in the heart of a friend [Doctor Who, prompt 17: Memorial
in the heart of a friend
Fandom: Doctor Who
Rating: G
Prompt: 17. Memorial
Friendship: Tenth Doctor, Wilf, mentions of Donna
Summary: The Doctor is startled out of his musings by a unlikely source.
Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Doctor Who or BBC. I just love the characters!
Spoilers for Journey's End.
Long, long afterward, in an oak
I found the arrow, still unbroke;
And the song, from beginning to end,
I found again in the heart of a friend.
The Doctor holds a private memorial for Donna. She may not be dead, but she's lost to him, and in a way, some of her is dead.
He sits in the library of the TARDIS, the hum of the box resounding in his ears. The TARDIS liked Donna, he knows. She knows the human was good for him. Donna Noble had snapped him out of the trace he had been in after Rose left. But this time, there was no one to do that. And he hadn't just lost his best friend, but he had lost Rose Tyler all over again.
He's sitting in the old Victorian chair, picked out years ago by his first incarnation. He sits there, and just thinks. He thinks of the endless space and time, he thinks of how he would've continued to to kill the Racnoss, even after the Empress had dead, if it hadn't been for Donna. How he would have died, or at least lost a part of himself.
He closes his eyes, leaning back in the chair, his face thrown up the ceiling, his face creased and worn.
He hasn't moved when the TARDIS phone rings, and he springs out of the chair, startled. He blinks as he walks to the library door, wondering who is left to call him--Martha maybe? Running his hands though his hair, he runs down the hall, turning the corner to the console room.
He reaches for the phone, picking it up almost hesitantly. "Hello?"
"Doctor?" His throat tightens, recognizing Wilf's voice.
"Wilf. Donna...Is Donna...?" He doesn't know how much longer after he left Donna this is--for all he knows, his best mate may have recovered her memories, and lost herself to death as a result by now.
"No, no," Wilf says hurriedly. "She's been having a few headaches, but you said that was normal for a few weeks afterwards. It is, isn't it?"
The Doctor nods, then realizes Wilf can't see him. He sinks into the floor of the TARDIS, holding the phone up to his ear, the weight of his relief bringing him down. "Yes," he says finally. "That's normal." He can almost see Donna as she was when he left, laughing on the phone over a piece of gossip, all memories of the universe ripped from her.
Swallowing, he adjusts the old phone on his shoulder. He doesn't say anything, and it's up to Wilf to break the silence. "Doctor...I haven't seen your blue box lately," he says quietly.
The Doctor feels a twinge of guilt. I'll look up... on her behalf. I'll look up at the sky... and think of you.. "Weeeel." There is no spark to his usual delivery of his well-used phrase. "I...haven't been doing much traveling lately."
There is silence over the phone for a few moments, then Wilf speaks up, his voice thick. "Doctor. Donna...I don't know why you're staying up there, if it's because of her or other things, but she...she would want you to travel. Go. Go explore the universe for her."
The Doctor freezes for a split second, then looks away from the TARDIS console, his gaze towards the ground. "It's not that simple." If he goes near anyone, they just end up hurt. Or he does. And he doesn't want that.
"It isn't?" Wilf sounds genuinely confused. "We need you Doctor. The universe needs you to get out there. You saved us--and so did she," he adds quietly.
The Doctor is about to say no again, when Wilf's words sink in. He can see Donna, Rose, Martha, Susan, Adric, everyone. He can see deaths, and he can see their laughs, and he can how he burnt up a sun, and how they ran.
And he nods. "All right," he says finally. "I'll give it a try."
"Yes!" Wilf's voice rises, and he is really, truly happy for him, the Doctor realizes. His voice quiets. "I'll be watching for you."
Later, the Doctor lets the TARDIS take him to Victorian England.
Notes:
1. Sorry I haven't posted in here for awhile! I'm probably going to be slow with these, but I won't forget about them.
2. I've always loved the friendship between Wilf and the Doctor, and just Wilf in general.And the whole ending for Donna made me cry (favorite New Who companion, definitely).
Fandom: Doctor Who
Rating: G
Prompt: 17. Memorial
Friendship: Tenth Doctor, Wilf, mentions of Donna
Summary: The Doctor is startled out of his musings by a unlikely source.
Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Doctor Who or BBC. I just love the characters!
Spoilers for Journey's End.
Long, long afterward, in an oak
I found the arrow, still unbroke;
And the song, from beginning to end,
I found again in the heart of a friend.
The Doctor holds a private memorial for Donna. She may not be dead, but she's lost to him, and in a way, some of her is dead.
He sits in the library of the TARDIS, the hum of the box resounding in his ears. The TARDIS liked Donna, he knows. She knows the human was good for him. Donna Noble had snapped him out of the trace he had been in after Rose left. But this time, there was no one to do that. And he hadn't just lost his best friend, but he had lost Rose Tyler all over again.
He's sitting in the old Victorian chair, picked out years ago by his first incarnation. He sits there, and just thinks. He thinks of the endless space and time, he thinks of how he would've continued to to kill the Racnoss, even after the Empress had dead, if it hadn't been for Donna. How he would have died, or at least lost a part of himself.
He closes his eyes, leaning back in the chair, his face thrown up the ceiling, his face creased and worn.
He hasn't moved when the TARDIS phone rings, and he springs out of the chair, startled. He blinks as he walks to the library door, wondering who is left to call him--Martha maybe? Running his hands though his hair, he runs down the hall, turning the corner to the console room.
He reaches for the phone, picking it up almost hesitantly. "Hello?"
"Doctor?" His throat tightens, recognizing Wilf's voice.
"Wilf. Donna...Is Donna...?" He doesn't know how much longer after he left Donna this is--for all he knows, his best mate may have recovered her memories, and lost herself to death as a result by now.
"No, no," Wilf says hurriedly. "She's been having a few headaches, but you said that was normal for a few weeks afterwards. It is, isn't it?"
The Doctor nods, then realizes Wilf can't see him. He sinks into the floor of the TARDIS, holding the phone up to his ear, the weight of his relief bringing him down. "Yes," he says finally. "That's normal." He can almost see Donna as she was when he left, laughing on the phone over a piece of gossip, all memories of the universe ripped from her.
Swallowing, he adjusts the old phone on his shoulder. He doesn't say anything, and it's up to Wilf to break the silence. "Doctor...I haven't seen your blue box lately," he says quietly.
The Doctor feels a twinge of guilt. I'll look up... on her behalf. I'll look up at the sky... and think of you.. "Weeeel." There is no spark to his usual delivery of his well-used phrase. "I...haven't been doing much traveling lately."
There is silence over the phone for a few moments, then Wilf speaks up, his voice thick. "Doctor. Donna...I don't know why you're staying up there, if it's because of her or other things, but she...she would want you to travel. Go. Go explore the universe for her."
The Doctor freezes for a split second, then looks away from the TARDIS console, his gaze towards the ground. "It's not that simple." If he goes near anyone, they just end up hurt. Or he does. And he doesn't want that.
"It isn't?" Wilf sounds genuinely confused. "We need you Doctor. The universe needs you to get out there. You saved us--and so did she," he adds quietly.
The Doctor is about to say no again, when Wilf's words sink in. He can see Donna, Rose, Martha, Susan, Adric, everyone. He can see deaths, and he can see their laughs, and he can how he burnt up a sun, and how they ran.
And he nods. "All right," he says finally. "I'll give it a try."
"Yes!" Wilf's voice rises, and he is really, truly happy for him, the Doctor realizes. His voice quiets. "I'll be watching for you."
Later, the Doctor lets the TARDIS take him to Victorian England.
Notes:
1. Sorry I haven't posted in here for awhile! I'm probably going to be slow with these, but I won't forget about them.
2. I've always loved the friendship between Wilf and the Doctor, and just Wilf in general.And the whole ending for Donna made me cry (favorite New Who companion, definitely).