able to focus clearly on her.
Her eyes were wide with some nameless emotion and her thoughts were nearly as jumbled as his were, he was trying to sort through everything that was flitting through her mind but it was a maelstrom that he could barely even navigate. She was driven though, completely driven to see the outside and he knew that somehow it was all tied together in her mind. That maybe then, she might finally be able to make peace with the path her life had taken.
She watched him come closer to her, his steps hesitant almost as if he were afraid she would bolt and she couldn't stop the near hysterical giggle that bubbled from between her lips. Her hand flew to her mouth at the sound, her eyes widening when she felt her thoughts spiraling completely out of her control.
The last few hours had helped her gain a tenuous control over her fears, but it had not been nearly enough and now finally she was back at the scene of the crime as it were. Her eyes were glued to him while he walked closer to her, her mind clutching desperately to his when she felt herself begin to spiral deeper into that pit that had suddenly yawned wide within her.
The Doctor frowned slightly when he felt her frantic scrabbling response to the touch of his thoughts, his mind reached out to gently pull her into the warm embrace of his thoughts, his eyes sliding closed as he just drifted quietly for a moment with her essence cradled so tightly to his own.
Her eyes drifted closed when she felt his hand reach up to cradle her cheek, his touch soothing for a moment before he drew her into his arms and held her tightly against his chest. He sighed softly against her hair, keeping his eyes closed for a moment more before he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her temple.
Of course she needed to see it, she needed to see it in order to finally put to rest the near irrational fear that had grown out of her experiences here. It was all tied together in her mind, the Medusa Cascade, the metacrisis, her telepathy and time perception. It all lead back to this place and to that moment in time.
He had been terrified when he had seen her standing by the door, for one irrational moment he had feared that she meant to jump out of the Tardis and into the vacuum of space. Though the Tardis would have protected her had she done so, it still hadn't been enough to still the terror that had screamed through him. The Tardis was now constantly keeping an eye on Donna, the ship was still feeling guilty that she had let Donna down earlier and was determined not to make the same mistake twice. She was all too aware of how much the Doctor cared for Donna, and in the end she had always loved Donna too. It was as much her responsibility as it was the Doctor's to make sure that Donna was alright and that in the end she had all that she needed to finally begin to truly heal.
The bond between Donna and the Tardis was evolving in much the same way that her bond with the Doctor was evolving, and the bond between the three of them was also beginning to take on a life of its own. Donna's ability was changing with each day and she was becoming far more comfortable and adept at reading the world around her through the lens of her own ability, it was only natural her bond with the Tardis would also continue to strengthen. She was no longer overwhelmed by the consciousness of the Tardis, though the ship did still try to make sure that she was cautious when Donna connected to her but more and more she was able to let Donna truly feel her consciousness in all its infinite complexity. The Tardis was thrilling in the connection far more than she ever had with any of his previous companions, and she was just as excited as the Doctor was when Donna managed another break through.
The Doctor sighed softly when he felt the Tardis gently nudging him, her thoughts already letting him know that it would be alright if Donna opened the doors and that she would make sure that Donna was protected. The ship was having a hard time fighting against the shifting temporal energies, and she needed the Doctor's help to begin to repair the damage that had been done. He pulled back, his hands coming to rest on Donna's shoulders which in turn urged her eyes to meet his.
Donna blinked up at him, her mind suddenly strangely calm beneath the gentle stroking of his thoughts while she simply let him hold her close in order to ease some of the fear that had screamed through him. A soft smile turned up the corners of her mouth when she felt that understanding click into place for him, when he finally understood her desperate need to see the space outside the Tardis. It was all a part of facing those demons head on for her so that she could finally begin to put the past behind her and focus on the future that she was building both for herself and for the Doctor.
"Give me just a minute, Donna. I need to go back to the controls in order to help the Tardis deal with the rift, but I need to make sure you're safe first okay?"
She nodded at him, her mouth snapping shut when he suddenly dashed back up to the control console and began to pull up the grates beneath it. She leaned back against the railing, watching with a bemused smile as he pulled out chests and boxes with softly muttered curses before he would toss them back into the storage area below and move on to the next compartment.
He sat up with a triumphant grin, holding a mass of black fabric in his hands before he jumped to his feet and raced back to her side. He held up what looked like a spider web of black cording and cables, the strange shape trailing a long silvery rope behind it that ended in a very sturdy looking carabiner clip.
Her eyes jumped to his when he nearly shoved the thing into her arms, his hands already unfastening all the buckles and clips before he motioned for her to put the contraption on.
"You've got to be kidding me. What the hell is this thing? A parachute harness or something?"
The Doctor's head snapped up at her words, his eyes thoughtful as he frowned back up towards the control console. "No it's just a climbing harness, though come to think of it I do have a parachute harness and that would be far better…."
She growled up at him, shaking her head while she slapped his hands away from trying to force her arms through the restraints. "Hold on just a minute, Spaceman! I'm not wearing this contraption or any other contraption just to open the bloody doors!" The Doctor tried to say something, but she just plowed right over him without a thought. "I've had the doors open plenty of times Doctor and the Tardis has always kept me safe. Why are you being such a prawn now over something we've both done before?"
His eyes had darkened at her words, hands stilling on the buckles of the restraint before his gaze rose to lock with hers. She was suddenly bowled over by the dark sorrow in that gaze, the fear and concern she read in those turbulent depths caused her throat to clench closed around a soft gasp. "What is it, Doctor? What am I missing that's suddenly made you so afraid?" She clutched the harness to her chest with one hand, while the other rose to gently caress his cheek. Her thoughts tried to reach out to him, to try to make sense of the emotions that were suddenly churning through him but that one brief touch was enough to let her know that this was something that had been simmering within him for a long time. "You're still blaming yourself for not being able to better protect me from the metacrisis aren't you?"
The Doctor's head snapped up at her question, his eyes darkening for a moment more before he nodded softly. "I guess this place has as many bad memories for me as it does for you. We both nearly lost everything here. I DID lose you here and I can't forget how I felt when I felt my consciousness awaken in your mind. When I knew that in the end it would mean endless burning. I don't do helpless well, Donna which you already know and in that moment, I had never felt so powerless before. I knew what was coming, and there was nothing I could do to stop it."
Donna blinked back sudden tears when she heard his confession, her fingers tightening around the back of his neck before she responded. "You saved me, Doctor. Don't ever forget that. Yes you could have done it a little better, but in the end you protected me in the hope that maybe one day you would be able to make it right." Her thumb lightly brushed along his chin, the motion forcing his eyes to once more focus on hers. "We both lost so much that day, but look at where we ended up in the end? If it hadn't happened, maybe we never would have gotten to where we are today and I for one wouldn't trade this for anything."
"Neither would I." He responded before he shook his head, his hand dropping from her cheek to run a finger lightly over her collar bone while he blew out a frustrated breath. "I just need to know you're safe Donna. As safe as possible because I won't be standing here next to you, and something could happen that I wouldn't be able to react fast enough to protect you." His hands clenched around the harness, crushing the webbing close against his chest before he continued. "I know you need to do this, but I also need to focus on sealing the rift and I hate that I can't do both things at once. So please, just humor me and wear the bloody thing so that I can focus on what I need to as well." His teeth clacked closed on the last word, his eyes locked with hers begging for her to understand the irrational fear that even he couldn't completely comprehend.
She sighed softly at the thoughts that were racing through his mind, the very real fear that something could happen and throw her through the doors before he or the Tardis could have time to react was nearly driving him mad and yet he was still fighting through that fear so that she could have what she needed to begin to heal as well. She reached up to him, her fingers lacing through his unkempt hair before she pulled him down for a soft kiss.
"When you put it that way."
His eyes clenched tightly closed when he could feel the calm acceptance in her mind though her tone was teasing, her acceptance of something that even he was unable to fully understand. He squeezed her tightly against him, the harness forgotten momentarily where it was crushed between them before he pulled away and feathered soft kisses over her closed eyes. "Thank you, Donna."
"Don't mention it, Timeboy. Now help me get this thing on."
He grinned and deftly undid the last few buckles before helping her shrug the harness onto her shoulders and pulling the straps over her chest to securely fasten the straps between her breasts. He paused for a moment, unable to resist the temptation to lightly caress the inside of each full breast through her shirt before he pulled back.
She rolled her eyes even though a shiver raced through her body at his touch. "Focus, Doctor. Even I can feel the Tardis struggling to hold us steady now."
His head snapped up at her words, his smile somewhat sheepish as his gaze grew distant so that he could focus on the Tardis for a moment before he nodded. "Quite right, Donna. Let me just tie you off then."
He took a hold of the line that extended from the back of Donna's harness and snapped the carabiner open before tying it off on a sturdy tie down that had suddenly appeared on the wall beside them. He looked back to see Donna shrugging the harness in order to adjust it into a more comfortable position before she fitted her thumbs beneath the straps and tugged to make sure they were all strapped securely into place.
The Doctor smiled softly, tugging as well on the straps just to reassure himself before he reached out and grabbed a hold of the door knob. "Are you sure you're ready for this, Donna?"
She nodded almost eagerly, though he could feel the sudden trepidation filter through her thoughts. "Ready as I'll ever be, Spaceman." Before he could change his mind, the Doctor turned the knob and gently pulled the doors open.
Donna staggered slightly when she looked through the open doors and out into the Medusa Cascade. The last time she had been here, the space had been filled with twenty-seven planets that had all been ripped out of time and space while the crucible had floated at the heart of the web. The brilliant greens and oranges of the area were dimmed slightly by the dust clouds that floated through the space, but it was what she saw beyond the nebula that had her reeling.
"Whoa…" Donna whispered, her hand held tightly to her head so that she could try to make sense of all that she was seeing. The space was spider webbed with fractures, huge gaping holes in reality through which she could see other worlds and other times much as she had seen in that basement in Cardiff, but on a much vaster scale.
She saw whole planets spinning silently through the void of space, while wars raged over dead and dying worlds in others. The cracks in reality filled nearly the entirety of the vista before her and were even now reaching further out into space, causing time to splinter into a million pieces. Her other senses thankfully were somewhat shielded from the effects of the space around them, but she couldn't help the shudder that coursed through her when she felt the Doctor's own reaction shiver through their bond.
The Doctor had paused to take in the view beside Donna, without the protection of the Tardis doors his skin had instantly begun to crawl with the strange waves of temporal energy that were blasting out of the rift, but it was the feel of Donna staggering next to him that brought him back to himself with a start.
He reached out a hand to steady her when she faltered and began to sway, his eyes sliding closed so that he could let himself sink fully into her mind. The vision before them was absolutely terrifying, it was no wonder that the Tardis was struggling as much as she was to hold them steady.
He counted forty-nine different, distinct realities before them, although it looked like more were beginning to break through all the time. The armies of dead and forgotten peoples swirling through time and space, destroying everything in their path all in the name of some useless ideal. He knew that it was only a matter of time before the barriers between their realities frayed completely, releasing all the horrors of whole universes gone mad.
He gently pulled out of Donna's mind, not at all surprised when she turned tear-streaked eyes towards him. Her lips were quivering with the horror that she could see before her, the sorrow that was beating at her because she knew that there was nothing that they could do to help the worlds that were even at this moment burning before her very eyes. "Is that what it was like for you, Doctor? Is this what it felt like to watch Gallifrey burn?"
The Doctor jerked at her question, his mind for a moment whiting out beneath the onslaught of sorrow and fury that her question had unwittingly awakened. He remembered standing in the Tardis over his dying world, he remembered the helplessness that he had felt when he realized the only way to save the universe was to destroy his own people. His hands clenched into fists as those memories beat at him, the cries for help from the high council going unanswered as the Daleks swarmed over Gallifrey for the kill.
He could only nod as words completely failed him, his eyes shining with the pain those memories even now still elicited in him. It had been centuries since the loss of Gallifrey and there wasn't a day that went by that he didn't dream of his planet and its people.
She reached out to take his hand, her fingers curling tightly around his trembling fingers so that she could hold their clasped hands tightly to her chest. "Go do what you do best, Doctor. I'll keep watch so that someone can remember the price of our actions today. You carry enough guilt, now it's my turn."
He looked into her eyes, feeling himself rising up from the depths of his own sorrow to be washed clean in the comfort of Donna's unwavering support. He marveled once again at how she so easily shouldered the burdens that had weighed on him for centuries and that she stood ready and able to take on his suffering so that he could do what needed doing. He licked lips gone suddenly dry before he nodded curtly and turned abruptly away to make his way back up to the control console.
Donna watched him go before she turned back to the open doors, determined to mark the passing of each reality from this universe so that at least someone would remember what had been lost this day.
The Doctor strode up to the control console, his mind once more merging with the Tardis in order to begin the painstaking work of sealing the rift. He looked to where Donna stood in the doorway, the light from the Medusa Cascade caused her hair to ring her head in a halo of crimson fire.
He couldn't help the stuttering of his hearts when he saw her standing there in the doorway, a silent sentinel to all the suffering that they were able to glimpse through those rifts in reality. He found that he could no longer regret the second chance that he had been given all those weeks ago, not now with all that he had gained because of that strange twist of fate. If that meant he was being selfish, then so be it.
Donna stood with her arms wrapped tightly around herself, the knuckles on her hands burning white against the skin in a silent testament to the cost of her control. How he wanted to stand there with her. How he wished there was something that could be done to stop all the suffering that they were glimpsing, but he knew that there was nothing they could do and that unfortunately whole worlds would burn while he stood by and sealed them to their fate.
The Tarids was nudging his thoughts gently, trying to keep him focused on the task at hand because she had finally completed her scans of the entire system. The Doctor pulled the monitor around to face him, his eyes widening when he read the information on the screen.
The rift was pulsing with temporal energy which was in turn destabilizing the space throughout the entire sector. The space was so volatile right now that it was a wonder the temporal barrier hadn't already been ripped to shreds. The Tardis scanned no less than two hundred distinct realities all peeking through various rifts in reality, some were little more than slivers while others were nearly on the verge of bleeding into their universe. He thought he had scanned Daleks through one of those rifts, a Dalek empire in the height of its power and it was rampaging through the universe destroying everything in its path.
He was surprised actually that the Daleks hadn't already tried to make use of the rifts between realities, and he had to wonder if the damage was still confined solely to this side of the rupture. He felt himself begin to silently scream when he thought of all the people that he would be dooming to a fate worse than death in that other reality, but he couldn't let the rifts open any further not without risking everything and everyone in this universe. Once again, it was up to him to make those decisions that others could not in order to save this universe from total destruction.
He grunted softly under his breath, his hands flying over the controls of the Tardis to bring the rift manipulator online in order to feed the readings from the Tardis through its matrix. The Tardis had scanned the focal point of the breach and he knew that it was at that point that he would need to begin the painstaking work of stitching the ruptures in time closed.
He could feel Donna moving gently through the back of his mind, her touch feather light as she threw all her incredible strength of will behind him. She was weeping while she watched the universe burn, it was ripping her to pieces to know that there was nothing that she or the Doctor could do to save them. She was holding tight to him, their souls screaming together in anguish at their own helplessness.
She was clutching tightly to both him and the Tardis, her mind quivering within the warm safety of their embrace as she let her thoughts travel back to that fateful day all those months ago when the space before her had been filled with so much death and destruction. The strength suddenly seemed to bleed from her body and she sat down hard on the floor of the Tardis, the tears were searing a path down her cheeks as she remembered the burning fire that had consumed her aboard the crucible.
She remembered so vividly the feeling of the Doctor's mind when it had been awakened within her. She remembered the connection she had felt with his duplicate and with him as well when they had stood at the controls of the magnetron, their three minds so inextricably linked it felt like they were moving as one. It had been absolutely glorious to feel the connection blazing between them, much as the connection between her, the Doctor and the Tardis was now evolving as well. She found she could no longer be sorry for everything that had happened to her, not when it meant that she had finally been able to find her own center and come to this place and this time with the Doctor.
She had held the knowledge of the universe in her hands, she had been burned by it and she had been changed in so many inexplicable ways. She truly didn't know what she was evolving into, but it was so much more than she had ever been. Still mostly human, though not quite the same, her mind had been forever altered and even now she was looking at the universe around her with brand new eyes.
She blinked when she saw flashes of fire deep within the nebula before her, strident lines of force shooting out in all directions from the rift at its core. She imagined she could hear the explosions and screams of dying planets even through the vacuum of space, whole civilizations were burning and they were standing there as the only witness.
The Doctor let his mind touch remain soft when he felt Donna moving through his thoughts, his body was quivering with adrenaline when he realized all he wanted to do was stand in that doorway with her while they sealed the fate of countless millions. The Tardis murmured softly to him, her thought letting him know that she was as ready as she would ever be but that they were going to have to move deeper into the cascade in order to seal the rift properly.
The Doctor sighed softly before he stepped away from the console, his eyes locked on the back of Donna's head where she sat cross legged in the open doorway of the Tardis. His mind disengaged almost gently from the Tardis, before he let himself sink deeper into Donna's thoughts. She was curled about herself, her chin resting on her bent knees as her gaze wandered from rift to rift. There was so much death and destruction everywhere she looked, almost as if the entire universe had gone collectively mad. However, there was peace out there as well if she just paused to look. Worlds spinning in silent splendor while their people prospered and expanded out into the stars. There was a tenuous balance out there which she had missed at first, but now that she could see it she was stunned by the amazing beauty of the weave of all realities as they joined together.
She jumped when she felt the Doctor come up beside her, his fingers reaching down to tangle softly in her wild auburn mane. She leaned close against his thigh, her mind finally making peace with what had happened to her in this place and though the cost had been so grievously high, she finally began to accept that the rewards had been equally as rich.
The Doctor gently reached down to her and pulled her to her feet, his arms wrapping tight about her quivering body before he whispered softly against her ear. "I need to close the doors, Donna. The Tardis needs to be in the very center of the rift and if what happened in Cardiff was any indication, it's likely to be incredibly violent when it starts." He squeezed her tightly when he felt the sudden discordant note in her thoughts, her body tensing as she made to turn to face him. The Doctor merely held on tightly to her and spoke right over her. "This isn't a debate, Donna. The damage out there is beyond extensive and it's rapidly getting to the point that nothing I do here will make a difference. There are over two hundred realities bleeding through and there continue to be more, until there will come a point when some of them start to finally bleed through into our reality."
She remained silent in his arms, though her hands had come up to clutch them tighter about her body. She leaned back against him for a brief moment, just reveling in the surety of his presence before she nodded softly. "I understand, Doctor, though I wish I could see it when the Tardis begins."
"You'll be able to watch it all on the monitor, Donna and as soon as it's safe I promise you can open the doors again to see the aftermath."
She turned about in his arms, her eyes burning up into his with all the intensity of the firestorm that was raging just behind her. "We're just going to let them all die then, Doctor?"
He flinched at her question, his eyes rising to the one reality where he could see the Daleks destroying planet after planet without so much as a pause between worlds. "We have no choice, Donna. If we were to try to help any of them, we'd run the risk of completely destroying what little bit of the barrier between our realities remain and allowing all that horror into this universe to rage completely unchecked. Sometimes we have to make the tough choices, and though I wish I could do something to save everyone this unfortunately just isn't one of those times." He turned those dark, fathomless eyes back to her, the never ending sorrow screaming out across their bond until she felt like she might be drowning in those tortured depths.
He had known what it would cost him to see the fractures in time through her eyes, he had known that even though the Tardis would be able to scan the rifts and tell him what lay on the other side, it was not the same as when he could actually see whole worlds burn before his very eyes. He knew how much of a toll the sight had taken on Donna, but that as always she had risen above the storm of her own rage and sorrow and battled through to the other side. He could feel a new sense of peace within Donna, a deep seated acceptance of all that had happened to her in this place and a readiness to face their future together.
"There is peace out there, Doctor. I remember you once said that it all balances out in the end, and thankfully at least some of those universes aren't being destroyed by never ending war. I guess that helps make this decision a little easier to bear."
He just squeezed her tightly, once more feeling a fierce sense of pride with the way she always found beauty in even the most unlikely of places. "You're right, Donna, it does help in the end." He was surprised to find that knowing that all was not death and chaos made the burden he carried just a little easier to bear.
"All right then, Doctor. Let's go save the universe. Again." He chuckled softly before he reached out and gently closed the doors on all the suffering that they could do nothing to ease.
He reached down to help her extricate herself from the harness that she had ended up not needing, his grin somewhat rueful when he felt the gentle teasing reproach in her mind. His fingers were quivering while he was undid the buckles, knuckles brushing against heated, cloth covered flesh until he was nearly panting with the effort.
Donna watched him, trying to contain the laughter at his fumbles before she finally took pity on him and reached up to deftly undo the buckles herself. He raised his gaze to lock onto hers, the look in his eyes rooting her to the spot when she realized that he had been holding himself back so desperately in order to give her the time she needed to gather herself back together after everything that had happened.
She was adapting far more quickly than he had expected her to, though why he still tried to measure her by any normal human standard that he had gotten used to over the centuries was anyone's guess. She continued to amaze him with her ready acceptance of every curve ball that had been thrown her way, and not only was she adapting but she was growing in strength at an astonishing speed. He could only marvel at her when she shrugged out of the harness, her eyes flashing up at him when she let the thing clatter to the floor in a useless tangle of rope and nylon.
He shook his head in order to clear his thoughts, his hand grabbing hers before he turned and ran back up the ramp to the control console. "Strap yourself in, Donna. This is liable to be a rough ride!"
She nodded up to him, shimmying up onto the jump seat before she reached around the one side for the straps that would hopefully hold her in place. There was nothing she could do for the Doctor now except sit back, watch and wait for whatever happened next. She gripped the edges of the seat tightly, her mind opening to the Tardis' gentle prodding so that she could better feel everything that the ship was feeling.
Donna whimpered when she felt the searing burn of time flaying against the already tortured senses of the ship, the Tardis' mad struggle to keep them situated in one timeline even while she tried to make sense of where the epicenter of the distortions lay. She couldn't help the gentle stroking of her thoughts along the mind of the Tardis, her own mind trying to lend some of her strength to the ship so that she could better focus on what she and the Doctor still had to accomplish.
The Doctor ducked his head with a soft smile when he felt Donna instantly try to soothe the Tardis, the ship's responding purr sent a warm shiver of delight down his spine. Donna and the Tardis were bonding in far deeper ways than he had ever thought possible and he knew that eventually their bond would be nearly as strong as his bond with the ship was.
The Tardis could tell almost the exact point that time had fractured in this place, and when it had begun to accelerate. Much as the rift in Cardiff had begun to splinter when the Doctor had been granted his unexpected reprieve, it had also been at that point when this rift had cracked like an egg. However, the tear had been minor in the beginning, just enough so that time began to bleed through in slow bursts that would have taken centuries to truly begin to cause any damage if the angels hadn't seized on the rift in Cardiff.
When that rift had been sealed, the shockwave had rippled through the universe and caused a resonating surge that tore the rift wide open. All realities were melting through the rift, time and space were meaningless in this place as every moment in time slowly began to burn.
The Doctor braced himself against the console while he piloted the ship deeper into the Medusa Cascade, his hand reaching up to bring the exterior view of the ship up on the monitor before he spun it on its axis so that Donna would be able to watch the events unfold.
She gasped softly when she saw the view on the monitor, her hand reaching out to trace the spider web of energy that crisscrossed the screen in an impossible pattern of destruction. She had not expected to be able to see all the instability on the screen, she had thought that it would only transmit an image of the space around them. The Tardis had used her own perceptions to alter the image on the screen so that both she and the Doctor were now able to see the fracturing of time and space around them. She looked up at the time rotor with a soft smile, her eyes shining as she let the ship feel her gratitude for the simple gesture.
The Doctor blinked at the readings on the control console, his fingers deftly manipulating the dials for the rift manipulator before he turned to look back at Donna. His eyes were wide with determination, his thoughts moving within hers with the intensity of a thousand suns while his hand poised over the final lever. "Are you ready, Donna?"
Her gaze locked with his when she was finally able to tear it away from the monitor, her lip caught between her teeth before she took a deep breath and nodded softly. "Do it, Doctor. Do it now before it's too late." The Doctor could only grimly nod, before his hand slammed the lever home.
The time rotor once again began to stutter in its casing, the lights in the control room dimming for a split second before the Tardis sent a wall of temporal energy blasting out into the surrounding space. The rift manipulator reached through the fractures in reality to draw moments of time from all realities so that it could incorporate them into the deft weave of its seal.
The Doctor held on for dear life when the Tardis began to tumble end over end through space, the ship was bouncing in between realities as once again it was the heart of the storm that would repair that which had been torn apart. He had one arm wrapped around the railing of the control console, while his free hand continued to deftly manipulate the controls with more instinct than skill. He caught snatches of transmissions from the various realities, the scream of Dalek voices as they became aware of the Tardis for a split second before they were once more sealed into their own private hell.
Donna was screaming as she was violently tossed about, the straps from the jump seat holding her in place even though it seemed like the ship was going to shake itself to pieces. She could feel the Doctor and the Tardis frantically altering the flow of energy from the rift manipulator in order to better keep up with the changes from the rift while slowly the walls of reality were restored.
She didn't know how he was able to keep standing on his feet through all that chaos, but she couldn't tear her gaze away from him as he resolutely continued to feed information to his ship so that she could finish what had been started. The worlds slowly began to melt back into their own realities, the barrier warping and flexing before the energy from the Tardis drew it together again. The repairs that the Doctor and the Tardis grew and spread out in a coruscating inferno of energy, zigzagging from one end of the cascade to the other before it suddenly snapped out of the Tardis' control and raced through the quadrant with a mind of its own. The Tardis sent one last blast of energy out through the rift manipulator before she disengaged the time rotor and let herself be tossed about like so much flotsam.
The Doctor let go of the control console when he felt the Tardis disengage and threw himself across the intervening space to grab tightly to Donna so that they could ride out the final shockwaves together.
Donna clutched the Doctor tightly to her, her eyes glued to the monitor so that she could see the lines of force racing in every direction from the nexus of the rift. The scenes of destruction were finally fading away, melting back behind the impenetrable walls of reality until all that remained was the silence of a tomb that marked their passing. The shuddering of the Tardis finally began to settle beneath them, her gentle touch letting them know that the worst had passed and that it was safe for them to open the doors again.
The Doctor pulled back from Donna, his eyes locking with hers when he felt the ship's assurance whispered softly in his mind. "Are you sure you want to see it again, Donna?"
She nodded in response, her tongue darting out to moisten dry lips before she murmured. "Yes, Doctor. One more time please. I need to see it as you first saw it all those centuries ago."
He stood there for a moment with her hands held tightly in his before he pulled back and helped her unbuckle the restraint that held her in place. She beamed up at him, her mind strangely calm in the aftermath of all that had just happened. He could tell that this had been a far more cathartic experience for her than either of them had realized it would be, she had come to so many realizations that they both knew it would take months and months for them to sort through it all.
He had already had the Tardis make reservations for them on a distant world so that they could spend several weeks together finally healing from everything that had happened, and with this behind them there was only one more thing that they had to attend to before he could take her on for some much needed relaxation. He squeezed her hand tight one more time, finding a spring in his step when he thought of all that he had planned for them when they had finally dealt with all that needed to be settled.
Donna paused before the closed doors, her hand clutching the Doctor's tight before the doors swung silently inward of their own accord. She let her hand run in a loving caress along the wall of the Tardis before she looked out at the sight before her.
The web of energy was fast fading away, the power that the Tardis had sent through the rift was racing in a blazing inferno through each fissure, stitching the walls of reality closed before it raced on to the next point. She blinked back tears of joy when she saw that the worst of the fissures had already closed, and that it would only be a matter of time before all of reality would be safe once more.
The Doctor wrapped his arms tightly around her body, letting his eyes slide closed while his mind sank gratefully into hers. He just let himself feel everything that she was feeling in that moment, the wonder in her mind that she was finally able to come to terms with her feelings for this place and what it had meant for her. He could feel the strength of her emotions while she stood there in his arms, watching the universe stitching itself back together so that at least this universe would be safe for a little while longer.
"It's strangely beautiful, isn't it Doctor?"
He had his face buried in her hair, his eyes clenched tightly closed so that he could see the universe better through her eyes. The whole of the Medusa Cascade was on fire with the energies of the rift, each line was etched in blazing detail before it melted away and the fire moved on to the next rupture. He had never seen such a display before and was pretty certain he never would again, he could only marvel at the wonder that Donna felt at the sight before them.
"That it is, Donna. That it is. Finally, I was able to get something right without anybody having to die."
She turned around in his arms, her hands reaching up to gently cup his cheeks while her mind moved within his with a sudden fierce determination. "You know that we can't save them all, Doctor. You always remind me that some days are worse than others, but that as long as the universe can continue to turn for another day then maybe we have made that little bit of difference. Remember when you told me that? When it becomes too much to bear, remember that I'm right here with you and that you're no longer alone in any of this."
He blinked against the sudden rush of tears at her words, once more she had seen to the heart of his fears and had said just what he needed to hear to make it all just a little bit easier to bear. He still couldn't believe his good fortune that she was finally there and with him at his side again, her own indomitable will a more than perfect match for him in the depths of his own raging passion. Her mind and her spirit merged so beautifully with his until he could not tell where he left off and where she began. He was nearly as comfortable in her mind as she was in his, and he knew that their bond would only grow in intensity the longer that they were together.
He had eyes only for her as the world around them seemed to fade away, the awesome display behind them was forgotten when the Doctor's head suddenly dipped down and seized her lips in a bruising kiss. She could only whimper in helpless response to the intensity that she felt blazing through him, her arms tightening around his neck to hold him tight to her while her body arched closer in fevered demand.
The fragile thread of his control snapped when he felt her straining up to him with complete abandon, his mind suddenly thrust hard within her own when he felt the stroking of her thoughts against his. She moaned softly into his mouth in response, the sound enough to send them both spiraling deeper into the depths of passion that surged completely beyond their control.
Neither of them were aware of the doors of the Tardis closing gently behind them, the ship settling softly into quiet running while she dimmed the lights so that the Doctor and Donna could focus more fully on each other.
The Doctor swung Donna up in his arms without even breaking the kiss, his lips ravishing hers until she could barely think straight. She sucked his tongue deeper into her mouth, her own tongue stroking frantically along his before she pressed back just as urgently. They were so completely lost in the other that Donna barely even noticed when the Doctor stumbled from the control room up to his room.
She was arching up against him, her body screaming in response to the twisting of his mind against hers even while her thoughts moved through his in a deliciously intimate embrace. She was frantic in his arms, all the pent up desire and frustration that had plagued the both of them for the last few days came pouring out in the ferocity of their embrace. She couldn't get enough of the taste of him, her hands running frantically through his hair while she strained closer against him. His arms were like steel bands around her body, fingers digging in almost painfully to hold her close so that his mouth could ravish hers mercilessly.
He could feel the Tardis gently pulling back from both their minds, the smug sense of happiness she felt at seeing the two of them together only caused him to growl softly to her in response. A soft huff of amusement was the ship's only reply.
Donna was so lost in his arms that she barely even noticed when he stopped by his bedside, his arms tightening for a brief moment before he leaned down and laid her out on the bed. She yelped when she felt the Doctor release her, her eyes flying open and her mind screaming out to him to not pull away now before she realized that they were back in his room and then he followed her down onto the bed.
Gods, Donna, I've missed the feel of you. She watched in fascination as the soft brown of his eyes was slowly obliterated by the flaring of his pupils, his breath coming in panting gasps before he stretched out over her. He braced his body on his forearms while his head dipped and he began to nibble lightly along her collarbone.
She arched up to him in sweet invitation, her hand sliding up his back in a gentle caress before clutching tightly in his hair as shivers of delight chorused through her body at the sensation of his whisker roughed cheek brushing against the tender flesh of her neck.
She whimpered softly, her body twisting and pumping against him in aching need to feel his delicious weight more fully. He pulled back at the teasing brush of her breasts against his chest, his body held tautly over her so that his fingers could reach down to trace the curve of a full breast.
She jerked beneath the gentle caress, her lip caught between her teeth as her body shuddered eagerly for more. He grinned softly at her response, leaning down to gently tongue a peaking nipple through the soft cotton fabric of her shirt.
Her head fell back with a scream at the stab of heat that radiated out from his mouth, her hands slamming down to tangle in the sheets while she writhed madly beneath him. She could feel him growling softly against her breast, his teeth teasing and tormenting the aching bud through the dampening fabric, the vibration racing out to her fingers and her toes. Every nerve ending was vibrantly alive, her soul grasping at his with nearly frantic urgency when it seemed her entire body was suddenly lit with the fire of his mouth. She was whimpering in heated response, her body bucking and straining against him desperate to feel his skin against hers once more.
The Doctor moved slowly back up Donna's body, his lips trailing fiery kisses in his wake before he nuzzled the delicate flesh in the curve of her neck. He could feel her panting softly against him, soft whimpers and moans her only response while her hands kneaded his back before splaying wide and pulling him down hard against her.
She could feel him moving within her mind, his own thoughts touching hers delicately so that she could feel every swell of emotion as it roared through him. The fear and anger that had filled so much of the last few days, the gut wrenching sorrow and fear when he had stood hand in hand with her while they both had waited for death. It was all swirling in a wild maelstrom within him, spurring him to greater heights even as he drew her with him in a beautiful acknowledgement of the fact that against all odds, they still had each other and were finally able to revel in all that they shared. He responded to her frantic cries in his mind with a soft shiver of thought racing along her own dreams, drawing them into himself and twining his soul deeply with hers. They were falling deeper and deeper into the abyss, their linked minds utterly lost to anything but each other.
Donna's hands tightened in his hair when she felt those emotions swirling through him, her body contorting in near mindless need against him even while she dragged his mouth back up to hers. She held him close to her, her breath coming in hitching sobs so that her teeth could nibble his lower lip and her tongue darted out to soothe the bite.
His eyes flew open to lock onto hers, the searing depth of his gaze searing through her as her mind opened itself fully to him. Tears were streaming down her cheeks with all that she was feeling, the wonder she felt at being in his arms once again and finally feeling some peace with her life. Her kisses were wondrously frantic, her mind whispering over and over again in his of all that she was feeling. He held her close to him, letting himself simply drown in the depth of emotion that he could feel swirling between them pushing them to even greater heights.
She was whimpering softly into his mouth now, her hands frantically moving between them, absolutely desperate to feel his skin against her own. He leaned back at the insistent caress of Donna's hands, her fingers dancing over hypersensitive nerves and causing his entire body to clench in explosive need. His breath caught at the vision she made splayed out on the bed beneath him, her lips ruby red and swollen from his kisses while her body was undulating with an utterly delicious rhythm that he found completely mesmerizing.
Her hands were tiptoeing up his arms and across his chest, fingers lightly flicking a small male nipple before dancing lower over his quivering belly. His head fell back on a sharply indrawn breath, his stomach muscles clenching when he felt that teasing touch ghosting lower still. She was grinning like a Cheshire cat at the quivering response her fingers left in their wake, her tongue licking her lips in absolute delight at the effect she was having on him.
His eyes were locked on hers, his grin positively wicked when he reached down and yanked his t-shirt off over his head, sending the garment flying off into some corner, before he reached down and plucked her shirt from her body as well. He paused for a moment, letting his gaze roam over her body before he fell onto her with a soft groan. His mouth travelled down her neck, teeth grazing over the skin while his hands reached up to gently knead and caress her breasts. His fingers plucked at the delicate tips, his smile hidden when he watched the buds tighten beneath his touch before he leaned down and sucked one into his mouth.
She bucked violently beneath him, the heat of his mouth causing a bolt of liquid fire to shoot straight through to her core and her mind to scream out to his in helpless response. She could feel the searing waves of heat pouring outward from the warmth of his mouth, his teeth nibbling the delicate flesh with just enough pressure to bring little pleasurable shocks of pain that caused delighted gasps to bubble through her lips.
She was completely lost to him, her mind and her body screaming out her need even as her hands were frantically trying to rip the last of their clothing away. The Doctor was nearly as desperate as she was, but he was determined to fully enjoy the feel of her once more laying beneath him. His dreams the last few days had been filled with thoughts of this moment, where they could once more lose themselves so completely in the other with no thought other than their own pleasure.
He let her nipple slide out of his mouth with a wet pop which caused another shudder to chorus through her body, her hands clenching tightly against his back while her hips were grinding against his with an almost painful motion. He nuzzled the delicate underside of one full breast, his mouth raining soft butterfly kisses over the quivering flesh before he slid lower down over her body.
She was unable to still the cries that were erupting from her lips, her body was bucking and writhing against him with absolute abandon and she could only cling to him tightly as he once again swept her away in a raging sea of fire and sensation.
He let his tongue draw a teasing line from the base of her sternum and down over her quivering belly, fingers teasingly plucking at the laces to her sweat pants while he nuzzled her belly button. She suddenly stilled beneath him, her hands opening and closing uncertainly though she was unable to still the keening cries that were still echoing through his mind. She could tell exactly what he wanted to do, there was no mistaking the extremely graphic image in his mind and she couldn't help but feel her entire being clench in helpless anticipation.
He held himself low against her belly, struggling to get his own raging body back under some semblance of control before he pulled the ties open and let both his hands slowly begin to slide the fabric from her hips. She rose up against him so that he could slide the fabric down her legs and toss it aside before he turned back to her, his fingers reaching out to lightly stroke along the line of pale flesh just below her belly.
She was struggling to catch her breath, all her being was focused utterly on the feather light caress of his fingers. He could never get enough of looking at her, he had dreamed for far too long of moments like these when she was spread out before him in glorious display and now that she was actually here he couldn't stop himself from reveling in the sight of her. He bent back down over her body, hips shifting so that he was settled comfortably between her legs before he let his fingers travel up the inside of her thighs, the touch urging them wider as they began to stroke a soft rhythm against her aching folds.
She screamed. Her legs falling wide open and her eyes clenching tightly closed as her body surged up off the bed towards his touch, toes curling into the bed for traction in the sudden whirlwind of fire that flared outwards to race through every nerve in her body. His heated breath caressed those same folds for a split second before his fingers deftly parted them and he leaned close to run his tongue in a long delicious sweep. He nearly convulsed with the tidal wave of raw hunger that flooded through his mind, Donna's body was teetering on the verge of flying completely apart with barely another touch. He thrilled at the mindless passion he felt pounding through her body and soul and with a last whispered thought to her, he opened his mouth wide and sucked the hard little nub into his mouth while his tongue and fingers stroked firmly against the core of her.
She rose up with a strangled shout, her head thrown back and back arched in near painful response before she fell back onto the bed and could only writhe mindlessly against him. His mouth and tongue were absolute perfection, the sensations drawing near animal sounds from her that she had never heard herself make. His eyes were wide open and watching her reactions, the smile hidden against her while he drank his fill. He could feel the heat pounding at the both of them, her body held together by a thin shred that threatened to fly apart at any moment. As much as he wanted to push her over that edge and drink all of her in, he knew that he needed to feel her release all around him far more at this moment. There had been too much pain in the last few days and he found that he couldn't hold himself back any longer.
With one final nibble that caused her to jolt in response against him, he pulled back with a pained sigh, his eyes clenched closed as he crawled back up her body to settle over her once more. Her fingers had deftly undone the front of his trousers and with her help he pushed them down off his hips and kicked them aside.
She was crying out in happy delirium, her hand reaching out to wrap about the thick, hard length of his cock with an iron grip. His breath exploded through clenched lips when he felt her touch, his head fell forward and entire body clenched in anticipation as he helplessly thrust into her hand. Her thoughts were locked completely with his, the both of them spiraling deeper and deeper into the other until they both knew that they would never be able to separate themselves again.
He couldn't hold back any longer, his fingers travelled up the inside of her thigh before he gently parted her aching folds and returned to lightly stroke the hard little nub with a rhythm that perfectly matched the stroking of her hand on him. She was screaming out to him now, fingers tightening instinctively around him when she cried out to him for more. He reached down and gently unwrapped Donna's hand from around his length before he took himself in hand and rose up over her, with a slight shift of his hips he surged forward and buried himself in her to the hilt.
Donna screamed when she felt him surge within her, her body opening gleefully beneath him even as her hips shot up to meet the urgent thrust midway. She couldn't control the feelings that were screaming through their bond, her mind frantically moving against his in ways that she had never felt before. He was whispering in her mind, beautiful musical Gallifreyan words that tumbled along at the edge of her consciousness before melting away into the haze that had descended over them both.
Her body was surging against his, silken muscles clenched tightly around the hard length of him before he pulled back and thrust home again. She moved with him, matching each thrust with an upward shift of her own in order to force him deeper and deeper with each motion. She could feel him bottoming out, the sensation on that razor's edge of pain that only seemed to drive them both even more wild.
He was crying out to her, his hands grasping her hips tightly while he surged within her in long smooth strokes. His body was pounding into hers mercilessly, the outpouring of fear and loss and dread finally finding peace in her ready acceptance of his raging passion.
They strained against each other, her feet planted on the bed in order to drive harder up against him even while he pulled her down harder and harder onto his plunging cock. Her head was tossing from side to side, the sensations only amplified by the intensity of their bond until she could feel exactly what he felt as he plunged into her body. She could suddenly feel the embrace of warm flesh around arching hardness, and the sweet blissful relief that he felt when those muscles clenched tightly in sweet welcome. He in turn felt his eyes rolling almost painfully in his head when he could feel what she did, her body being split nearly in two and the delicious tension that was coiling tighter and tighter within her. His mouth was parted around a wordless scream when he felt the strange delicious sensation of being filled near to bursting while she was gasping in the sweet torment of feeling a heated velvety embrace, tight muscles quivering in delicious response to every thrust. She surged up against him one final time, her toes curling deep into the mattress before she screamed out to him and felt her body fly apart in sweet release.
The Doctor cried out when he felt her body lock down almost painfully around him, his body surging into hers one last time before he threw his head back and followed her into that release. He fell against her with a muffled groan, his body shuddering as wave after wave of delicious fiery ecstasy washed over the both of them. She wrapped her arms and legs around his body, holding him close against her while their bodies continued to quiver together for what seemed like an eternity.
He was pressing soft kisses against her neck, his voice whispering soft words that her mind was too dazed to understand. Her whole body was quivering in the aftermath, her mind actually almost hurt from the intensity of their bond and her thoughts were scattered grains of sand tossed in the aftermath of a storm.
She could only lightly stroke his back while she listened to the sound of his voice, her eyes blinking to try to focus when she finally began to notice the soft strains of music drifting through the room. There was a soft glow which seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once and looked remarkably like candlelight, though there were no candles anywhere that she could see.
Her thighs tightened about the Doctor's hips for a moment when she lifted her head, the motion causing him to lift his own head and look about the room with a puzzled expression on his face.
"Mmmmm… What is it, Donna?"
She looked back at him, her breath catching and muscles clenching in helpless response when she saw the thoroughly debauched look on his face. His breath hissed and he twitched, reminding them both that they were still very much joined. She couldn't help the soft little moan of pleasure when she felt that little twitch, her body melting back into his as she let him push her back down onto the bed.
"When did you turn on the music, Doctor? I certainly don't remember that part!"
He nuzzled happily into the crook of her neck once again, his tongue reaching out to lick a bead of sweat that had slid down the creamy flesh. Her question only barely registering when he felt the shift of the Tardis through his thoughts.
"Ah, that would've been the Tardis' doing. She was feeling guilty for having interrupted us the last few times and thought that she would help set the mood this time around. I honestly hadn't even noticed the lights or the music." He nipped her neck playfully before he whispered. "I was far too focused on something else."
She shuddered beneath him, feeling a soft blush burn across her cheeks at the thought of the Tardis watching them though she had thought she had long since gotten used to the sensation. "I still am not quite used to that, but when I'm with you I completely forget that we have an audience."
He chuckled softly at her words, his tongue and teeth continuing to lightly tease her blushing neck when he murmured into the soft flesh. "The Tardis loves the two of us together, Donna. She's wanted us together for so very long, of course she's going to enjoy that we're both finally happy."
She shivered at the playful nip, her arms wrapping around the Doctor to hold him tight against while she just enjoyed basking in the warm afterglow with him. She knew that this was the lull before the storm, and that once started it would be a long while before either of them were fully satisfied and she for one was more than looking forward to rediscovering him and all that they found together.
"Well, I'm happy she's on our side then!" She giggled at a particular playful nibble, her head turning to take in the ambience in the room before she murmured. "I will say that the lighting and music does set a very nice mood, but maybe sometime we can get some real candles. There's just something about firelight that drives me nuts."
His lips pursed thoughtfully at that comment, his mind brushing against hers teasingly before he whispered. "In that case, I'll get so many candles it'll be nearly a fire hazard!"
She just hugged him tightly to her, her thoughts suddenly taking a serious turn when she felt him look up at her. "Thank you, Doctor for bringing me back here. I didn't expect it to be this liberating, but I finally feel like the past can be put behind me and I can really focus on the two of us and all that this life has to offer us." His eyes were shining at her words, his hand rising to stroke her cheek gently before he leaned close and brushed a soft kiss to her lips.
"You're more than welcome Donna. I know it's been hard these last few weeks, but as you saw today there can be beauty in these changes. I'm just glad that you're still here with me so that I can show you just how amazing this new world can be."
She nodded softly in response, her arms clutching him tightly to her as she let her thoughts float gently in his mind's embrace.
The Tardis reached out to the both of them, letting them feel her happiness that they had finally been able to be together again and that Donna was well on her way to accepting her new life and all the wondrous changes that she had experienced. Together the three of them would be magnificent.