Of Homes and Families ♦ for justneededtea

[noblexcompanion]

The trip to visit Casanova had been put on hold. At least for the foreseeable future. The last thing Donna remembered was some git spraying them with some alien gas and going on about some combined fantasy or some such. After that, things were blank

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[noblexcompanion]

"We'll fix it." Donna reassured him again. "Before you know it we'll be back in the TARDIS where we belong. You, me, Adam, Percy and Adi, safe and sound in the old girl." Oh no, Doctor. Not the guilt. Not the guilt!! Guilt is bad, very bad. Adam is a tough cookie. Half human, humans adapt to things. So no more guilting!

Donna cupped his cheek, giving him a soft smile, before leaning in to kiss him softly.

[handyhandyhand]

Alright. That was weird. Something was definitely odd and it was most certainly the kiss. The very nice but very odd kiss that Donna just gave him. It was nice, there was no denying. Women were always better kissers.

It didn't stop him from being dumbstruck.

Looking at Donna, he cleared his throat awkward. "Huh. Thanks... I think."

[noblexcompanion]

Donna blushed. "I am so sorry... I have no idea why I just did that..." No offense, Doctor. But really, she had no idea what had compelled her to snog her best mate - well, it was hardly a snog, but that was beside the point. Kissing him while drunk was one thing - and she wasn't completely sure if that had happened or if she had dreamt it - but while sober? No. Nonononono, you didn't go around kissing your best mate while sober. It was an unwritten rule in the law of friendship.

"I um... I better go check on the kids..." Or, you know, hit her head up a wall for being an idiot.

[handyhandyhand]

"No, no, no, no! It's alright. Really! maybe it's a universe thing," The Doctor reassured, feeling like a bit of an idiot, if he was honest. He didn't mean to make Donna so embarrassed, he didn't even know why he was Donna had done it but he did feel bad.

"It's alright! Promise!"

[justneededtea]

The Doctor never responded well to having someone in his head, he had enough nightmares that one more didn't really bother him, he was a man of great trauma and frankly endless angst. Opening his eyes, he tried his best not to move so no one got woken up. Frowning, he glared up at the ceiling.

"What are you? Why are you in my head?" exhaling tiredly, the Doctor wriggled out of bed and snuck out the room.

[noblexcompanion]

"I am the one who can bring you happiness. Look around you, Doctor. Look at your new world. You have a wife and children. What will you do? Back on the TARDIS when they grow old? Wither and wilt before your eyes while you remain unchanging? What will you do when they perish? I can save you that pain. Here, you can grow old with them, enjoy their lives with them."

There was a dark laugh deep inside the Doctor's head. "Why am I inside your head? The human girl grows fragile. Her mind is such a complex mess. Those consciouses fighting against each other. It may harm her if I were to enter her mind again. Collapsing twice is quite enough, don't you think?"

[justneededtea]

Shoving his hands into his pockets, the Doctor headed down the stairs. He needed to get out of this house. "It's not my life and I don't want it. They'll die. I'm over it. I can move on and I will be sad but I know that part of life so well. I'll have Percy for a while, Adam has a lot more he could accomplish and Donna -- she'll be happy with me no matter what."

He knew all of this for a fact and he tried his best to be firm on this one. "Let us leave now or I will force my way out. Two options, just do the one. It's hardly hard, is it?"

[noblexcompanion]

"Ah. Selfish as always, Doctor. Running, always running, never daring to look back at the suffering left behind. You wish to leave? But what of the others? This world, so carefully crafted from the hopes and dreams of them all.

The android, given life, human life. The gift of speech, of free will. The chance to experience childhood. See how happy he is to run and laugh and play with his new mother, and brother and father.

The hybrid creature... given the gift of parents. The chance to grow up surrounded by the calming influence of his father and his mother.

And the human woman, given the gift of motherhood. Her greatest desire, to be a mother. Already she has had two children cruelly snatched away from her, would you cause her that pain again? Would she forgive you? Are you prepared to take that chance?"

[justneededtea]

The Doctor took his drink and signed, giving Donna a small frown. The Doctor really didn't think as much as Donna did about the other world. "That alternate universe thing was mad, wasn't it? Sorry about that, took me a while to wake up.

Pausing, he gave Donna a small frown. "Didn't mean to leave everyone in the snow."

[noblexcompanion]

Well, wasn't a dream after all, then? "I learned long ago, everything about travelling with you is mad, Spaceman." She offered the Doctor a smile and settled down at the table with her mug of tea.

"Don't worry about it. Not your fault, Doc."

[justneededtea]

"We'll go somewhere nice and warm when you're all better. Adam too. then we can hang out on a beach-- that's the sort of thing you like, right?" Well, best to check. He wanted to do something nice for Donna.

But a beach was his limit, he was not going to a blood spa.

[noblexcompanion]

"A beach? That'd be nice. We can teach Percy how to build the best sandcastles and enjoy a picnic by the sea." Sun, sea, sand and sons. Lovely.

"One condition, though. We get you out of a suit and into swimming trunks."