On the Run ♦ 004. Turn for the Worse ♦ with captoftardis

[noblexcompanion]

Donna had been in the library relaxing with a good book, a mug of tea and a box of chocolates from her secret 'me-time' stash. It had all been going so nicely too. At least, it had been going nicely until the TARDIS jerked, sending the mug crashing to the floor, the chocolates following, and Donna barely managing to stay on the sofa

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[captoftardis]

It was truly strange to lie there and hear everything around you, but unable to see any of it. The air in the room changed pressure, noises made as wood creaked and objects pressed together. Shots were fired, but it was unknown if anything connected.

The Doctor was in and out of consciousness, and always struggling to open his eyes the entire time. He could tell every cell in his being screaming out to regenerate, but somehow they were being held back.

[noblexcompanion]

The process continued until finally, finally they were surrounded by an all too familiar coral. As the last of the Huon particles were purged from Donna's body to merge with the TARDIS heart she dropped to her knees. Every muscle ached, every nerve was on fire. She felt as though she had ran a hundred marathons while being shocked with a million volts of electricity.

The glow began to fade, but continued to surround the Doctor. Oh no. Nononono. Donna dragged herself exhausted body over to him. It took every inch of her willpower, each step seeming to take a lifetime. She cradled his head in her lap. "Doctor... Doctor? Don't you dare.... Don't you dare, not now..."

[captoftardis]

Cell regeneration reversed and as if being punched in the gut, the Doctor jolted forward, eyes wide and gasping for breath.

Just as the Huon particles were used to merge with the time loop and rebuild the TARDIS, it also exploded from Donna's release, knocking out, if not killing, the guards. Then with the TARDIS's own help, managed to merge with the time drifts and forced the Doctor to absorb a small amount of its power.

"Are you crying...?" He teased weakly as he raised a hand to wipe away an escaped tear.

[noblexcompanion]

His teasing should've earned him a slap. A hard, sharp, leaves a mark for at least five minutes slap, but instead Donna threw her arms around the Doctor and clung to him like her life depended on it.

"You're alive!!" She didn't want to ever let go. "You're still you!" She'd long accepted that he was Time Lord and part of being Time Lord meant regeneration, but she wasn't ready face it yet. She liked him just the way he was. She'd be able to handle his face changing, after all, it's just a face - a pretty face that she doesn't mind seeing every day, but a face nonetheless, no, it was the fact that his whole personality could change. What if they didn't get on? That was what scared her the most.

"You're alright? You're not going to change, right? You're okay?!"

[captoftardis]

He shook his head. "I was actually regenerating back there, but before all that happened, at that one control console, I made sure to stick us in a continuous time loop. That, and the interaction between the Huon particles and the TARDIS heart, it reversed everything."

He blinked and looked closer at her, noticing that she looked quite worn down, as he probably did. "So with the rebuild of the TARDIS and all that happening, the TARDIS reversed me as well."

[noblexcompanion]

"And that's safe? Nothing's going to happen to you?" She moved closer to him and reached out tentatively, resting her palms on his chest to feel for his hearts.

She was exhausted mentally and psychically. She had no idea how long they'd been stuck in that horrible, dark place. She wanted a hot bath, a cup of tea and the longest snooze known to man.

[captoftardis]

"I should be fine!" He touched her hand with his own briefly.

"Go on, I'll take it from here." He popped out of the chair and brought back some of the rooms and hallways, most notably their rooms, kitchen, and library. He'll bring the rest at a later point. "Really, Donna, go on." He gently pushed her in the right direction.

[noblexcompanion]

"You sure?" She was dragging her feet, making the pushing a whole lot harder. She turned to face him again, and after a brief pause leaned in to kiss his cheek.

"You make sure you rest. It's been hard on you too. Don't lie and say you're fine, because I know you're not. Your hearts broke when we lost the TARDIS, so don't you pretend you're fine."